Ed Blackwell
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Ed Blackwell | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward Joseph Blackwell |
| Born | October 10, 1929 New Orleans, Louisiana, US |
| Died | October 7, 1992 (aged 62) Middletown, Connecticut, US |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Drums |
Edward Joseph Blackwell (October 10, 1929 – October 7, 1992)[1] was an American jazz drummer, best known known for his work with saxophonist Ornette Coleman.[2]
Biography[edit]
Blackwell was born in New Orleans on October 10, 1929. His career began there in the 1950s, where he played in a bebop quintet with pianist Ellis Marsalis and clarinetist Alvin Batiste and briefly toured with Ray Charles. The second line brass band music of New Orleans greatly influenced Blackwell's drumming style. He has also credited his inspiration for playing the drums to his time growing up trying to mimic and match the sounds of his older sisters tap dancing. He would use pots and pans, and old trash cans until he finally received his first drum.
Blackwell first came to national attention as a member of Ornette Coleman's quartet around 1960, when he took over for Billy Higgins during Coleman's residency at the Five Spot Café in Manhattan.[3] Blackwell became a pioneering free jazz drummer, fusing New Orleans and African rhythms with bebop. Blackwell later toured and recorded extensively with fellow Coleman veterans Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Dewey Redman, both individually and as the quartet Old and New Dreams.[3]
In 1973, Blackwell became an artist in residence at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.[1]
In 1981, Blackwell performed at the Woodstock Jazz Festival, held in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Creative Music Studio, alongside Mark Helias,, Carlos Ward, and Graham Haynes.
Death[edit]
After years spent battling kidney disease, Blackwell died on October 7, 1992, in Middletown.[1] He was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame the following year.
Discography[edit]
As leader[edit]
- 1993: What It Is? Ed Blackwell Project Vol. 1 (Enja)
- 1994: What It Be Like? Ed Blackwell Project Vol. 2 (Enja)
- 1996: Walls–Bridges (Black Saint)
With Old and New Dreams
- Old and New Dreams (Black Saint, 1976)
- Old and New Dreams (ECM, 1979)
- Playing (ECM, 1980)
- A Tribute to Blackwell (Black Saint, 1987)
As sideman[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Wilmer, Val (1992-10-12). "Obituary: Ed Blackwell". The Independent. Retrieved 2013-08-27.
- ^ "Ed Blackwell | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 49/50. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
External links[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1929 births
- 1992 deaths
- Free jazz drummers
- Jazz musicians from New Orleans
- African-American drummers
- American jazz drummers
- Wesleyan University faculty
- Enja Records artists
- Black Saint/Soul Note artists
- Avant-garde jazz drummers
- 20th-century American drummers
- American male drummers
- 20th-century American male musicians
- American male jazz musicians
- Old and New Dreams members
- 20th-century African-American musicians