Joel Forrester (born May 2, 1946) is 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 ...

composer and pianist. He composed the theme song to

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 6 ...

'', performed by The Microscopic Septet which Forrester founded in 1980 and led with saxophonist

Phillip Johnston Phillip Johnston (born January 22, 1955) is an American avant-garde saxophonist. He came to prominence in the 1980s as co-founder of The Microscopic Septet and went on to write extensively for films, particularly new scores for classic silent fi ...

. A documentary film about Joel Forrester was made in 2014 entitle
Embracing Dissonance: A Life in Bebop
The one-hour and five-minute documentary is an exploration of his diverse musical talents and influences. Forrester recounts previously unknown aspects of the life of Thelonious Monk and the Jazz Baroness, Pannonica Rothschild. The film also explores bebop's origins in the Harlem jazz club Minton's, Forrester's work as a composer of African American church music, as an improv accompanist for silent movies, and as a teacher of jazz musical forms. Forrester's story plays out like a jazz tune: a strong theme runs through a series of improvisational changes, solo riffs, and ensemble resolutions to weave the fabric of a bebop life.

Biography

Forrester furnished music for the early films of

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

. Forrester was a draft resister and served six months in prison.Ozier Mohammad
"A Piano, a Baroness and Thelonious Monk".
/ref> In the 1970s, following several years on Federal parole, Forrester moved to New York City, where he has lived and worked ever since. In the late 1970s, Joel was introduced to

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...

by a friend, Baroness

Pannonica de Koenigswarter Baroness Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter (''née'' Rothschild; 10 December 1913 – 30 November 1988) was a British-born jazz patron and writer. A leading patron of bebop, she was a member of the Rothschild family. Personal life Kath ...

. With

, Forrester co-founded the Microscopic Septet in 1980; he played with the band for 12 years. When in Paris, he developed a reputation as an accompanist to silent films, including performances at

The Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, and the

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) ( en, Orsay Museum) is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art ...

.Jennifer Odell
"Joel Forrester: Silents’ Buzz"
''Down Beat'', September 2010. Back in New York, Joel founded the quartet "People Like Us", featuring

Claire Daly Claire Daly is a baritone saxophonist and composer. Early life Daly was born in Bronxville, New York. She began playing the saxophone at the age of 12, becoming interested in jazz when she attended a Buddy Rich performance at the Westchester Cou ...

on baritone saxophone. In addition to the theme to ''Fresh Air'', Forrester's compositions include the off-Broadway satire ''Fascist Living''.

Discography

As leader

* ''Stop the Music'' (Koch, 1997) * ''In Heaven'' (Koch, 1997) * ''Ever Wonder Why'' (Ride Symbol, 2004) * ''Live at the Hillside Club'' (Asynchronous, 2011) * ''French Quintet'' (2012)

As sideman

With The Microscopic Septet * ''Take the Z Train'' (Press, 1983) * ''Let's Flip!'' (Osmosis, 1985) * ''Off Beat Glory'' (Osmosis, 1986) * ''Beauty Based On Science!'' (Stash, 1988) * ''Lobster Leaps in'' (Cuneiform, 2008) * ''Friday the 13th'' (Cuneiform, 2011) * ''Been Up So Long It Looks Like Down to Me'' (Cuneiform, 2017) With others *

Michael Callen Michael Callen (April 11, 1955 – December 27, 1993) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, author, and AIDS activist. Callen was diagnosed with AIDS in 1982 and became a pioneer of AIDS activism in New York City, working closely with h ...

, ''Purple Heart'' (Significant Other, 1988) * Michael Callen, ''Legacy'' (Significant Other, 1996) *

Michael Hearst Michael Marcus Hearst (born December 27, 1972) is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, writer, and producer. He is best known for his solo albums ''Songs For Ice Cream Trucks'', ''Songs For Unusual Creatures'', ''Songs For Fearful Flyers'', ''Songs ...

, ''Songs for Unusual Creatures'' (Urban Geek, 2012) *

, ''Music for Films'' (Tzadik, 1998)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrester, Joel 1946 births Living people Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania Musicians from Pittsburgh People from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American pianists American jazz composers American jazz pianists American male jazz composers American male pianists The Microscopic Septet members