The critical buzz aroused by David S. Ware's work with Andrew Cyrille and Cecil Taylor in the '70s had, by the late '90s, turned into a consonant roar. New York's collective jazz press -- always on the lookout for the music's next messiah -- crowned Ware the "King of Free Jazz" on the basis of his energetic quartet albums from the mid-'90s.... [+] Read More

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Despite being an "old school" musician in terms of grounding and early influences, Fred Anderson was a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and headed several AACM groups in the '60s. Anderson had formally studied music theory and was strongly influenced by Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and Gene... [+] Read More

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Eneidi is one of the most exciting free jazz saxophonists. He plays fast and hard, with a bright tone and fertile imagination; few improvisers have quicker reflexes. Eneidi grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. He began playing clarinet at the age of nine and took up the guitar and bass in high school. As a teenager he played Dixieland clarinet... [+] Read More

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Vancouver-based pianist Paul Plimley studied European classical music with various teachers from the University of British Columbia, but in his own musical pursuits has remained firmly ensconced in the world of avant jazz and creative improvisation. Plimley has been active as a pianist, composer, and improviser for two decades but first gained... [+] Read More

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Eclectic, world music-influenced free jazz group the Sea Ensemble was a husband-and-wife team of bassist-clarinetist Donald Rafael Garrett and pianist-cellist-flutist Zusaan Kali Fasteau. Their collaboration began in 1971 in the city where they met, San Francisco. The duo began their world touring and traveling one year later, visiting and... [+] Read More

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The death of Thomas Chapin from leukemia at age 40 was one of those very cruel twists of fate that periodically mark the history of jazz. Unlike the many fine players to die of self-abuse before their time -- Charlie Parker and Bix Beiderbecke come to mind -- Chapin lived what was, by all accounts, an exemplary life. The fact that he was... [+] Read More

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