# One of England’s top jazz players of the past several decades: John Surman: Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2017/08/31/one-englands-top-jazz-players-past-several-decades-john-surman/
- Published: 2017-08-31T18:35:00+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**30.08 – Happy Birthday!!! John Surman was one of the very few saxmen in England
to find a significant audience in rock during the late ’60s, playing gigs regularly
at venues like the Marquee Club in London. **

Also a clarinetist of some renown, and no slouch on keyboards either, the atmospheric
sounds that Surman creates on his horns has been a major asset to the ECM label 
ever since the late ’70s; but, before that, he was an extremely prolific artist 
on Deram, Futura, Dawn, and Island, cutting seven solo albums between 1968 and 1974
on those mainstream pop-oriented labels, as well as recording with Morning Glory
on Island. One of England’s top jazz players of the past several decades, Surman
is particularly strong on the baritone. Surman played in jazz workshops while still
in high school. He studied at the London College of Music and London University 
Institute of Education in the mid-’60s, played with Alexis Korner and Mike Westbrook
until the late ’60s, and recorded with the latter until the mid-’70s. He was voted
best soloist at the 1968 Montreux Festival while heading his band. Surman worked
with Graham Collier, Mike Gibbs, Dave Holland, Chris McGregor, and John McLaughlin
in the ’60s, and toured Europe with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland big band in 1970.

Surman toured and recorded with Barre Phillips and Stu Martin in the late ’60s and
early ’70s, and again in the late ’70s, adding Albert Mangelsdorff to the group.
They called themselves the Trio, then Mumps. Surman played with Mike Osborne and
Alan Skidmore in the sax trio S.O.S. in the mid-’70s. He also collaborated with 
the Carolyn Carlson dance company at the Paris Opera through the mid- and late ’
70s. Surman recorded with Stan Tracey and Karin Krog, while working with Miroslav
Vitous and Azimuth. He led the Brass Project in the early ’80s, and played in Collier’s
big band and Gil Evans’ British orchestra. Surman toured with Evans again in the
late ’80s. He began recording as a leader for Pye in the early ’70s, and did sessions
for Ogun and ECM. Surman continued recording in the ’80s, mostly for ECM. He worked
with Terje Rypdal, Jack DeJohnette, Pierre Favre, Bengt Hallberg, Archie Shepp, 
Warne Marsh, and Red Mitchell, among others. Surman has made many recordings for
ECM, spanning from free form to mood music, and he remains one of the label’s most
consistently stimulating artists.

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