Edgar Eugene Summerlin (September 1, 1928 – October 10, 2006) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and educator known for pioneering Liturgical jazz,

avant-garde jazz Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz and experimental jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. It originated in the early 1950s and developed through to the late 1960s. Orig ...

, and

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians dur ...

Professional career

While a graduate student at the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal Schoo ...

College of Music, Summerlin, in 1959, composed ''Requiem for Mary Jo,'' which is widely believed to be one of the first significant uses of jazz in a

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

service. He and his wife, Mary Elizabeth (''nee'' Bouknight), had a daughter, Mary Jo (b. April 2, 1958, Denton), who died of heart disease at age nine months on January 27, 1959, in Denton. He performed ''Requiem for Mary Jo'' May 20, 1959, during a service in the chapel at the

Perkins School of Theology Perkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools and is located in Dallas, Texas. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J. and Lois Craddock Perkins of Wichita Falls, Texas. De ...

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = " The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , pr ...

. Bill Slack, Jr., Assistant Pastor of the First Methodist Church of Denton, who had visited the Summerlins while Mary Jo was near death in the hospital, had encouraged Summerlin to compose ''Requiem.'' Dr. Roger Ellwood Ortmayer (1916–1984), then of the Perkins School, commissioned the work. That same year, still studying and teaching at North Texas, Summerlin recorded his debut LP, Liturgical Jazz, on which "Requiem for Mary Jo," was the heartbreaking centerpiece. Saturday night, February 13, 1960, NBC's ''World Wide 60'' (hosted by

Chet Huntley Chet is a masculine given name, often a nickname for Chester, which means ''fortress'' or ''camp''. It is an uncommon name of English origin, and originated as a surname to identify people from the city of Chester, England. Chet was ranked 1,027th ...

) visited Denton to air the story of Ed Summerlin's liturgical jazz (national broadcast, NBC, Friday, February 19, 1960). Summerlin's grieving and spiritual creativity inspired him to compose other liturgical jazz pieces, including * ''Episcopal Evensong'' * ''Jazz Vespers Service''Simosko, Vladimir; Tepperman, Barry (1971, 1996)
"His Musical Biography"
''Eric Dolphy: A Musical Biography and Discography''. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. p. 69. . * ''Liturgy of the Holy Spirit''Heckman, Don
"Edgar Summerlin, 78; Musician Wrote Jazz-Based Liturgical Works"
''Los Angeles Times''. Oct 13, 2006. Retrieved 2013-03-25. Summerlin Music Co. (1965), piano-vocal score, 13 pgs As the sixties progressed, Summerlin gradually established himself as an ''avant-garde'' tenor saxophonist, composer and arranger. At the same time, his well-publicized prime time television debut was followed by several Sunday morning appearances throughout the 1960s on the long-running CBS series, '' Look Up and Live'',"The Celebrations"
WorldCat. Retrieved 2013-04-01. collaborating with musicians such as

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives f ...

Eric Dolphy Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist and flautist. On a few occasions, he also played the clarinet and piccolo. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to ...

Don Ellis Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his li ...

Slide Hampton Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelho ...

, and

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded n ...

, as well as choreographer

Anna Sokolow Anna Sokolow (February 9, 1910, Hartford, Connecticut – March 29, 2000, Manhattan, New York City) was an American dancer and choreographer known for the social justice focus and theatricality of her work, and for her support of the devel ...

. During this decade, Summerlin also scored two feature films, the little-known 1963

Bay of Pigs The Bay of Pigs ( es, Bahía de los Cochinos) is an inlet of the Gulf of Cazones located on the southern coast of Cuba. By 1910, it was included in Santa Clara Province, and then instead to Las Villas Province by 1961, but in 1976, it was rea ...

-inspired drama, '' We Shall Return'' (which, coincidentally, featured the first and only original screenplay by oft-adapted novelist

Pat Frank Harry Hart "Pat" Frank (May 5, 1908 – October 12, 1964) was an American writer, newspaperman, and government consultant. Frank's best known work is the 1959 ''Alas, Babylon'', and '' Forbidden Area''. Biography Frank was born in Chicago ...

) and the even lesser known 1967 film ''Ciao'' (written and directed by the earlier film's editor, David Tucker),Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (1976)
"Summerlin, Edgar"
''The Encyclopedia of Jazz of the Seventies''. New York Press: Horizon Press. p. 319. Retrieved 2013-04-15. which, after becoming the only U.S. feature film to be entered in that year's

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

, failed to find a distributor and quickly disappeared from view.

Education

Summerlin received a Bachelor of Music in Education, with a Major in Music,

Central Missouri State University The University of Central Missouri (UCM) is a public university in Warrensburg, Missouri. In 2019, enrollment was 11,229 students from 49 states and 59 countries on its 1,561-acre campus. UCM offers 150 programs of study, including 10 pre-profe ...

in 1951, and a Master of Music from the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music ...

the following year. In 1958, after learning about the

College of Music while performing with the Johnny Long Band, Summerlin enrolled as a graduate student and became a member of Lab Band and also assisted Gene Hall in teaching jazz composition,

theory A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may ...

, and

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

New York

Summerlin relocated to New York in the early 1960s, where he freelanced with

Pete LaRoca Pete "La Roca" Sims (born Peter Sims; April 7, 1938 – November 20, 2012, known as Pete La Roca from 1957 until 1968) was an American jazz drummer and attorney. Born and raised in Harlem by a pianist mother and a stepfather who played trumpet ...

, and

Sheila Jordan Sheila Jordan (born Sheila Jeanette Dawson; November 18, 1928) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to recording her own albums. Jordan pionee ...

. He also composed and arranged for

, Kuhn,

Dave Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received ...

Toshiko Akiyoshi is a Japanese–American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in '' Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. ...

, and

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jaz ...

. In 1969 collaborated with saxophonist and journalist Don Heckman to co-lead the Improvisational Jazz Workshop. * 1971 to 1989 — Summerlin founded and directed the jazz program at

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

. * Oct 10, 2006 — Summerlin died in Rhinebeck, NY after a long battle with cancer.

Family

* Former wife (married August 27, 1948 and Oct 15, 1949) — Summerlin married Virginia Lee Allen, in

Lexington, MO Lexington is a city in and the county seat of Lafayette County, Missouri. The population was 4,726 at the 2010 census. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies approximately east of Kansas City and is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropol ...

. * Former wife, Mary Elizabeth (''nee,'' Bouknight)

Hyde Park, NY Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Fr ...

* Surviving wife, Karen Jones Summerlin (married December 15, 1974, New York City), currently resides in

Staatsburg, New York Staatsburg is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Hyde Park, a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 377 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie– Newburgh– Middletown, NY Metropolita ...

::son — Jeff Summerlin,

Dutchess County, NY Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organ ...

::son — Sean Wright, De Soto, KS

Selected discography

As leader

* '' Liturgical Jazz'' (Ecclesia Records) (1959) * '' The Don Heckman-Ed Summerlin Improvisational Jazz Workshop'' ( Ictus, 1967), co-led with Don Heckman, featuring

Steve Kuhn Steve Kuhn (born March 24, 1938) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator. Biography Kuhn was born in New York City, New York, to Carl and Stella Kuhn (née Kaufman), and was raised in Newton, Massachusetts. Hi ...

and

* '' Ring Out Joy'' (Avant-Garde Records) (1968) * ''

Still At It A still is an apparatus used to distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic distillation apparatus, but on a much larger scale. Stills have been use ...

'' ( Ictus 1994) : Recorded at Make Believe Ballroom in West Shokan, New York, Ed Summerlin - Bob Norden Quartet, December 27 & 28, 1993, released 1998 : Ed Summerlin (tenor sax), Bob Norden (trombone), Charlie Kniceley (bass), Chris Starpoli (percussion) * ''

Sum of the Parts ''Sum of the Parts'' is an album by tenor saxophonist/composer-arranger Ed Summerlin, released in 1998 on the Ictus label. Reception ''Los Angeles Times'' reviewer, and Summerlin's onetime bandmate,Don Heckman, gave the album 3 stars and paid t ...

'' (Ictus, 1998) : Recorded at Make Believe Ballroom in West Shokan, New York, released February, 1998 : Ed Summerlin (tenor sax), Bruce Ahrens (trumpet), Joe Chambers (drums), Ron Finck (alto sax), Tony Marino (bass) * ''

Eye on the Future Eyes are Organ (anatomy), organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with Visual perception, vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of ...

'' (Ictus, 1999) : Recorded at Make Believe Ballroom in West Shokan, New York, December 14 & 15, 1998; released 1999 : Ed Summerlin (tenor sax), Bruce Ahrens (trumpet), Bob Norden (trombone), Ron Finck (alto sax), Tony Marino (bass),

Adam Nussbaum Adam Nussbaum (born November 29, 1955) is an American jazz drummer. Early life Nussbaum was born in New York City on November 29, 1955. He grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut, and first played the drums at the age of four. After five years of piano ...

(drums)

As arranger / composer

With

*''

Hub Cap A hubcap or hub cap is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers at minimum the central portion of the wheel, called the hub. An automobile hubcap is used to cover the wheel hub and the wheel fasteners to reduce the accumulation of ...

'' (Blue Note, 1961) With

and

*'' The Country and Western Sound of Jazz Pianos'' (Dauntless, 1963) With

Caedmon Records Caedmon Audio and HarperCollins Audio are record label imprints of HarperCollins Publishers that specialize in audiobooks and other literary content. Formerly Caedmon Records, its marketing tag-line was Caedmon: a Third Dimension for the Printe ...

* ''Winnie the Pooh: Told and Sung'' ( Caedmon, TC 1408; 1972) – words and music by A. A. Milne, Fraser-Simson and

Julian Slade Julian Penkivil Slade (28 May 1930 – 17 June 2006) was an English writer of musical theatre, best known for the show '' Salad Days'', which he wrote in six weeks in 1954, and which became the UK's longest-running show of the 1950s, with ove ...

, read and sung by

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway theatre, Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily id ...

; additional music, arrangements and conducting by Ed Summerlin. * ''

Many Moons ''Many Moons'' is a children's picture book written by James Thurber and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. It was published by Harcourt, Brace & Company in 1943 and won the Caldecott Medal in 1944.American Library AssociationCaldecott Medal Winn ...

'' (Caedmon, TC-1410; 1972) –

James Thurber James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) was an American cartoonist, writer, humorist, journalist and playwright. He was best known for his cartoons and short stories, published mainly in ''The New Yorker'' and collected i ...

story read by

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

; background music composed and conducted by Edgar Summerlin. * ''The Great Quillow'' (Caedmon, TC 1411; 1972) –

story read by

; background music composed and conducted by Ed Summerlin. * Curious George,' and other stories about Curious George'' (Caedmon, TC 1420; 1973) – read by

Julie Harris Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary stage work, she received five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play. Harris debuted on Broadway in 1945, against the wish ...

; background music composed and conducted by Ed Summerlin. * Curious George Reads the Alphabet,' and other stories about Curious George'' (Caedmon, TC 1421; 1973) – read by Julie Harris; music composed and conducted by Ed Summerlin. *''Whoever heard of a Fird?'' (Caedmon, TC 1735; 1984) – Othello Bach story performed by

Joel Grey Joel Grey (born Joel David Katz; April 11, 1932) is an American actor, singer, dancer, photographer and theatre director. He is best known for portraying the Master of Ceremonies in the musical ''Cabaret'' on Broadway as well as in the 1972 fil ...

; arranged and conducted by Ed Summerlin. With The Rock Generation *''Saturday in the Park and Other Songs Made Famous by Chicago'' (RCA Camden, 1973)"Saturday in the park and other songs made famous by Chicago. Sound recordings: RCA Records"
Copyright Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2013-05-17.

As sideman or combo member

* The Contemporary Jazz Ensemble: ''New Sounds From Rochester,''

Prestige Records Prestige Records is a jazz record company and label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock in New York City which issued recordings in the mainstream, bop, and cool jazz idioms. The company recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musi ...

(PRLP 163) (1953) : Bob Norden (trombone), Bob Silberstein (alto sax), Ed Summerlin (tenor sax), Jim Straney (piano), Neil Courtney (bass), Bill Porter (drums) : Recorded in Rochester, New York, June 1953 # ''

All the Things You Are "All the Things You Are" is a song composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song was written for the musical '' Very Warm for May'' (1939)Poinciana'' # ''Prelude : Go Forth'' # ''Prelude and Jazz'' # ''Variation''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Summerlin, Ed 20th-century American composers 20th-century American saxophonists Free jazz composers American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists Avant-garde jazz saxophonists Jazz tenor saxophonists Free jazz saxophonists Eastman School of Music alumni University of North Texas College of Music alumni American jazz educators City College of New York faculty 1928 births 2006 deaths People from Marianna, Florida American male jazz composers American jazz composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century jazz composers

Professional career

Education

New York

Family

Selected discography

As leader

As arranger / composer

As sideman or combo member

See also

References

Further reading

External links