Joe McPhee (born November 3, 1939) is 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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

multi-instrumentalist born in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, a player of tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, the trumpet,

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

and

valve trombone A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...

. McPhee grew up in Poughkeepsie,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and is most notable for his

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 during ...

work done from the late 1960s to the present day.

Life and career

McPhee was born in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, on November 3, 1939. He began playing trumpet when he was eight, before learning other instruments. He played in various high school and then military bands before starting his recording career. His first recording came in 1967, when he appeared on the Clifford Thornton album entitled ''Freedom and Unity''. McPhee taught himself saxophone at the age of 32 after experiencing the music of John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, and

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Colle ...

. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, McPhee lectured on jazz music at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

. In 1975, Werner Uehlinger started the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

label Hathut Records with the specific intent of showcasing McPhee's music. In the 1980s, McPhee met

Pauline Oliveros Pauline Oliveros (May 30, 1932 – November 24, 2016) was an American composer, accordionist and a central figure in the development of post-war experimental and electronic music. She was a founding member of the San Francisco Tape Music Center ...

, began studying her musical theories, and worked with her Deep Listening Band. He has not yet signed with any major label in his native

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and was possibly better known throughout Europe than his native country until the 1990s. His 1996 album ''As Serious As Your Life'', which takes its title from the jazz book by

Val Wilmer Valerie Sybil Wilmer (born 7 December 1941) is a British photographer and writer specialising in jazz, gospel, blues, and British African-Caribbean music and culture. Her notable books include ''Jazz People'' (1970) and ''As Serious As Your Lif ...

, is "arguably the finest of his solo recordings", according to the

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review. Jazz musicians with whom McPhee has recorded or performed include Ken Vandermark,

Peter Brötzmann Peter Brötzmann (born 6 March 1941) is a German saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Early life Brötzmann was born in Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He studied painting in Wuppertal and was involved with the Fluxus movement ...

, Evan Parker, Mats Gustafsson,

Jeb Bishop Jeb Bishop (born 1962) is an American jazz trombone player. He grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and attended Jesse O. Sanderson High School. He has studied music (classical trombone performance) at Northwestern University, engineering and ...

, The Thing, Clifton Hyde, Jérôme Bourdellon,

Raymond Boni Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

, and Joe Giardullo. Since 1998, McPhee, Dominic Duval, and

Jay Rosen Jay Rosen (born May 5, 1956) is a writer, and a professor of journalism at New York University. Rosen is a contributor to ''De Correspondent'' and a member of the George Foster Peabody Awards board of directors. Biography Rosen has been on ...

have performed and recorded as Trio X. In the 1990s

Dominique Eade Dominique Frances Eade (June 16, 1958) is an American jazz singer and composer. She has taught at the New England Conservatory. Career She attended Vassar College and the Berklee College of Music before finishing her degree at New England Conse ...

and McPhee had a jazz ensemble called Naima. McPhee has written reviews and commentary for '' Cadence''. In 2005, McPhee was awarded the Resounding Vision Award by

Nameless Sound Nameless Sound is an organization based in Houston, Texas founded by musician David Dove, which presents international contemporary music and new methods in arts education. Nameless Sound presents concerts by premiere artists in the world of creati ...

Discography

* ''

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

'' (CjR, 1969) * ''

Nation Time ''Nation Time'' is a live album by saxophonist and composer Joe McPhee recorded in late 1970 and originally released on the CjR label, then reissued by Atavistic in 2000.

'' (CjR, 1971) * ''

Black Magic Man ''Black Magic Man'' is a live album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joe McPhee recorded on December 12, 1970 and was the first album released on the Swiss HatHut label in 1975.

'' (HatHut, 1971 975 * ''

At WBAI's Free Music Store, 1971 ''At WBAI's Free Music Store, 1971'' (also released as ''N.Y.N.Y. 1971'') is a live album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joe McPhee recorded in 1971 and first released on the Swiss HatHut label in 1996.996 Year 996 ( CMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * February - Chotoku Incident: Fujiwara no Korechika and Takaie shoot an arrow at Retired Em ...

* ''

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

'' (CjR, 1972) with Harold E. Smith and Mike Kull * '' Pieces of Light'' (CjR, 1974) with John Snyder * ''

The Willisau Concert ''The Willisau Concert'' is a live album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joe McPhee, recorded in 1975 it was the second album released on the Swiss HatHut label.

'' (HatHut, 1976) featuring John Snyder and

Makaya Ntshoko Makaya (or Makhaya) Ntshoko (born 29 October 1939, Cape Town) is a South African drummer. He played with Dollar Brand's trio in 1958, and recorded in a sextet with Hugh Masekela and John Mehegan in 1959. He performed on The Jazz Epistles album, ...

* ''

Tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

'' (HatHut, 1977) – rereleased as ''Tenor & Fallen Angels'' in 2000 * ''

Rotation Rotation, or spin, is the circular movement of an object around a '' central axis''. A two-dimensional rotating object has only one possible central axis and can rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. A three-dimensional ...

'' (HatHut, 1976

977 Year 977 ( CMLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * May – Boris II, dethroned emperor (''tsar'') of Bulgaria, and his brother Roman ma ...

* ''

Graphics Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture ...

'' (HatHut, 1977

978 Year 978 ( CMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Pankaleia: Rebel forces under General Bardas Skleros are defeated ...

* ''

Variations on a Blue Line ''Variations on a Blue Line'' (subtitled Round Midnight'') is a live album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joe McPhee, recorded in 1977 and first released on the Swiss HatHut label in 1979.

'' (HatHut, 1977 979 * ''

Glasses Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples or ...

'' (HatHut, 1977 979 * '' MFG in Minnesota'' (HatHut, 1978) with Milo Fine and Steve Gnitka * '' Old Eyes'' (HatHut, 1980) – rereleased as ''Old Eyes and Mysteries'' in 1992 * '' Tales and Prophecies '' (HatHut, 1981) with André Jaume * ''

Topology In mathematics, topology (from the Greek language, Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a mathematical object, geometric object that are preserved under Continuous function, continuous Deformation theory, deformations, such ...

'' (HatHut, 1981) * '' Oleo'' (Hat Hut, 1982) – rereleased as ''Oleo & A Future Retrospective'' in 1993 * ''

Visitation Visitation may refer to: Law * Visitation (law) or contact, the right of a non-custodial parent to visit with their children * Prison visitation rights, the rules and conditions under which prisoners may have visitors Music * ''Visitation'' (D ...

'' (Sackville, 1985) with the Bill Smith Ensemble * ''Songs and Dances'' (CELP, 1987) with André Jaume and Raymond Boni * ''

Linear B Linear B was a syllabic script used for writing in Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek. The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries. The oldest Mycenaean writing dates to about 1400 BC. It is descended from ...

'' (Hat Hut, 1990) * '' Élan • Impulse'' (In Situ, 1991) with Daunik Lazro * '' Impressions of Jimmy Giuffre'' (CELP, 1992) * ''

Sweet Freedom - Now What? ''Sweet Freedom - Now What?'' is an album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joe McPhee, recorded in 1994 and first released on the Swiss HatHut label.

'' (HatArt, 1995) with Lisle Ellis and Paul Plimley * '' McPhee/Parker/Lazro'' (Vand'Oeuvre, 1995

996 Year 996 ( CMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * February - Chotoku Incident: Fujiwara no Korechika and Takaie shoot an arrow at Retired Em ...

with Evan Parker and Daunik Lazro * '' Common Threads'' (Deep Listening, 1995) * ''

A Meeting in Chicago ''A Meeting in Chicago'' is an album by trumpeter/saxophonist Joe McPhee, reedist Ken Vandermark and bassist Kent Kessler, which was released in 1997 on Eighth Day Music and reissued the following year with new artwork by Okka Disk. The album docu ...

'' (Eighth Day Music, 1996

997 Year 997 (Roman numerals, CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first ...

with Ken Vandermark and

Kent Kessler Kent Kessler (born January 28, 1957) is an American jazz double-bassist. Career Although born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, Kessler grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He began playing trombone at age ten. When he was thirteen, he moved with his f ...

* '' As Serious As Your Life'' (Hat Hut, 1996) * '' Legend Street One'' (CIMP, 1996) * '' Legend Street Two'' (CIMP, 1996) * ''

Inside Out Inside Out may refer to: *Backwards (disambiguation) or inverse Books * '' Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'', by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason * ''Inside Out'', Christian book by Larry Crabb * ''Inside Out'', novel by Barry Eisler ...

'' (CIMP, 1996) with David Prentice * '' Finger Wrigglers'' (CIMP, 1996) with

Michael Bisio Michael Bisio (March 4, 1955 Troy, New York, Troy, New York) is an American jazz double bassist, composer, and bandleader. Since 2009 he has been the bassist for the Matthew Shipp Trio. Bisio appears on over 100 CDs, leading on 12 CDs and co-l ...

* ''

Specific Gravity Relative density, or specific gravity, is the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for liquids is nearly always measured with respect to water (molecule), wa ...

'' (Boxholder, 1997

001 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: *1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valkyrie ...

with Joe Giardullo * ''

The Brass City ''The Brass City'' is an album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joe McPhee with trombonist Jeb Bishop recorded in 1997 and first released on the Okka Disk label.

'' (Okka Disk, 1997

999 999 or triple nine most often refers to: * 999 (emergency telephone number), a telephone number for the emergency services in several countries * 999 (number), an integer * AD 999, a year * 999 BC, a year Books * ''999'' (anthology) or ''999: ...

with

* ''

Chicago Tenor Duets ''Chicago Tenor Duets'' is an album by British jazz saxophonist Evan Parker and American saxophonist Joe McPhee, which was recorded in 1998 and released on Okka Disk.

'' (Okka Disk, 1998

002 002, 0O2, O02, OO2, or 002 may refer to: Fiction *002, fictional British 00 Agent *''002 Operazione Luna'', *1965 Italian film *Zero Two, a ''Darling in the Franxx'' character Airports *0O2, Baker Airport *O02, Nervino Airport Astronomy *1996 ...

with Evan Parker * ''

Zebulon Zebulun (; also ''Zebulon'', ''Zabulon'', or ''Zaboules'') was, according to the Books of Genesis and Numbers,Genesis 46:14 the last of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's tenth son), and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Zebulun. Some ...

'' (CIMP, 1998

with

* ''

The Dream Book ''The Dream Book'' is a live album by multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee and bassist Dominic Duval recorded at the Knitting Factory in 1999 and released on the Cadence Jazz label.

'' (Cadence Jazz, 1998

with Dominic Duval * '' Soprano '' (Roaratorio, 1998 In the Spirit'' (CIMP, 1999) * ''No Greater Love (album)">No Greater Love The term no greater love is derived from a well-known verse of the New Testament (John 15): "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends". This specific excerpt may refer to: Books, films and TV * ''No Greater ...

Life and career

Discography

With Trio X

With Survival Unit III

Compilations

As sideman

References

External links