George Russell
This article is about the jazz composer George Russell. For the poet "Æ" of the same name, see George William Russell.George Allen Russell (born
June 23,
1923) is an
American jazz composer and theorist. He is considered one of the first jazz musicians to contribute to general
music theory, with his
1953 book,
The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization (2001: ISBN 0970373902). Russell's theory proposes the concept of playing jazz based on
scales or a series of scales (
modes) rather than
chords or
harmonies. The Lydian Chromatic Concept explored the vertical relationship between chords and scales, and was the first codified original theory to come from jazz. Russell's ideas influenced the development of
modal jazz, notably in the album
Jazz Workshop (1957, with
Bill Evans and featuring the "Concerto for Billy the Kid") as well as his writings; Evans later introduced the concepts to other members of
Miles Davis's working band, which employed them in recordings beginning with the album,
Kind of Blue.
His first famous composition was for the
Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, the two-part "Cubano Be, Cubano Bop" (1947) and part of that band's pioneering experiments in fusing
bebop and
Cuban jazz elements; "A Bird in Igor's Yard" (a tribute to both
Charlie Parker and
Igor Stravinsky) was recorded in a session led by
Buddy DeFranco the next year.
Jazz Workshop was his first album as leader, and one where he played relatively little, as opposed to masterminding the events (rather like his colleague
Gil Evans). He was to record a number of impressive albums over the next several years, sometimes as primary pianist; the suite
New York, New York feature wrap-around raps by singer/lyricist
Jon Hendricks;
Jazz in the Space Age was an even more ambitious
big band album, featuring the unusual dual piano voicings of
Bill Evans and
Paul Bley. Meanwhile, his small-group recordings included memorable sessions with
Eric Dolphy and singer
Sheila Jordan (their bleak version of "You Are My Sunshine" is highly regarded).
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Russell did most of his work in
Norway and
Sweden. He played there with young musicians who would go on to international fame: guitarist
Terje Rypdal, saxophonist
Jan Garbarek and drummer
Jon Christensen. This Scandinavian period also provided opportunities to write for larger groupings, and Russell's larger-scale compositions of this time pursue his idea of
vertical form, which he described as
"layers or strata of divergent modes of rhythmic behaviour". The
Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature, first recorded in
1968, was indicative of his continuing exploration of new approaches and new instrumentation.
With
Living Time (
1972), Russell reunited with Bill Evans to offer a suite of compositions which represent the stages of human life. When he was able to form an orchestra for his 1985
The African Game, he dubbed it the Living Time Orchestra; this time, the suite represented the evolution of humanity.
He received a
MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant in
1989. George Russell has taught at the prestigious New England Conservatory for over twenty years.
*http://www.georgerussell.com
*http://www.lydianchromaticconcept.com
