Jazz pioneer George Russell, began his musical career singing in a black Methodist Church and playing drums in the Boy Scouts before earning a scholarship to Wilberforce University and playing in a band that had boasted Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and Benny Carter. Hospitalised with TB just as war broke out, Russell was taught the fundamentals of music theory by another patient – a chance encounter that would change the history of jazz.
Once out of hospital, he played drums in Benny Carter’s band until Max Roach arrived on the scene and young George realised he was way out of his depth. He moved to New York and found his way to the 55th Street apartment of Gil Evans who gathered around him all the young leaders of the bebop revolution; Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Gerry Milligan and later MJQ leader John Lewis.
Back in hospital again in 1945-46, Russell worked out the skeleton of what became known as his Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organisation. The idea was born of a remark from Miles Davis who said to George that he wanted to ‘learn all the changes’. As far as George knew, Miles already had the changes down pat, so he assumed Miles meant that the star trumpeter was looking for a new way to relate to chords. What came out of this was a concept of playing jazz based on scales or a series of scales rather than chords or harmonies. It was a modal structure which Miles expressed in ‘Kind of Blue’ and it became hugely influential in the history of post-war jazz.
Russell, by now playing piano and also composing and arranging, developed his ideas and led a series of small groups and bbands which included Bill Evans, Art Farmer, Paul Motian, Max Roach and John Coltrane. His 1983 Grammy nominated album ‘African Game’, a 45 minute opus for 25 musicians was described by the New York Times as ‘one of the most important new releases of the past several decades’.
Disillusioned with a lack of recognition in the States, Russell lived in Norway and Sweden for five years during the 1970s playing with stars of the future like Jan Gabarek and Terje Rypdal. Although he returned home to the States, Russell spent much of his time touring and teachng in Europe and conducting radio groups in several European countries..
Apart from ‘African Game’ (1983), other recommended albums include ‘Jazz Workshop’ (1956); ‘The Outer View (1962) and ‘Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature (1969)
Also hear George Russell line-ups on www.spotify.com
