David Izenzon (May 17, 1932 – October 8, 1979)
was an American
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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
ist.
Biography
Izenzon was born in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, United States.
He graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology and later received a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music.
Izenzon began playing
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
at the age of twenty-four.
[Yanow, Scott "Artist Biography]
AllMusic.
Retrieved September 14, 2013. He played in his hometown before moving to New York City in 1961.
There he played with
Paul Bley
Paul Bley, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live performance on the Moog and ...
,
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 ...
,
Sonny Rollins
Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...
, and
Bill Dixon
William Robert “Bill” Dixon (October 5, 1925 – June 16, 2010) was an American composer, improviser, visual artist, activist, and educator. Dixon was one of the seminal figures in free jazz and late twentieth-century contemporary music. Hi ...
, but he is best known for his association with
Ornette Coleman
Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Colle ...
, which began in October 1961.
He played in Coleman's
Town Hall, 1962 concert and played with him frequently from 1965 to 1968,
often in a trio format with
Charles Moffett
Charles Moffett (September 6, 1929 – February 14, 1997) was an American free jazz drummer.
Biography
Moffett was born in Fort Worth, Texas, where he attended I.M. Terrell High School with Ornette Coleman. Before switching to drums, Moffett ...
. During this time Izenzon also recorded with
Harold McNair
Harold McNair (5 November 1931 – 7 March 1971) was a Jamaican-born saxophonist and flautist.
Early life
McNair was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He attended the Alpha Boys School under the tutelage of Vincent Tulloch, while playing with Jo ...
and
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
. He taught
music history
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is a highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies music from a historical point of view.
In theory, "music history" could refer to the study of the history o ...
at
Bronx Community College
The Bronx Community College of the City University of New York (BCC) is a public community college in the Bronx, New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system.
History
The college was established in 1957 through the eff ...
from 1968 to 1971 and played with
Perry Robinson
Perry Morris Robinson (September 17, 1938 – December 2, 2018) was an American jazz clarinetist and composer. He was the son of composer Earl Robinson.
Early life and education
Robinson was born and grew up in New York City. He attended the Le ...
and
Paul Motian
Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer. Motian played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties.
He first came to prominence in the l ...
,
but reduced his time in music in 1972 when his son became ill.
In 1973 Izenzon received a Ph.D. in
psychotherapy
Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...
from
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
.
The following year, he co-founded Potsmokers Anonymous with his wife, Pearl. In 1975 he composed a jazz
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
entitled ''How Music Can Save the World'', dedicated to those who helped his son recover.
From 1977, Izenzon worked again with Coleman and Motian, up until his death in 1979.
Izenzon had a heart attack and was dead on arrival at
Bellevue Hospital
Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States b ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
["David Izenzon, Bassist; Anti-Marijuana Adviser" (October 10, 1979) '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', p. A25. He was survived by his wife and two sons.
Legacy
Bassist
John Lindberg dedicated his 1997 album ''Offers for Luminosity'' to Izenzon.
In his book ''The Freedom Principle'', John Litweiler praised Izenzon's playing:
David Izenzon brought a major advance in jazz bass playing and in the structure of the jazz ensemble... Traditionally the bass's role in jazz had been to ground the ensemble pulse... But Izenzon was as likely to provide melodic line as pulse, avoiding direct rhythmic reference, contradicting his partners' tempos, and playing arco at least as often as he played pizzicato. The genius of Izenzon's music is that he did not become an independent voice in oleman'strio; his fine sensitivity created ensemble tension so that in a discursive performance... Izenzon becomes a source of unity... After the self-dramatizing of Mingus and LaFaro, it's a paradox that Izenzon, the most active of bass virtuosos, sounds so completely effortless. You're not overwhelmed at his speed; his music flows so naturally and lyrically, without excess, that even his blurring of pitch does not seem extreme. Izenzon was especially devoted to bass sound. At a time when electronic amplification was becoming standard for jazz bassists, he didn't use an amplifier even though he played softly; also, his experience in both jazz and contemporary classical techniques gave him a broad expressive range.
Discography
With
Jaki Byard
John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for hi ...
*''
Sunshine of My Soul'' (Prestige, 1967)
With
Ornette Coleman
Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Colle ...
*''
Town Hall, 1962'' (ESP, 1962)
*''
Chappaqua Suite'' (Columbia, 1965)
*''
An Evening with Ornette Coleman'' (Polydor, 1965)
*''
At the Golden Circle Stockholm
''At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm'' is an avant-garde jazz live album in two volumes by the Ornette Coleman Trio, documenting concerts on the nights of December 3 and 4, 1965, at the Gyllene Cirkeln jazz club in Stockholm. Both volumes were rel ...
'' (Blue Note, 1965)
With
Steve Kuhn
Steve Kuhn (born March 24, 1938) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator.
Biography
Kuhn was born in New York City, New York, to Carl and Stella Kuhn (née Kaufman), and was raised in Newton, Massachusetts. Hi ...
and
Toshiko Akiyoshi
is a Japanese–American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader.
Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in ''Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. ...
*''
The Country and Western Sound of Jazz Pianos
''The Country and Western Sound of Jazz Pianos'' is an album recorded by jazz pianists Toshiko Akiyoshi and Steve Kuhn in New York City in 1963 and released on the Dauntless label. It was later re-released on the Chiaroscuro label under the ti ...
'' (Dauntless, 1963)
With
Harold McNair
Harold McNair (5 November 1931 – 7 March 1971) was a Jamaican-born saxophonist and flautist.
Early life
McNair was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He attended the Alpha Boys School under the tutelage of Vincent Tulloch, while playing with Jo ...
*''
Affectionate Fink (Island, 1965)
With
Paul Motian
Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer. Motian played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties.
He first came to prominence in the l ...
*''
Dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
'' (ECM, 1977)
With
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
*''
Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band
''Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band'' is the debut studio album by Japanese artist and musician Yoko Ono, released on Apple Records in December 1970. It was released simultaneously with her husband's album ''John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band''. Backed by the P ...
'' (Apple, 1968)
With Joseph Scianni
*''Man Running'' (Savoy, 1965)
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 ...
*''
'' (Savoy, 1964)
*''
Fire Music'' (Impulse!, 1965)
*''
On This Night'' (Impulse!, 1965)
*''
Further Fire Music'' (Impulse!, 1965)
With
Sonny Rollins
Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...
*''
The Standard Sonny Rollins
''The Standard Sonny Rollins'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, his last release for RCA Victor, featuring performances by Rollins with Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, David Izenzon, Teddy Smith, Stu Martin, Bob Cranshaw and Micke ...
'' (RCA, 1964)
*''
The Alternative Rollins
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (RCA, 1964)
With
Bob Thiele
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
Places
*Mount Bob, New York, United States
*Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
People, fictional characters, and named animals
*Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*Bob (surname) ...
*''Head Start'' (Flying Dutchman, 1967)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Izenzon, David
1932 births
1979 deaths
American jazz double-bassists
Male double-bassists
Musicians from Pittsburgh
20th-century American musicians
Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania
20th-century double-bassists
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Bronx Community College faculty