Friday, June 01, 2007

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Sam Rivers


Artist:Sam Rivers

Song:Point Of Many Returns

Album:Contours





Sax player Sam Rivers has been on the vanguard of the avant guard for over forty years and he's still there today. He was born Sept. 25, 1923 in El Reno, OK, raised in Chicago and then Little Rock, AR. His father was a musician with a gospel quartet and his mother taught music at Shorter College. Rivers studied at the Boston Conservatory Of Music & Boston University. After playing in bands with Herb Pomeroy & Hal Galper, Rivers got involved with the Jazz Composers Guild and guys like Archie Shepp & Cecil Taylor. He started playing with teenage drum prodigy Tony Williams and that led him to Blue Note. The 1965 album Contours is excellent and is recommended to all jazz fans. Musicians include Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Joe Chambers on drums. His music is a little more accessible than some of the other avant guard musicians of that era. Blue Note released it on CD with a bonus track in 2004. Rivers recorded with Impulse in the 70s and then formed a long association with bassist Dave Holland. He continues to tour today with his Rivbea Orchestra. Here's Sam Rivers performing with Dave Holland and Thurman Barker in 1979.

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