Sam Rivers
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Samuel Carthorne Rivers (September 25, 1923 – December 26, 2011), was an American jazz musician and composer. He performed on soprano and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet, flute, harmonica and piano.
Rivers was born in Enid, Oklahoma. Active in jazz since the early 1950s, he earned wider attention during the mid-1960s spread of free jazz. With a thorough command of music theory, orchestration and composition, Rivers was an influential and prominent artist in jazz music.
Rivers’s father was a gospel musician who had sung with the Fisk Jubilee Singers and the Silverstone Quartet, exposing Rivers to music from an early age. Rivers moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1947, where he studied at the Boston Conservatory with Alan Hovhaness.
He performed with Quincy Jones, Herb Pomeroy, Tadd Dameron and others.
In 1959 Rivers began performing with 13-year-old drummer Tony Williams, who later went on to have an impressive career. Rivers was briefly a member of the Miles Davis’s quintet in 1964, partly at Williams’s recommendation. This quintet was recorded a single album, Miles in Tokyo. However, Rivers’ playing style was too free to be compatible with Davis’s music at this point, and he was soon replaced by Wayne Shorter. Rivers was signed by Blue Note Records, for whom he recorded four albums as leader and made several sideman appearances. Among noted sidemen on his own Blue Note albums were Jaki Byard who appears on Fuchsia Swing Song, Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard. He appeared on Blue Note recordings of Tony Williams, Andrew Hill and Larry Young.
Rivers was born in Enid, Oklahoma. Active in jazz since the early 1950s, he earned wider attention during the mid-1960s spread of free jazz. With a thorough command of music theory, orchestration and composition, Rivers was an influential and prominent artist in jazz music.
Rivers’s father was a gospel musician who had sung with the Fisk Jubilee Singers and the Silverstone Quartet, exposing Rivers to music from an early age. Rivers moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1947, where he studied at the Boston Conservatory with Alan Hovhaness.
He performed with Quincy Jones, Herb Pomeroy, Tadd Dameron and others.
In 1959 Rivers began performing with 13-year-old drummer Tony Williams, who later went on to have an impressive career. Rivers was briefly a member of the Miles Davis’s quintet in 1964, partly at Williams’s recommendation. This quintet was recorded a single album, Miles in Tokyo. However, Rivers’ playing style was too free to be compatible with Davis’s music at this point, and he was soon replaced by Wayne Shorter. Rivers was signed by Blue Note Records, for whom he recorded four albums as leader and made several sideman appearances. Among noted sidemen on his own Blue Note albums were Jaki Byard who appears on Fuchsia Swing Song, Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard. He appeared on Blue Note recordings of Tony Williams, Andrew Hill and Larry Young.
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Crystals
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Fuchsia Swing Song
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Shoutbox
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ToothandNail04 wrote:
RIP
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Fipaj wrote:
rest in peace Sam!
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mahleria wrote:
Sad news. Pearly Gates Cafe has a killer new saxman.
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BlindWilliam wrote:
:: pours a little liquor on the ground ::
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_duif wrote:
R.I.P.
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hollabackitsobi wrote:
RIP :(
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Marjan8998 wrote:
RIP Sam
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BluntedJazz wrote:
Rest in Precis
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quadronegro wrote:
Идея джаза свободы, будет жить, Сэм!
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Zagor001 wrote:
rest in peace
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street_dawg wrote:
rest in paradise, Sam
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DepressedManic wrote:
Respect
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bloodmaw wrote:
RIP to a great saxman
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MsGreenEyes wrote:
oh, Man. your music will live forever... thank you and rest in peace.
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brianshazaaam wrote:
RIP
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bainer wrote:
Respect
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goodmorningcptn wrote:
RIP
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prosinac wrote:
RIP :(
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piribolygo wrote:
rest in peace man
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toztizokzndz wrote:
RIP
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Recent Activity
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brianshazaaam wrote about Sam Rivers in ABCs of 60s Jazz. Tuesday evening
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Saskatchewan_, roland15158 and Watts13 added Sam Rivers to their libraries. Monday evening
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Human-Man tagged Sam Rivers with hard bop and free jazz. Sunday afternoon
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qbreck, overcomed, RBJAZZFUNKROCK and 1 other person added Sam Rivers to their libraries. last week
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enJoy_Bananas tagged Sam Rivers with avant-garde jazz and free jazz. 14 days ago
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enJoy_Bananas added Sam Rivers to enJoy_Bananas’s library. 14 days ago
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dontboreme tagged Sam Rivers with saxophone and jazz. 16 days ago
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wallsrc, Guinness_Stout, TwamKabea and 12 other people added Sam Rivers to their libraries. 18 days ago
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lideyavi tagged Sam Rivers with free jazz, saxophone and jazz. last month
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lideyavi, ericburdon67, hoeyp and 7 other people added Sam Rivers to their libraries. last month
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