Jodie Christian (February 2, 1932 – February 13, 2012)
- accessed February 14, 2012 was an American jazz pianist, noted for

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

and

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 during ...

Early life

Christian was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois. His "father was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, into a share-cropper's family. Realizing the futility of that life, Christian's grandfather sold his livestock and sent his family to Chicago, where Christian was born in 1932 on 44th Street and Prairie Avenue." Christian's mother, a church pianist, helped him with music. When she became director of the church choir, he took over on the piano; sometimes they played organ–piano duets in the church. His father "also sang and played the blues on piano in speakeasies and rent parties, but ultimately stopped performing and followed his wife into the church". Christian attended

Wendell Phillips High Wendell Phillips Academy High School is a State school, public 4–year high school located in the Douglas, Chicago, Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Phillips is part of the Chicago Public Schools dist ...

in Chicago.

Later life and career

Christian was one of the founders of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians ( AACM) with pianist

Muhal Richard Abrams Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...

, drummer Steve McCall, and composer

Phil Cohran Kelan Phil Cohran (May 8, 1927 June 28, 2017) was a jazz musician. He was best known for playing trumpet in the Sun Ra Arkestra in Chicago from 1959 to 1961, and for his involvement in the foundation of the Association for the Advancement of Crea ...

. He and Abrams were also part of the Experimental Band. Christian worked at the Jazz Showcase club in Chicago and performed with

Eddie Harris Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-k ...

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...

Roscoe Mitchell Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figures ...

Buddy Montgomery Charles "Buddy" Montgomery (January 30, 1930 – May 14, 2009) was an American jazz vibraphonist and pianist. He was the younger brother of Wes and Monk Montgomery, a guitarist and bassist respectively. Buddy and brother Monk formed The Masters ...

, and

John Klemmer John T. Klemmer (born July 3, 1946) is an American saxophonist, composer, songwriter, and arranger. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and began playing guitar at the age of five and alto saxophone at the age of 11. His other ear ...

. Christian led a group on albums. He died on February 13, 2012, aged 80, in Chicago.

Discography

As leader or co-leader

* ''

Experience Experience refers to conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these conscious processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience involv ...

'' ( Delmark, 1992) * '' Rain or Shine'' (Delmark, 1994) * ''Blues Holiday'' (

SteepleChase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

, 1994) * ''The Very Thought of You'' (SteepleChase, 1995) with Louis Smith * ''

Front Line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or uninte ...

'' (Delmark, 1996) * ''

Soul Fountain ''Soul Fountain'' is an album featuring jazz saxophonist Clifford Jordan which was recorded in 1966 and but not released on the Atlantic Records subsidiary Vortex label until 1970.Reminiscing "Reminiscing" is a song by Australian soft rock music group Little River Band, released in June 1978 as the second single from their fourth studio album ''Sleeper Catcher''. The song was written by the band's guitarist, Graeham Goble, and sung ...

'' (Delmark, 2001)

As sideman

With

* ''

The Chase! ''The Chase!'' is a live album by the saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Gene Ammons recorded in Chicago in 1970 and released on the Prestige label. Reception In a review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow stated: "this CD is highly recommended to fans of ...

'' (

Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

, 1970) with

* ''

Chicago Concert ''Chicago Concert'' is a live album by saxophonists James Moody (saxophonist), James Moody and Gene Ammons recorded in Chicago in 1971 and released on the Prestige Records, Prestige label.James Moody With

Von Freeman Earle Lavon "Von" Freeman Sr. (October 3, 1923 – August 11, 2012) was an American hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Born in Chicago, Illinois, Freeman as a young child was exposed to jazz. His father, George, a city policeman, was a c ...

* ''Never Let Me Go'' (

Steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

, 1992) * ''Lester Leaps In'' (Steeplechase, 1993) * ''Dedicated to You'' (Steeplechase, 1994) With

Brad Goode Bradley Mitchell Goode (born October 10, 1963, in Chicago) is an American jazz trumpeter, bassist, drummer, composer and music educator. Career Goode worked as a sideman with Eddie Harris, Ira Sullivan, Barrett Deems, Ernie Krivda, Jack DeJo ...

* ''Shock of the New'' (Delmark, 1988) * ''Toy Trumpet'' (SteepleChase, 2000) With

Lin Halliday Lin Halliday (June 16, 1936 – January 25, 2000) was an American saxophonist. He was born in De Queen, Arkansas and was raised in Little Rock, where he played the saxophone and clarinet in school. After he moved to Los Angeles in his teens ...

* ''

Delayed Exposure ''Delayed Exposure'' is the debut album by American jazz saxophonist Lin Halliday, which was recorded in 1991 and released on Delmark. He leads a quintet with trumpeter Ira Sullivan, pianist Jodie Christian, bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Ge ...

'' ( Delmark, 1991) * '' East of the Sun'' (Delmark, 1992) * ''Where or When'' (Delmark, 1994) with Ira Sullivan * ''Airegin'' (Delmark, 2000) With

* ''

The Electrifying Eddie Harris ''The Electrifying Eddie Harris'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1967 and released on the Atlantic Records, Atlantic label.

'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, 1967) * ''

Pourquoi L'Amérique ''Pourquoi L'Amérique'' (translation: Why America) is a soundtrack album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1968 for the documentary of the same name on American history from 1917 to 1939 by French film director Frédéric Ross ...

'' (Atlantic, 1968) * ''

Plug Me In Plug, PLUG, plugs, or plugged may refer to: * Plug (accounting), an unsupported adjustment to an accounting record * Plug (fishing), a family of fishing lures * Plug (horticulture), a planting technique * Plug (jewellery), a type of jewellery wor ...

'' (Atlantic, 1968) * ''

Silver Cycles ''Silver Cycles'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1968 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic, 1969) * ''

High Voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant spec ...

'' (Atlantic, 1969) * ''

Free Speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been ...

'' (Atlantic, 1970) * '' Live at Newport'' (Atlantic, 1971) * ''

Excursions An excursion is a trip by a group of people, usually made for leisure, education, or Physical exercise, physical purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit to a place, sometimes for other (typically work-related) purposes. Pu ...

'' (Atlantic, 1973) With

* ''Involvement: The John Klemmer Quartets'' (Cadet, 1967) * ''And We Were Lovers'' (Cadet, 1968) With

* ''

The Flow of Things ''The Flow of Things'' is a live album by jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell recorded in 1986 for the Italian Black Saint label.

'' (

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) * '' Hey Donald'' (Delmark, 1995) * '' In Walked Buckner'' (Delmark, 1999) With

Ira Sullivan Ira Sullivan (May 1, 1931 – September 21, 2020) was an American jazz trumpeter, Flugelhorn, flugelhornist, flautist, saxophonist, and composer born in Washington, D.C., United States. An active musician since the 1950s, he often worked with ...

* ''The Ira Sullivan Quintet'' (Delmark, 1960) reissued in 1988 as '' Blue Stroll'' * ''

Bird Lives! ''Bird Lives!'' is an album by trumpeter Red Rodney featuring performances of tunes by, or associated with, Charlie Parker which was recorded in 1973 and released on the Muse label.

'' (

Vee-Jay Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...

, 1962) * '' Nicky's Tune'' (Delmark, 1970) * ''

'' (

Flying Fish The Exocoetidae are a family of marine fish in the order Beloniformes class Actinopterygii, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven to nine genera. While they cannot fly in the same way a bird do ...

, 1978) reissued in 2014 as ''Circumstantial'' With others * Eric Alexander: ''Stablemates'' (Delmark, 1996) with Lin Halliday *

: '' Stan Meets Chet'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

, 1958) with

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

: ''Featuring Joe Newman'' (Monad, 1976) * Al Green/Othello Anderson Quintet: ''Mr. Lucky'' (Delmark, 2002) * Melvin Jackson: ''Funky Skull'' (Limelight, 1969) * Carl Leukaufe: ''Warrior'' (Delmark, 1996) *

Les McCann Leslie Coleman McCann (born September 23, 1935) is an American jazz pianist and vocalist.Feather, Leonard, and Ira Gitler (2007), ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 448. Oxford University Press. Early life Les McCann was born in ...

: ''

Invitation to Openness ''Invitation to Openness'' is an album by pianist Les McCann recorded in 1971 and released on the Atlantic label.Freed., RLes McCann Discographyaccessed March 8, 2016 Reception Allmusic gives the album 4 stars stating "Every nuance of McCann's st ...

'' (Atlantic, 1972) *

: ''

This Rather Than That ''This Rather Than That'' is an album by American jazz vibraphonist and pianist Buddy Montgomery recorded in 1969 for the Impulse! Records, Impulse! label.

'' (

Impulse! Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...

, 1970) * James Moody: ''Sax and Flute Man'' (Paula, 1973) *

Harold Ousley Harold Lomax Ousley (January 23, 1929 – August 13, 2015) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flautist. Background Born in Chicago, Ousley began playing in the late-1940s and 1950s. He accompanied Billie Holiday and recorded with Dinah ...

: ''Grit-Grittin' Feelin'' (Delmark, 2000) * Paul Serrano: ''Blues Holiday'' (Riverside, 1961) * Louis Smith: ''Silvering'' (Steeplechase, 1994) * Mike Smith: ''Unit 7: A Tribute to Cannonball Adderley'' (Delmark, 1990) *

Sonny Stitt Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. (February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982), known professionally as Sonny Stitt, was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his ...

: ''Soul Girl'' (Paula, 1973) * Jesse Thomas: ''Blues is a Feeling'' (Delmark, 2001) * Various artists: ''Charlie Parker Memorial Concert'' (Cadet, 1970) * Frank Walton: ''Reality'' (Delmark, 1978) * Juli Wood: ''Movin and Groovin'' (self-released, 1998) *

Webster Young Webster English Young (December 3, 1932 – December 13, 2003) was an American jazz trumpeter and cornetist. Born in Columbia, South Carolina and raised in Washington, D.C., Young was known for his lyrical playing, and performed with John Coltra ...

: ''Plays the Miles Davis Songbook'' (VGM, 1981)

References

Bibliography

External links

All Music AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Obituary in ''Chicago Tribune''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, Jodie 1932 births 2012 deaths American jazz pianists American male pianists Delmark Records artists Musicians from Chicago SteepleChase Records artists 20th-century American pianists Jazz musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians