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Bill Dixon

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Bill Dixon was an American trumpeter, composer and teacher, born on 5 October 1925 in Nantucket, Massachusetts. In 1934 his family moved to Harlem in New York. He entered the army in 1944, served in Germany and afterwards studied music at the Hartnette Conservatory of Music with support from the GI Bill. He also studied painting. From 1956 to 1962 he worked at the United Nations, where he founded the UN Jazz Society.

Music and breakthrough

In the 1960s he became a leading figure of the jazz avant-garde. In 1964 he organised the October Revolution in Jazz, four days of music and discussion at the Cellar Café in Manhattan, with Cecil Taylor and Sun Ra, among others. It was the first festival for free jazz. He co-founded the Jazz Composers Guild, which was meant to give musicians more bargaining power against club owners. He also worked with the dancer Judith Dunn, for whom he combined music and improvised dance. In 1967 RCA Victor released his first album under his own name, Intents and Purposes. From 1968 to 1995 he taught at Bennington College in Vermont, where he set up a department of Black music.

Influence

Dixon played trumpet, flugelhorn and piano, often with electronic echo and reverb. He used the low pedal register, far below the normal range of the trumpet, and also played without the usual attack. Later he worked with Cecil Taylor, Tony Oxley, William Parker and Rob Mazurek. He was regarded as one of the founders of free jazz and died on 16 June 2010.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a piece from the 1964 album Bill Dixon 7-Tette and notice the trumpet. Try to hear whether he plays with a clear tone or rather with low, rough and muted sounds.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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See also

Categories: Artists