# Marion Brown was an underappreciated hero of the jazz avant-garde

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2017/09/08/marion-brown-underappreciated-hero-jazz-avant-garde/
- Published: 2017-09-08T11:35:54+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**08.09 – Happy Birthday !!! Alto saxophonist Marion Brown was an underappreciated
hero of the jazz avant-garde. Committed to discovering the far-flung reaches of 
improvisational expression, Brown nonetheless possessed a truly lyrical voice but
was largely ignored in discussions of free jazz of the ’60s and ’70s. **

Brown came to New York from Atlanta in 1965. His first session was playing on John
Coltrane’s essential Ascension album. He made two records for the ESP label in 1965
and 1966 — Marion Brown Quartet and Why Not? — and also played on two Bill Dixon
soundtracks. It wasn’t until his defining Three for Shepp (including Grachan Moncur
III and Kenny Burrell) on the Impulse! label in 1966 that critics took real notice.
This set, lauded as one of the best recordings of that year, opened doors for Brown(
temporarily) to tour. He didn’t record for another two years because of extensive
European engagements, and in 1968 issued Porto Novo (with Leo Smith) on the Black
Lion label. In 1970, Brown recorded Afternoon of a Georgia Faun for the ECM label,
his second classic. This date featured Anthony Braxton, Andrew Cyrille, Bennie Maupin,
Jeanne Lee, and Chick Corea, among others. In 1973, he cut his second Impulse! session,
Geechee Recollections, with Leo Smith. Brown registered at Wesleyan University in
the mid-’70s, studying ethnic instruments and black fife-and-drum corps music and
maintained a regular recording schedule. He also recorded with Gunter Hampel in 
the late ’70s and ’80s, as well as composer Harold Budd on his Pavilion of Dreams
album (issued on Brian Eno’s Obscure label), Steve Lacy in 1985, Mal Waldron in 
1988, and many others. There are numerous duet and solo recordings that may or may
not be sanctioned. Due to health problems, Brown didn’t record after 1992. After
the turn of the millennium he lived for a while at a New York nursing home before
moving to an assisted living facility in Florida. Marion Brown died in October of
2010.

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