John Surman
John Surman was born in Tavistock, England, United Kingdom on August 30th, 1944 and is the Saxophonist. At the age of 79, John Surman biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
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John Douglas Surman (born 30 August 1944) is an English jazz saxophone, bass clarinet, and synthesizer player, as well as a composer of free jazz and modal jazz, often using folk music.
He has produced and performed music for dance recitals and film soundtracks.
Life and career
Surman was born in Tavistock, Devon, England. He first became well-known for playing baritone saxophone in the Mike Westbrook Band in the mid-1960s, and soon found himself playing soprano saxophone and bass clarinet as well. In 1966, Peter Lemer Quintet's first playing appearance on record was on the Peter Lemer Quintet. Mike Westbrook and Graham Collier, as well as blues-rock guitarist Alexis Korner, made the first recording under his own name in 1968.
He formed The Trio in 1969 with two expatriate American musicians, bassist Barre Phillips, and drummer Stu Martin. He founded S.O.S., one of the first all-saxophone jazz ensembles, with alto saxophonist Mike Osborne and tenor saxophonist Alan Skidmore in the mid-1970s. He also recorded with (among others) saxophonist Ronnie Scott, guitarist John McLaughlin, trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff, and pianist Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath during this early period.
He had started synthesizer experiments by 1972. He produced Westering Home, the first of many solo projects on which he performed all parts himself by overdubbing. In 1975, Mike Westbrook, Citadel/Room 315, recorded his final album.
Many of the musical friendships he formed during the 1970s lasted for decades. These include a quartet with pianist John Taylor, bassist Chris Laurence, and drummer John Marshall; duets and other projects with Norwegian singer Karin Krog (Surman's long-term partner); and duets and other events with American drummer/pianist Jack DeJohnette.
Surman has been recording for the label from the 1970s to the present, recording bass clarinet, recording, soprano, and baritone saxophones, as well as a variety of other musicians.
In the 1985 Channel 4 documentary 'Hoarded Dreams,' he was included in a profile on composer Graham Collier.
He has written several suites of music that feature his playing in unusual settings, including with the organ and chorus; and with the London Brass and Jack DeJohnette (Free and Equal, 2001). He has performed with Tunisian oud-player Anouar Brahem and bassist Dave Holland (Thimar, 1997), has performed with John Dowland, formerly of the Hilliard Ensemble, and has appeared on the drum and bass album Disappeared by Spring Heel Jack, as well as touring with Tunisian oud-player Anouar Brahem and bassist Dave Holland (Thimar, 1997).
Among the bassist Miroslav Vitou, bandleader Gil Evans, pianist Paul Bley, and Vigleik Storaas, saxophonist (and composer) John Warren, guitarist Terje Rypdal and John Abercrombie, and trumpeter Tomasz Stako are among his colleagues who have performed with him.
Awards and honors
- 1999: Spellemannprisen 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