John Douglas Surman (born 30 August 1944) is an English

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophone,

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

, and synthesizer player, and composer of

free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...

and modal jazz, often using themes from

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

. He has composed and performed music for dance performances and film soundtracks.

Life and career

Surman was born in Tavistock, Devon, England. He initially gained recognition playing

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowe ...

in the Mike Westbrook Band in the mid-1960s, and was soon heard regularly playing

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a small, high-pitched member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented in the 1840s by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Built in B♭ an octave above the tenor saxophone (or rarely, slightly small ...

and

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays no ...

as well. His first playing issued on a record was with the Peter Lemer Quintet in 1966. After further recordings and performances with jazz bandleaders Mike Westbrook and

Graham Collier James Graham Collier (21 February 1937 – 9 September 2011) was an English jazz Double bass, bassist, bandleader and composer. Life and career Born in Tynemouth, Northumberland, England, on leaving school Collier joined the British Army as ...

and blues-rock musician Alexis Korner, he made the first record under his own name in 1968. In 1969, he founded The Trio along with two expatriate American musicians, bassist

Barre Phillips Barre Phillips (October 27, 1934 – December 28, 2024) was an American jazz double bass, bassist. A professional musician since 1960, he moved to New York City in 1962, then to Europe in 1967. From 1972 he was based in southern France, where in ...

and drummer Stu Martin. In the mid-1970s, he founded one of the earliest all-saxophone jazz groups, S.O.S., along with alto saxophonist Mike Osborne and tenor saxophonist Alan Skidmore. During this early period, he also recorded with (among others) saxophonist Ronnie Scott, guitarist John McLaughlin, bandleader Michael Gibbs, trombonist

Albert Mangelsdorff Albert Mangelsdorff (September 5, 1928 – July 25, 2005) was a German jazz trombonist. Working mainly in free jazz, he was an innovator in multiphonics. Early life Mangelsdorff was born in Frankfurt on September 5, 1928, as the son of the book ...

, and pianist

Chris McGregor Christopher McGregor (24 December 1936 – 26 May 1990) was a South African jazz pianist, bandleader and composer born in Somerset West, South Africa. Early influences McGregor grew up in the then Transkei (now part of the Eastern Cape Prov ...

's Brotherhood of Breath. By 1972, he had begun experimenting with synthesizers. That year he recorded ''Westering Home'', the first of several solo projects on which he played all parts himself via

overdubbing Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio Music track, tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto o ...

. He recorded his final album with Mike Westbrook, ''Citadel/Room 315'', in 1975. Many of the musical relationships he established during the 1970s continued for decades. These include a quartet with pianist John Taylor, bassist Chris Laurence, and drummer

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American statesman, jurist, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth chief justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remai ...

; duets and other projects with Norwegian singer Karin Krog (Surman's long-term partner); and duets and other projects with American drummer/pianist

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd (jazz musician), Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, B ...

. His relationship with

ECM Records ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) is an independent record label founded by Karl Egger, Manfred Eicher and Manfred Scheffner in Munich in 1969. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a variety of recordings, and ECM's a ...

has also been continuous from the late 1970s to the present, as Surman has recorded prolifically for the label playing bass clarinet, recorders, soprano and baritone saxophones and using synthesisers, both solo and with a wide range of other musicians. Surman was featured in a profile on composer

in the 1985

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

documentary, ''Hoarded Dreams''. Since the 1990s, he has composed several suites of music that feature his playing in unusual contexts, including with church organ and chorus (''Proverbs and Songs'', 1996); with a classical string quintet (''Coruscating''); and with the London Brass and Jack DeJohnette (''Free and Equal'', 2001). He has also played in a unique trio with Tunisian oud-player Anouar Brahem and bassist Dave Holland (''Thimar'', 1997); has performed the songs of

John Dowland John Dowland ( – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep", " Come again", " Flow my tears", " I saw my Lady weepe", " N ...

with singer John Potter formerly of the Hilliard Ensemble; and made contributions to the

drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...

album '' Disappeared'' by Spring Heel Jack. Other musicians he has worked with include bassist Miroslav Vitouš, bandleader

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian Americans, Canadian–American jazz pianist, Music arranger, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators i ...

, pianist

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

and Vigleik Storaas, saxophonist (and composer) John Warren, guitarists

Terje Rypdal Terje Rypdal (born 23 August 1947) is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. He has been an important member in the Norwegian jazz community, and has also given show concerts with guitarists Ronni Le Tekrø and Mads Eriksen as "N3". Career Rypd ...

and John Abercrombie and trumpeter

Tomasz Stańko Tomasz Ludwik Stańko (; 11 July 1942 – 29 July 2018) was a Polish trumpeter and composer associated with free jazz and the avant-garde. In 1962, Tomasz Stańko formed his first band, the Jazz Darings, with saxophonist Janusz Muniak, pianist ...

. His latest musical endeavour is ''Words Unspoken'', which was released on

in February 2024 to universal critical acclaim, receiving a glowing five-star write-up in

BBC Music Magazine ''BBC Music Magazine'' is a British monthly magazine that focuses primarily on classical music. The first issue appeared in September 1992. BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC, was the original owner and publisher together with ...

and widespread radio play across Europe and North America. This bassless quartet features Thomas Strønen on drums as well as the British Rob Luft on guitar and electronics.

Awards and honors

* 1999:

Spellemannprisen The Spellemannprisen (also referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) is a Norwegian music award ceremony presented by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry#Local associations, IFPI Norge and :no:FONO, FONO. It was first awarded i ...

in the category Jazz, with Karin Krog for the album ''Bluesand'' * 2013: Spellemannprisen in the category Jazz, with Karin Krog for the album ''Songs About This and That''

Discography

As leader

* ''John Surman'' ( Deram, 1969) * '' How Many Clouds Can You See?'' (Deram, 1970) * ''The Trio'' with Barre Phillips, Stu Martin (Dawn, 1970) * ''Conflagration (The Trio)'' with Barre Phillips, Stu Martin and others (Dawn, 1971) * '' Tales of the Algonquin'' with John Warren (Deram, 1971) * ''Where Fortune Smiles'' with John McLaughlin, Dave Holland, Stu Martin, Karl Berger (Dawn, 1971) * '' Westering Home'' (

Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

, 1972) * ''Jazz in Britain '68-'69'' with Alan Skidmore, Tony Oxley (Decca Eclipse, 1972) * ''Morning Glory'' with

, Chris Laurence, John Taylor, Malcolm Griffiths (

, 1973) * ''John Surman'' (Jazz Vogue, 1974) * ''Live at Moers Festival'' with Tony Levin (Ring, 1975) * ''Live at Woodstock Town Hall'' (Dawn, 1975) * ''Sonatinas'' with Stan Tracey (Steam, 1978) * '' Upon Reflection'' ( ECM, 1979) * ''Cloud Line Blue'' with Karin Krog (Polydor, 1979) * '' The Amazing Adventures of Simon Simon'' (ECM, 1981) * '' Such Winters of Memory'' (ECM, 1983) * '' Withholding Pattern'' (ECM, 1985) * ''By Contact (The Trio)'' with Barre Phillips, Stu Martin (Ogun, 1987) (reissue) * '' Private City'' (ECM, 1988) * '' Road to Saint Ives'' (ECM, 1990) * '' Adventure Playground'' (ECM, 1992) * '' The Brass Project'' with John Warren (ECM, 1993) * '' Stranger than Fiction'' (ECM, 1994) * '' Nordic Quartet'' with Karin Krog, Terje Rypdal and Vigleik Storaas (ECM, 1995) * '' A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe'' (ECM, 1995) * ''

Proverbs and Songs ''Proverbs and Songs'' is a live album by the English saxophonist John Surman recorded at Salisbury Cathedral on June 1, 1996 with organist John Taylor (jazz), John Taylor and the 75-strong Salisbury Festival Chorus and released on ECM Records, EC ...

'' (ECM, 1997) * ''Bluesand'' with Karin Krog (Meantime, 1999) * '' Coruscating'' (ECM, 2000) * '' Invisible Nature'' with Jack DeJohnette (ECM, 2002) * '' Free and Equal'' (ECM, 2003) * ''Way Back When'' (Cuneiform, 2005) * ''

The Spaces in Between ''The Spaces in Between'' is an album by English saxophonist John Surman recorded in February 2006 and released on ECM the following year.Rain on the Window ''Rain on the Window'' is an album by English saxophonist John Surman with organist Howard Moody recorded in January 2006 and released on ECM in 2008.United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel. In music, the organ is a keyboard inst ...

'' with Howard Moody (ECM, 2008) * ''

Brewster's Rooster ''Brewster's Rooster'' is an album by English saxophonist John Surman with guitarist John Abercrombie (guitarist), John Abercrombie, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Jack DeJohnette, recorded in September 2007 and released on ECM Records, ECM in 2 ...

'' (ECM, 2009) * ''Flashpoint: NDR Jazz Workshop'' (Cuneiform, 2011) * '' Saltash Bells'' (ECM, 2012) * '' Songs About This and That'' with Karin Krog (Meantime, 2013) * ''Another Sky'' (Grappa, 2014) * ''Infinite Paths'' with Karin Krog (Meantime, 2016) * '' Invisible Threads'' (ECM, 2018) * ''Words Unspoken'' (ECM, 2024 with Rob Luft, Thomas Strønen & Rob Waring)

As sideman

With

* 1986 '' Fragments'' (ECM) * 1988 '' The Paul Bley Quartet'' (ECM) * 1993 '' In the Evenings Out There'' (ECM) With

* 2005 ''Workpoints'' (Cuneiform) * 2007 ''

Hoarded Dreams ''Hoarded Dreams'' is a live album by bassist/composer Graham Collier featuring a composition commissioned for the Bracknell Jazz Festival by the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1983 and released on the Cuneiform label in 2007. Reception Al ...

'' (Cuneiform) With Christine Collister * 1998 ''The Dark Gift of Time'' (Fledg'ling) * 2000 ''Songbird'' * 2001 ''An Equal Love'' With Michael Gibbs * 1970 ''Michael Gibbs'' (Deram) * 1971 ''Tanglewood 63'' (Deram) * 2018 ''Festival 69'' (Turtle) With Per Husby * 1987 ''Your Eyes'' * 1990 ''Dedications'' (Hot Club) With Alexis Korner * 1970 ''Both Sides'' * 1979 '' The Party Album'' * 1981 ''Alexis Korner and Friends'' With Karin Krog * 1986 ''Freestyle'' (Odin) * 2002 ''Raindrops, Raindrops'' * 2010 ''Folkways'' (Meantime) With

* 1970 ''

Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath ''Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath'' is the debut album by South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor's big band of the same name. Produced by Joe Boyd, it was recorded in 1970, and was issued on LP by the short-lived Neon imprint of ...

'' (RCA/Neon, 1971) * 2008 '' Up to Earth'' (Fledg'ling) With John McLaughlin * 1969 ''

Extrapolation In mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. ...

'' * 1971 '' Where Fortune Smiles'' With Mike Osborne and Alan Skidmore * 1972 ''Shapes'' * 1974 ''Looking for the Next One'' * 1975 ''SOS'' ( Ogun) With

* 1976 ''

Mountainscapes ''Mountainscapes'' is an album by American jazz bassist Barre Phillips recorded in March 1976 and released on ECM Records, ECM later that year. Phillips's quartet features reed player John Surman, Dieter Feichtner on synthesizer, and drummer Stu ...

'' (ECM) * 1980 '' Journal Violone II'' (ECM) * 1980 '' Music by...'' (ECM) With John Potter * 1999 ''In Darkness Let Me Dwell'' (ECM) * 2003 ''Care-Charming Sleep'' (ECM) * 2008 ''Romaria'' * 2013 ''Night Sessions'' With Colin Towns * 1993 ''Mask Orchestra'' (The Jazz Label) * 1997 ''Bolt from the Blue'' (Provocateur) With Miroslav Vitous * 1980 '' First Meeting'' (ECM) * 1981 '' Miroslav Vitous Group'' (ECM) * 1983 '' Journey's End'' (ECM) With Mike Westbrook * 1967 ''Celebration'' (Deram) * 1968 ''Release'' (Deram) * 1969 ''Marching Song Vol. 1'' (Deram) * 1969 ''Marching Song Vol. 2'' (Deram) * 1975 ''Citadel/Room 315'' (RCA) * 2018 ''The Night at the Old Place'' (Cadillac) With others * 1968 ''Local Colour'', Peter Lemer (ESP Disk) * 1968 ''Ronnie Scott And The Band – Live At Ronnie Scott's'', Ronnie Scott (CBS) * 1969 '' Gittin' to Know Y'All'', Lester Bowie * 1970 ''Flare Up'', Harry Beckett (Philips) * 1971 ''Going to the Rainbow'', Rolf Kuhn (BASF) * 1971 ''Duke Ellington Classics'', Humphrey Lyttelton (Black Lion) * 1972 ''Bass Is'', Peter Warren (Enja) * 1977 ''A Matter Of Taste'', Mumps (

, Stu Martin) (MPS) * 1979 '' In Pas(s)ing'',

Mick Goodrick Mick Goodrick (June 9, 1945 – November 16, 2022) was an American jazz guitarist who spent most of his career as a teacher. In the early 1970s, he worked with Gary Burton and Pat Metheny. Biography An Elvis fan, Goodrick began studying guitar ...

(ECM) * 1983 '' Irina'', Barry Altschul (Soul Note) * 1988 ''Meets the Francy Boland Kenny Clark Big Band'', Gitte Haenning * 1992 '' Ambleside Days'', John Taylor (Ah Um) * 1993 ''

November November is the eleventh and penultimate month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 30 days. November was the ninth month of the calendar of Romulus . November retained its name (from the Latin ''novem'' meaning " ...

'', John Abercrombie (ECM) * 1993 ''Room 1220'',

(Konnex) * 1998 '' Thimar'', Anouar Brahem (ECM) * 1998 '' From the Green Hill'',

(ECM) * 1999 ''First Impression'', Misha Alperin (ECM) * 2000 '' Disappeared'', Spring Heel Jack * 2003 ''Le Cinema de Bertrand Tavernier'', Philippe Sarde * 2005 ''Hybrids'',

's The Ripple Effect (Golden Beams) * 2009 ''The Believers'', J. Peter Robinson * 2011 ''Nino Rota'',

Richard Galliano Richard Galliano (born 12 December 1950, Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes) is a French accordionist of Italian heritage. Allmusic biography/ref> Biography He was drawn to music at an early age, starting with the accordion at 4, influenced by his father ...

(Deutsche Grammophon)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Surman, John 1944 births Living people Musicians from Tavistock Bass clarinetists Jazz baritone saxophonists English jazz soprano saxophonists English male saxophonists English jazz musicians English jazz saxophonists Jazz-blues saxophonists Spellemannprisen winners ECM Records artists Moers Music artists Dawn Records artists Island Records artists 21st-century English saxophonists 21st-century British clarinetists 21st-century English male musicians English male jazz musicians Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band members FMR Records artists