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. ~ Thom Jurek