Glenn Spearman (February 14, 1947 – October 8, 1998) 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 m ...

tenor saxophonist. He was associated with

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

and experimental music. Spearman was active in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, in the late 1960s but moved to Paris in 1972 and founded the band Emergency with bassist Bob Reid. This group recorded two albums, performed on radio and television in France, and appeared at the festival in Avignon. He was artist-in-residence in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

and toured through Europe before returning to the United States in 1978. Following his return he worked in the Cecil Taylor Unit, primarily out of San Francisco though he performed on both sides of the Atlantic through the 1980s. In the 1990s, he led the Double Trio which included Larry Ochs,

William Winant William Winant (born 1953) is an American percussionist. In addition to his work in contemporary classical music—notably performing Lou Harrison's compositions—Winant has worked in a variety of genres, including noise rock, free improvisati ...

, and

Lisle Ellis Lisle Ellis, (born November 17, 1951) is a Canadian jazz bassist and composer who is known for his improvisational style and use of electronics. Biography Ellis was born in Campbell River, British Columbia. Ellis began playing electric bass in ...

as sidemen; this ensemble played at the Monterey Jazz Festival and the

Vancouver International Jazz Festival The Vancouver International Jazz Festival is an annual summer event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The festival grew out of a local jazz scene that centred on Vancouver Co-op Radio (CFRO-FM), a community radio station, in the early 1980s ...

. They were commissioned for a piece by the Move Dance Theater which was performed at

Laney College Laney College is a public community college in Oakland, California. Laney is the largest of the four colleges of the Peralta Community College District which serves northern Alameda County. Laney College is named after Joseph Clarence Laney. Th ...

. He worked with the

Rova Saxophone Quartet Rova Saxophone Quartet is an American, San Francisco-based saxophone quartet, formed in October 1977. The name "Rova" is an acronym formed from the last initials of the founding members: Jon Raskin, Larry Ochs, Andrew Voigt, and Bruce Ackley. Wh ...

and with filmmaker Lynn Marie Kirby in addition to teaching at

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was ...

. He died of cancer in 1998.

Discography

As leader

*'' Homage to Peace'' with Emergency (America, 1973) * ''Night After Night'' (Musa-Physics, 1981) * ''Suite of Winds'' with Trio Hurricane (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1986) * ''

Mystery Project ''Mystery Project'' is the first album by American jazz saxophonist Glenn Spearman Double Trio, which was recorded in 1992 and released on the Italian Black Saint label. Background The concept of the Double Trio was born at Oakland Improvisers F ...

'' (Black Saint, 1993) * ''

Smokehouse A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.

'' (Black Saint, 1994) * '' The Fields'' (Black Saint, 1996) * ''Surya:Stretch the Edge'' (1996) * ''Th'' (

CIMP Creative Improvised Music Projects, usually abbreviated CIMP or C.I.M.P., is an American jazz record company and label. It is associated with ''Cadence Magazine'' and Cadence Jazz Records. The label is noted for its minimal use of electronic proc ...

, 1997) * ''Let it Go'' (Red Toucan, 1997) * ''Creative Music Orchestra'' with

Marco Eneidi Marco Eneidi (November 1, 1956 – May 24, 2016) was an American jazz alto saxophonist. He was primarily associated with free jazz. Career Eneidi was born in Portland, Oregon. His father worked for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and ...

( Music & Arts, 1997) * '' Live at Fire in the Valley'', with Trio Hurricane ( Eremite, 1997) * ''First and Last'' (Eremite, 1999) * ''Working with the Elements'' with

Dominic Duval Dominic Duval (c. 1944 – July 22, 2016) was an American free jazz upright bass, bassist. Since the 1990s, Duval was active principally on the New York City jazz scene. He did not begin recording regularly until the 1990s, but since then had app ...

(CIMP, 1999) * ''Blues for Falasha'' (

Tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...

, 1999) * ''

Utterance In spoken language analysis, an utterance is a continuous piece of speech, often beginning and ending with a clear pause. In the case of oral languages, it is generally, but not always, bounded by silence. Utterances do not exist in written lang ...

'' (

Cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (199 ...

, 1999) * ''Free Worlds'' (Black Saint, 2000)

As sideman

With

Raphe Malik Raphe Malik, born Laurence Mazel (November 1, 1948 in Cambridge, Massachusetts – March 8, 2006 in Guilford, Vermont) was an American jazz trumpeter. Career Malik studied at the University of Massachusetts (1966–70), then moved to Paris, whe ...

* '' 21st Century Texts'' (FMP, 1992) * '' Sirens Sweet & Slow'' (Out Sounds, 1994) * '' The Short Form'' (Eremite, 1997) * '' Companions'' (Eremite, 2002) With others * ''Pipe Dreams'', Figure 8 (Rova Saxophone Quartet x 2) (1994) * ''Elevations'',

(1995) * ''Marco Eneidi & the Jungle Orchestra'', Marco Eneidi (1996) * ''Mindfulness'', William Hooker (

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States. The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...

, 1997) * ''Live at Radio Valencia'' with Marco Eneidi, William Parker, Jackson Krall (Botticelli)

References

* Rick Lopez
Sessionography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spearman, Glenn 1947 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American saxophonists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists CIMP artists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Music & Arts artists Black Saint/Soul Note artists Cadence Jazz Records artists Tzadik Records artists