Biography
Though Roscoe Mitchell eclipsed Joseph Jarman in technical command on saxophone within their reed partnership in the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Jarman maintained a refined grasp of tonal shading, his direct yet jagged improvisations conveyed a distinct emotional urgency, and his engagement with poetry and theater shaped the ensemble’s onstage presentations. During his Chicago high-school years in the early 1950s, Jarman began studying drums with the noted instructor Walter Dyett. Military service prompted a shift to saxophone and clarinet. After receiving his discharge in 1958, he came back to Chicago and entered pianist Muhal Richard Abrams’s Experimental Band, established in 1961, where he encountered future Art Ensemble colleagues Malachi Favors and Mitchell. He also performed hard bop in a sextet alongside Mitchell, and in 1965 he ranked among the earliest enrollees in the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.
By roughly 1967 Jarman stood among the initial saxophonists to present unaccompanied recitals, an approach likewise pursued by fellow AACM figures such as Anthony Braxton. From 1966 to 1968 he directed his own ensemble featuring bassist Charles Clark, drummer Thurman Barker, pianist Christopher Gaddy, and additional players. Distinct lineups of that group issued a pair of Delmark albums: Song For... (1966) and As if It Were the Seasons (1968). In 1967 Lester Bowie cut Numbers 1 & 2 for Nessa; the track “2” marked the first joint recording by the four musicians who would form the Art Ensemble—Bowie, Mitchell, Favors, and Jarman. By 1969 that quartet had become Jarman’s central focus. The sudden losses of Gaddy and Clark had already forced him to dissolve his own band, and he remained with the Art Ensemble through 1993. During those years he also released material under his own name on Black Saint, AECO, and India Navigation.
After departing the Art Ensemble, Jarman largely withdrew from music to concentrate on spiritual pursuits. As the decade advanced, however, he resumed occasional appearances and recordings, frequently as a guest alongside Marilyn Crispell, guitarist/composer Scott Fields, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Lou Grassi. Joseph Jarman died on January 8, 2019, from cardiac arrest brought on by respiratory failure.
By roughly 1967 Jarman stood among the initial saxophonists to present unaccompanied recitals, an approach likewise pursued by fellow AACM figures such as Anthony Braxton. From 1966 to 1968 he directed his own ensemble featuring bassist Charles Clark, drummer Thurman Barker, pianist Christopher Gaddy, and additional players. Distinct lineups of that group issued a pair of Delmark albums: Song For... (1966) and As if It Were the Seasons (1968). In 1967 Lester Bowie cut Numbers 1 & 2 for Nessa; the track “2” marked the first joint recording by the four musicians who would form the Art Ensemble—Bowie, Mitchell, Favors, and Jarman. By 1969 that quartet had become Jarman’s central focus. The sudden losses of Gaddy and Clark had already forced him to dissolve his own band, and he remained with the Art Ensemble through 1993. During those years he also released material under his own name on Black Saint, AECO, and India Navigation.
After departing the Art Ensemble, Jarman largely withdrew from music to concentrate on spiritual pursuits. As the decade advanced, however, he resumed occasional appearances and recordings, frequently as a guest alongside Marilyn Crispell, guitarist/composer Scott Fields, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Lou Grassi. Joseph Jarman died on January 8, 2019, from cardiac arrest brought on by respiratory failure.
Albums
Nod
2017
Earth Passage - Density
1981
Black Paladins
1980
The Magic Triangle
1979
As If It Were the Seasons
1968
Song For
1966
Live
