The Brotherhood of Breath was an English-South African

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

established in the late-1960s by

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n pianist and composer Chris McGregor, an extension of McGregor's previous band,

The Blue Notes The Blue Notes were a South African jazz sextet, whose definitive line-up featured Chris McGregor on piano, Mongezi Feza on trumpet, Dudu Pukwana on alto saxophone, Nikele Moyake on tenor saxophone, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Louis Moholo-Moho ...

History

The Brotherhood of Breath included many members of the South African expatriate community resident in London, including McGregor himself,

Louis Moholo Louis Tebogo Moholo (born 10 March 1940), is a South African jazz drummer. He has been a member of several notable bands, including The Blue Notes, the Brotherhood of Breath and Assagai. Biography Born in Cape Town, Moholo formed The Blue ...

, Harry Miller,

Mongezi Feza Mongezi Feza (11 May 1945 – 14 December 1975) was a South African jazz trumpeter and flautist. Biography Feza was born in Queenstown, Cape Province, Union of South Africa, into a family of musicians, His elder brother, Sandi Feza, who ...

Dudu Pukwana Mthutuzeli Dudu Pukwana (18 July 1938 – 30 June 1990) was a South African saxophonist, composer and pianist (although not known for his piano playing). Early years in South Africa Dudu Pukwana was born in Walmer Township, Port Elizabeth, S ...

, (occasionally)

Johnny Dyani Johnny Mbizo Dyani (30 November 1945 – 24 October 1986) was a South African jazz double bassist, vocalist and pianist, who, in addition to being a key member of The Blue Notes, played with such international musicians as Don Cherry (jazz), Do ...

; and many of the free jazz musicians who were based in London at the same time. The group included, at various stages,

Lol Coxhill George Lowen Coxhill (19 September 1932 – 10 July 2012) known professionally as Lol Coxhill, was an English free improvising saxophonist. He played soprano and sopranino saxophone. Biography Coxhill was born to George Compton Coxhill ...

Evan Parker Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation. Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ja ...

, Paul Rutherford,

Harry Beckett Harold Winston "Harry" Beckett (30 May 1935 – 22 July 2010) was a British trumpeter and flugelhorn player of Barbadian origin. Biography Born in Bridgetown, Saint Michael, Barbados, Harry Beckett learned to play music in a Salvation Army ...

Marc Charig Mark Charig (born 22 February 1944 in London) is a British trumpeter and cornetist. He was particularly active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when he played in settings as diverse as Long John Baldry's group, Bluesology, Soft Machine, and ...

Alan Skidmore Alan Richard James Skidmore (born 21 April 1942) is an English jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore. Career He was born in London, England. Skidmore began his professional career in his teens, and early in his care ...

Jim Dvorak James Peter Dvorak (born December 16, 1948, New York City) is an American jazz trumpeter. Dvorak received his bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music in 1970 and then relocated to England, where he lived for several decades. In the earl ...

Mike Osborne Michael Evans Osborne (28 September 1941 – 19 September 2007) was an English jazz alto saxophonist, pianist, and clarinetist who was a member of the band Brotherhood of Breath in the 1960s and 1970s. Biography Mike Osborne was born in Her ...

Elton Dean Elton Dean (28 October 1945 – 8 February 2006) was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello (a variant of the soprano saxophone) and occasionally keyboards. Part of the Canterbury scene, he featured in, among oth ...

, Nick Evans, and

John Surman John Douglas Surman (born 30 August 1944) is an English jazz saxophone, bass clarinet, and synthesizer player, and composer of free jazz and modal jazz, often using themes from folk music. He has composed and performed music for dance performanc ...

. The personnel was fluid, depending on who was available. The music resembles a mixture of

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

and the experimentalism of

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific out ...

, but retains a unique feel due to the South African influences and the intelligent arrangements. The original Brotherhood Of Breath ended in the late-1970s, with the deaths of

and Harry Miller (whose label,

Ogun Records Ogun Records is a jazz record label created in London in 1973 by South African expatriate bassist Harry Miller, his wife Hazel Miller, and sound engineer Keith Beal. They recorded British avant-garde jazz musicians Keith Tippett, Mike Osborne ...

, released some of the Brotherhood's albums). McGregor formed a second version of the group in France in the early-1980s, adding European musicians, including a number of French jazz musicians (

François Jeanneau François Jeanneau (born June 15, 1935, Paris) is a French jazz saxophonist, flautist, and composer. Jeanneau studied flute under René Leroy at the Paris Conservatory, but was an autodidact on saxophone.Michel Laplace, "Francois Jeanneau". '' The ...

Louis Sclavis Louis Sclavis (born 2 February 1953) is a French jazz musician. He performs on clarinet, bass clarinet, and soprano saxophone in a variety of contexts, including avant-garde jazz, free jazz, free improvisation and contemporary classical. Life ...

, Jean-Claude Montredon,

Didier Levallet Didier Levallet (born 19 July 1944, in Arcy-sur-Cure, France) is a French jazz double bassist, composer, arranger and leader. A self-taught bassist, Levallet made his professional debut in Paris in 1969, working with such artists as Ted Curson, J ...

). In 1987, a third edition was formed with African and British musicians such as

Annie Whitehead Lena Annie Whitehead (born 16 July 1955 in Oldham, Lancashire, England) is an English jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ...

. In this incarnation the music was more tightly arranged and controlled, with less

free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician(s) involved. The term can refer to both a technique (employed by any musician in any genre) and as a recognizable genre in its ...

Discography

* ''Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath'' (RCA Neon, 1971) * ''Eclipse at Dawn'' (1971; Cuneiform Rune, 2008) * ''Brotherhood'' (RCA, 1972) * ''From Bremen to Bridgewater'' (1971/1975; Cuneiform Rune, 2004) * ''Travelling Somewhere'' (1973; Cuneiform Rune, 2001) * ''Live at Willisau'' (

Ogun Ogun or Ogoun (Yoruba: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a spirit that appears in several African religions. He attempted to seize the throne after the demise of Obatala, who re ...

, 1974) * ''Procession'' (Ogun, 1978) * ''Yes Please'' (In and Out, 1981) * ''Country Cooking'' (1988) * ''En Concert a Banlieues Bleues'' with

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

( 52e Rue Est, 1989)

References

Bibliography

* Maxine McGregor: ''Chris McGregor and the Brotherhood of Breath: my life with a South African jazz pioneer.'' Bamberger Books, Flint, MI 1995; {{DEFAULTSORT:Brotherhood of Breath Cuneiform Records artists British jazz ensembles Avant-garde jazz ensembles Experimental big bands