Steve McCall (September 30, 1933 – May 24, 1989)
was an American
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 ...
drummer.
Biography
McCall was born in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, United States.
As a young child, he "experienced a musical epiphany" when he was given an opportunity to play a drum in Chicago's annual
Bud Billiken Parade. As a teenager, he attended
Englewood High School in Chicago and studied music theory, Latin percussion, and classical percussion.
After high school, he left to join the
U. S. Air Force, then, in 1954, returned to Chicago, where he took a job in the airline industry.
He soon bought his first drum set and began using free air travel passes to study with drummer
Charles "Specs" Wright in Philadelphia.
He also began freelancing, playing with Lucky Carmichael,
Booker Ervin
Booker Telleferro Ervin II (October 31, 1930 – August 31, 1970) was an American tenor saxophone player. His tenor playing was characterised by a strong, tough sound and blues/gospel phrasing. He is remembered for his association with bassi ...
,
Charles Stepney
Charles Stepney (March 26, 1931May 17, 1976) was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and musician. Stepney is noted for his work with artists such as The Dells, Ramsey Lewis, Rotary Connection and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Career
He sta ...
,
Gene Shaw, and
Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five RIAA certification, gold records and three Grammy Awards ...
.
In 1961, McCall befriended pianist
Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...
,
and began playing with Abrams' Experimental Band, which brought him into contact with like-minded Chicago-based musicians. Over the coming years the two also played in a trio format with multi-instrumentalist
Donald Rafael Garrett
Donald Rafael Garrett (February 28, 1932, El Dorado, ArkansasAugust 14, 1989, Champaign, Illinois) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played double-bass, clarinet, and flute.
Biography
Garrett, who preferred to be called Rafael, was ...
, and well as in a quintet which included Garrett plus saxophonists
Gene Dinwiddie
Gene Dinwiddie (born Charles Eugene Dinwiddie; September 19, 1936 in Louisville, Kentucky, United States – January 11, 2002 in La Puente, Los Angeles, California, aged 65Social Security Death Index for Charles E. Dinwiddie, born 19 September 19 ...
and
Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figure ...
. McCall went on to become one of the founders of the
AACM, established in 1965,
initially serving as treasurer. During the mid-1960s, he continued to freelance with musicians and groups in a wide range of styles, from blues to bop to free jazz.
In 1966, he participated in the recording of
Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman (September 14, 1937 – January 9, 2019) was an American jazz musician, composer, poet, and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He was one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and a member of the ...
's debut album ''
Song For''.
In 1967, McCall moved to
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, the first AACM member to visit Europe, and was soon playing with expatriates such as
Don Byas
Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912 – August 24, 1972) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, associated with swing and bebop. He played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also l ...
and
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...
. In 1968, he began playing in a group led by
Marion Brown
Marion Brown (September 8, 1931 – October 18, 2010) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, writer, visual artist, and ethnomusicologist. He was a member of the avant-garde jazz scene in New York City during the 1960s, playing alongsi ...
, featuring
Gunter Hampel, Ambrose Jackson, and
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 ...
. McCall would go on to record five albums with Brown. That year, McCall moved to Paris and joined an existing group whose members were
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...
,
Leo Smith, and
Leroy Jenkins. (The Braxton/Smith/Jenkins trio had recently completed work on the album ''
3 Compositions of New Jazz''). Together, the four recorded the albums ''
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...
'' and ''
This Time...'' for
BYG Actuel. During his stay in Paris, McCall served as a link between the first generation of European free jazz musicians and members of the AACM, playing and recording with
Willem Breuker
Willem Breuker (4 November 1944 – 23 July 2010) was a Dutch bandleader, composer, arranger, saxophonist, and clarinet
The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindri ...
, the
Instant Composers Pool,
John Surman
John Douglas Surman (born 30 August 1944) is an English jazz saxophone, Clarinet family, clarinet, and synthesizer player, and composer of free jazz and modal jazz, often using themes from folk music. He has composed and performed music for danc ...
,
Tony Oxley
Tony Oxley (15 June 1938 – 26 December 2023) was an English free improvisation, free improvising drummer and electronic musician.
Born in Sheffield, Oxley moved to London in 1966 and became house drummer at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club where he ...
, and Gunter Hampel. Notable albums recorded during this time included Hampel's ''The 8th Of July 1969'', which also featured Braxton and
Jeanne Lee, as well as ''
Gittin' to Know Y'All'', recorded during the 1969
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...
Free Jazz Meeting.
In 1970, McCall moved back to Chicago.
In May of that year, he reunited with Braxton, Smith and Jenkins, forming a group which also included Muhal Richard Abrams and
Richard Davis, and which became known as the
Creative Construction Company. The group performed a concert at the
Peace Church in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, a recording of which was released in
two volumes
Volume is a measure of regions in three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). The ...
. That summer, McCall also recorded the album ''
The Chase!'' with
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...
and
Gene Ammons
Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and R ...
. The following year, he played with
Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He h ...
and
Fred Hopkins in a short-lived trio called Reflection. The group would later reunite under the name
Air
An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
. In 1972, McCall played with both the
Fred Anderson quartet and the Muhal Richard Abrams Sextet.
In 1974, McCall moved back to Europe.
He then returned to the United States in 1975, moving to New York City and reuniting with Threadgill and Hopkins.
The trio, now called Air, would go on to record eleven albums, with McCall participating in all but the last two. During the mid to late 1970s, McCall also performed and recorded with Abrams,
Billy Bang
Billy Bang (September 20, 1947 – April 11, 2011), born William Vincent Walker, was an American free jazz violinist and composer.
Biography
Bang's family moved to New York City's Bronx neighborhood while he was still an infant, and as a ...
,
Arthur Blythe,
Ted Curson,
Chico Freeman,
Cecil McBee
Cecil McBee (born May 19, 1935) is an American jazz bassist. He has recorded as a leader only a handful of times since the 1970s, but has contributed as a sideman to a number of classic jazz albums.
Biography Early life and career
McBee was b ...
, and
Butch Morris
Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings.
...
. During the early 1980s, he recorded a number of albums with
David Murray, and in the mid-1980s, he joined
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet.
Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...
's group, recording ''
Olu Iwa'', and worked with Roscoe Mitchell again, recording ''
The Flow of Things''.
McCall died in 1989 at South Shore Hospital in Chicago.
Despite his lengthy career, he never recorded a session as a leader. However, McCall received equal billing with tenor sax player Fred Anderson on the posthumously released ''
Vintage Duets'' album, recorded in 1980 and issued in 1994.
Legacy and tributes
Writer
Gary Giddins
Gary Giddins (born 1948) is an American jazz critic and author. He wrote for ''The Village Voice'' from 1973; his "Weather Bird" column ended in 2003. In 1986, Gary Giddins and John Lewis created the American Jazz Orchestra which presented conc ...
called McCall "an immensely likable man whose work with Air was a benchmark of the '70s", and praised his drumming as "ingeniously volatile". The authors of
The Penguin Guide to Jazz
''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled b ...
noted McCall's "ability to combine forward drive with outbreaks of complete rhythmic anarchy". John Litweiler wrote that McCall's "sensitivity to subtle gradations of sound textures... put him in wide demand as an accompanist; uniquely in jazz, he was a drummer who conveyed emotional subtlety."
Henry Threadgill recalled: "Steve plays so unorthodox, the way he used to handle space, he would free me so I'd have a number of levels to play on."
Sunny Murray
James Marcellus Arthur "Sunny" Murray (September 21, 1936 – December 7, 2017) was an American musician, and was one of the pioneers of the free jazz style of drumming.
Biography
Murray was born in Idabel, Oklahoma, where he was raised by an ...
called McCall "the best surprise with the left hand I ever heard".
David Murray recorded a tribute composed by
Butch Morris
Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings.
...
entitled "Calling Steve McCall" on his 1991 album ''
David Murray Big Band''.
[Yanow, S]
David Murray Big Band Allmusic review
accessed August 17, 2011 In 1992, Roscoe Mitchell recorded an album titled ''
This Dance Is for Steve McCall'' as a tribute. In 2015, the Artifacts Trio (
Nicole Mitchell,
Tomeka Reid, and
Mike Reed) included two of McCall's compositions on their album ''
Artifacts'' as part of a celebration of the AACM's legacy.
Discography
With
Air
An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
*1975: ''
Air Song''
*1976: ''
Live Air''
*1976: ''
Air Raid''
*1977: ''
Air Time''
*1977: ''
Wildflowers: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions'' (one track)
*1978: ''
Open Air Suit
''Open Air Suit'' is an album by the improvisational collective Air, featuring Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall, and Fred Hopkins. It was recorded in New York in 1978 and contains four of Threadgill's compositions.Backstrom, L. & Lopez, RHenry Th ...
''
*1978: ''
Montreux Suisse''
*1979: ''
Air Lore''
*1980: ''
Air Mail
Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the ...
''
*1982: ''
80° Below '82''
With
Fred Anderson
*1980: ''
Vintage Duets: Chicago, January 11, 1980'' (Okka Disk)
With
Creative Construction Company
*''
Creative Construction Company'' (
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
, 1970
975
Year 975 ( CMLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor John I raids Mesopotamia and invades Syria, using the Byzantine base at Antioch to pres ...
*''
Creative Construction Company Vol. II'' (Muse, 1970
976
Year 976 ( CMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Byzantine Empire
* January 10 – Emperor John I Tzimiskes dies at Constantinople, after returning from a second campaign against ...
As sideman
With
Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...
*''
Things to Come from Those Now Gone'' (Delmark, 1975)
*''
1-OQA+19'' (Black Saint, 1979)
With
Billy Bang
Billy Bang (September 20, 1947 – April 11, 2011), born William Vincent Walker, was an American free jazz violinist and composer.
Biography
Bang's family moved to New York City's Bronx neighborhood while he was still an infant, and as a ...
*''
Sweet Space'' (Anima, 1979)
With
Amiri Baraka
Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism. He was the author of numerous b ...
*''New Music - New Poetry'' (India Navigation, 1982) with
David Murray
With
Arthur Blythe
*''
In the Tradition'' (Columbia, 1979)
*''
Illusions
An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people.
Illusions may ...
'' (Columbia, 1980)
*''
Blythe Spirit'' (Columbia, 1981)
With
Lester Bowie
*''
Gittin' to Know Y'All'' (MPS, 1970) with the Baden-Baden Free Jazz Orchestra
With
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...
*''
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...
'' (BYG Actuel, 1969)
*''
This Time...'' (BYG Actuel, 1970)
With
Marion Brown
Marion Brown (September 8, 1931 – October 18, 2010) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, writer, visual artist, and ethnomusicologist. He was a member of the avant-garde jazz scene in New York City during the 1960s, playing alongsi ...
*''Gesprächsfetzen'' (Calig, 1968) with
Gunter Hampel
*''Le Temps Fou'' (Polydor, 1968)
*''Marion Brown in Sommerhausen'' (Calig, 1969)
*''
Geechee Recollections'' (Impulse!, 1973)
*''
Sweet Earth Flying'' (Impulse!, 1974)
With
Ted Curson
*''
Blue Piccolo'' (Whynot, 1976)
*''
Jubilant Power'' (Inner City, 1976)
*''
Snake Johnson'' (Chiaroscuro, 1981)
With
Chico Freeman
*''
Morning Prayer'' (Whynot, 1976)
*''
Chico'' (India Navigation, 1977)
With Claudina y Alberto Gambino
*''Canción del amor armado'' (Explosión, 1975)
With
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...
and
Gene Ammons
Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and R ...
*''
The Chase!'' (Prestige, 1970)
With
Gunter Hampel
*''The 8th Of July 1969'' (Birth, 1969)
*''Cosmic Dancer'' (Birth, 1975)
*''Jubilation'' (Birth, 1985)
With
Instant Composers Pool
*''Instant Composers Pool'' (ICP, 1971)
With
Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman (September 14, 1937 – January 9, 2019) was an American jazz musician, composer, poet, and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He was one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and a member of the ...
*''
Song For'' (Delmark, 1967)
With Siegfried Kessler and
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 ...
*''Live at the Gill's Club 1970'' (Futura, 1970)
With
Byard Lancaster
*''Us'' (Palm, 1974)
With
Jeanne Lee
*''Conspiracy'' (Earthforms, 1974)
With
Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five RIAA certification, gold records and three Grammy Awards ...
*''
More Sounds of Christmas'' (Argo, 1964)
With
Cecil McBee
Cecil McBee (born May 19, 1935) is an American jazz bassist. He has recorded as a leader only a handful of times since the 1970s, but has contributed as a sideman to a number of classic jazz albums.
Biography Early life and career
McBee was b ...
*''
Music from the Source'' (Enja, 1977)
*''
Compassion
Compassion is a social feeling that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is sensitivity to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based ...
'' (Enja, 1977)
With E. Parker McDougal and Chicago Hard-Core Jazz
*''Initial Visit'' (Grits, 1975)
With
Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figure ...
*''
The Flow of Things'' (Black Saint, 1986)
With
Butch Morris
Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings.
...
*''In Touch... But Out Of Reach'' (Kharma, 1978)
With
David Murray
*''
Sweet Lovely'' (Black Saint, 1980)
*''
Ming'' (Black Saint, 1980)
*''
Home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
'' (Black Saint, 1981)
*''
Murray's Steps'' (Black Saint, 1982)
With
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet.
Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...
*''
Olu Iwa'' (Black Saint, 1986)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCall, Steve
1933 births
1989 deaths
American jazz drummers
Drummers from Chicago
20th-century American drummers
American male drummers
Air (free jazz trio) members
Jazz musicians from Illinois
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Creative Construction Company members
Okka Disk artists
8 Bold Souls members