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Sam Rivers

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

Sam Rivers was an American jazz musician and composer. He was born in 1923 in El Reno, Oklahoma, the son of a gospel singer. He played tenor and soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, harmonica, piano and viola. In 1947 he moved to Boston, where he studied at the conservatory and played with, among others, Quincy Jones and Tadd Dameron.

Music and breakthrough

In 1964 he briefly played in Miles Davis's quintet, which recorded a live album in Tokyo. His style proved too adventurous for Davis. He then signed with Blue Note and recorded four albums as a leader, including Fuchsia Swing Song from 1964 and A New Conception from 1967. On them he played an approach sometimes called inside-outside: he left the chord changes, but kept a hidden bond with them. His ballad Beatrice became a standard for tenor saxophonists.

Influence

In the 1970s he ran the loft Studio Rivbea in New York with his wife Beatrice, the best-known venue for loft jazz. Musicians made their own stage there and were not dependent on clubs. In those years he recorded for Impulse!, for instance Crystals with his first big band. Later he lived in Florida, where his RivBea Orchestra kept playing. He died in 2011. Rivers shows that free jazz and bebop can lie close together.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Fuchsia Swing Song from 1964 and notice the moments when the saxophone lets go of the chord changes and yet returns to them.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists