John Martin Tchicai ( ; 28 April 1936 – 8 October 2012) was a Danish

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 ...

saxophonist and composer.

Biography

Tchicai was born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, to a Danish mother and a Congolese father. The family moved to

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwe ...

, where he studied violin when young, and in his mid-teens began playing clarinet and alto saxophone, focusing on the latter. By the late 1950s, he was travelling around northern Europe, playing with many musicians. In 1962, he met trumpeter

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 ...

and saxophonist

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 ...

at a festival in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. At their suggestion, he moved to

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 ...

the following year, and went on to participate in the October Revolution in Jazz and join the New York Contemporary Five and the

New York Art Quartet The New York Art Quartet was a free jazz ensemble, originally made up of saxophonist John Tchicai, trombonist Roswell Rudd, drummer Milford Graves and bassist Lewis Worrell, that came into existence in 1964 in New York City. Worrell was later replac ...

. He also played on a number of influential free jazz recordings, including Shepp's '' Four for Trane'', Albert Ayler's '' New York Eye and Ear Control'',

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

's '' Ascension'', and the

Jazz Composer's Orchestra The Jazz Composer's Orchestra was an American jazz group, founded by Carla Bley and Michael Mantler in 1965, to perform orchestral avant-garde jazz. Its origins lay in the Jazz Composers Guild, an organization founded by Bill Dixon which grew ou ...

's ''

Communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

''. Following his work in New York, Tchicai returned to Denmark in 1966, and shortly thereafter focused most of his time on music education. He formed the small orchestra Cadentia Nova Danica with Danish and other European musicians; this group collaborated with Musica Elettronica Viva and performed in multi-media events. Tchicai was a founding member of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

's Instant Composers Pool in 1968, and in 1969 took part in the recording of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

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 ...

's '' Unfinished Music No.2: Life with the Lions''. On 30 August 1975 Tchicai's appearance at the Willisau Jazz Festival was recorded and released later that year as ''Willi The Pig''. On this record, he plays with Swiss pianist Irène Schweizer. Tchicai returned to a regular gigging and recording schedule in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, he switched to the tenor saxophone as his primary instrument. In 1990, he was awarded a lifetime grant from the Danish Ministry of Culture. Tchicai and his wife relocated to Davis, California, in 1991, where he led several ensembles. He was awarded a

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

fellowship in 1997. He was a member of Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith's "Yo Miles" band, a loose aggregation of musicians exploring

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

's electric period. Since 2001 he had been living near

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...

in southern France. On 11 June 2012 he suffered a

brain hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

in an airport in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. He was recovering and had canceled all appearances when he died in a Perpignan hospital on 8 October 2012, aged 76. 2021 saw the publication of a biography titled "A Chaos with Some Kind of Order", written by Margriet Naber, Tchicai's former wife and collaborator for 20 years, and published by Ear Heart Mind Media. Writer Richard Williams called the book an "intimate and valuable account of (Tchicai's) life and work".

Discography

As leader / co-leader

*1968: ''Cadentia Nova Danica'' (

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United State ...

) with Karsten Vogel, Hugh Steinmetz, Kim Menzer, Max Brüel, Steffen Andersen, Giorgio Musoni, Yvan Krill, Robidoo *1969: ''Afrodisiaca'' (MPS) with Cadentia Nova Danica *1971: '' Roswell Rudd'' (America) *1975: ''Willi The Pig'' (Willisau) with Irène Schweizer,

Buschi Niebergall Buschi Niebergall (July 18, 1938 – January 9, 1990) was a German free jazz musician. His given name was Hans-Helmut, and late in life, his friends called him Johannes. Born in the city of Marburg into a family of academics (his father wa ...

, Makaya Ntshoko *1977: ''Darktown Highlights'' (Storyville) with Simon Spang-Hanssen, Peter Danstrup, Ole Roemer *1977: ''Real Tchicai'' (

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 ...

) with

Pierre Dørge Pierre Dørge (born 28 February 1946) is a Danish avant-garde jazz guitarist. As leader of the New Jungle Orchestra, he combined traditional and modern jazz with West African Highlife guitar music. Among his collaborators have been his wife, pian ...

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (, 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist. Biography Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son of ...

*1977: ''Solo'' (FMP) with

Albert Mangelsdorff Albert Mangelsdorff (September 5, 1928 – July 25, 2005) was a German jazz trombonist. Working mainly in free jazz, he was an innovator in multiphonics. Early life Mangelsdorff was born in Frankfurt on September 5, 1928, as the son of the book ...

*1978: ''Barefoot Dance'' (Marge) with André Goudbeek *1978: ''Duets'' (SVM) with André Goudbeek *1978: ''John Tchicai & Strange Brothers'' (FMP) with Peter Danstrup, Ole Rømer, Simon Spang-Hansen *1980: ''Live In Athens'' (Praxis) (solo concert) *1981: ''Continent'' (Praxis) with Hartmut Geerken *1983: ''Merlin Vibrations'' (Plainisphare) with the John Tchicai Orchestra *1985: '' Cassava Balls'' (Praxis) with Hartmut Geerken, Don Moye *1987: '' The African Tapes Volume 1'' (Praxis) with Hartmut Geerken, Don Moye *1987: ''Timo's Message'' ( Black Saint) with Christian Kuntner, Thomas Dürst, Timo Fleig *1987: ''Put Up The Fight'' (Storyville) *1988: '' The African Tapes Volume 2'' (Praxis) with Hartmut Geerken, Don Moye *1988: ''Tchicai / Clinch'' (Olufsen Records) with Clinch (Christer Irgens-Møller, Peter Friis-Nielsen, Pierre Oliver Jürgens) *1992: ''Satisfaction'' (Enja) with Vitold Rek *1993: ''Grandpa's Spells'' (Storyville) with Misha Mengelberg *1995: ''Love Is Touching'' (B&W) with the Archetypes *1998: ''Love Notes From The Madhouse'' (8th Harmonic Breakdown) with Yusef Komunyakaa *1999: ''Life Overflowing'' (Nada) with Charlie Kohlhase *2000: ''John Tchicai's Infinitesimal Flash'' (Buzz Records) with Francis Wong, Adam Lane, Mat Marucci *2001: ''Anybody Home?'' (Tutl) *2001: ''2 X 2'' (Taso) with Vitold Rek and Karl Berger *2003: ''Hope Is Bright Green Up North'' (CIMP) with

and Lou Grassi *2003: ''Dos'' (CIMP) with Adam Lane *2005: ''John Tchicai With Strings'' (Treader) *2005: ''Big Chief Dreaming'' (

Soul Note 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 ...

) with Garrison Fewell, Massimo Manzi, Tino Tracanna *2005: ''Hymne til Sofia – Hymn to Sophia'' (Calibrated) with Kristian Høeg, Ib Bindel, Frederik Magle, Peter Ole Jørgensen, and others *2006: ''Witch's Scream'' (TUM) with Andrew Cyrille and

Reggie Workman Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey. Career Early in his career, Workman wo ...

*2006: ''Good Night Songs'' (Boxholder) with Charlie Kohlhase and Garrison Fewell *2007: ''Boiler'' (Ninth World Music) with Thomas Agergaard, Peter Ole Jørgensen, Sirone *2008: ''Coltrane In Spring'' (ILK Music) with Jonas Müller, Nikolas Munch-Hansen, and Kresten Osgood *2008: ''No Trespassing'' (Azzurra) with Ice9 *2008: ''One Long Minute'' (NuBop) with John Tchicai's Five Points *2009: ''Treader Duos'' (Treader) with Tony Marsh (one track) *2009: ''In Monk's Mood'' (SteepleChase) with

George Colligan George Colligan (born December 29, 1969) is an American jazz pianist, organist, drummer, trumpeter, educator, composer, and bandleader. Early life and education Colligan was born in New Jersey and raised in Columbia, Maryland. He attended the P ...

Steve LaSpina Steven Frank LaSpina (born March 24, 1954) is an American jazz bassist who plays both upright and electric bass. Life and career Steve LaSpina was born in Wichita Falls, Texas; his father and grandfather both played in dance bands. He attended the ...

, Billy Drummond *2009: ''Look To The Neutrino'' (Zerozerojazz) with the Lunar Quartet *2010: ''Truth Lies In-Between'' (Hôte Marge)

As sideman

With Albert Ayler *'' New York Eye and Ear Control'' (1964, ESP-Disk) With the Berlin Jazz Workshop Orchestra *''Who Is Who?'' (1979, FMP) With the Binder Quintet *''Binder Quintet Featuring John Tchicai'' (1983, Krém) With Willem Breuker and

Johan van der Keuken Johan van der Keuken (; 4 April 1938 – 7 January 2001) was a Dutch documentary filmmaker, author, and photographer. In a career that spanned 42 years, Van der Keuken produced 55 documentary films, six of which won eight awards. He also wrot ...

*''Music For His Films 1967 / 1994'' (1997, BV Haast) With

Brotherhood of Breath The Brotherhood of Breath was an English-South African big band established in the late-1960s by South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor, an extension of McGregor's previous band, The Blue Notes. History The Brotherhood of Breath i ...

*''Yes Please'' (1981, In and Out) With the Brus Trio *''Soaked Sorrows'' (1988, Dragon) With Burnin' Red Ivanhoe *''M 144'' (1969, Sonet) With

Curtis Clark Curtis Clark (born 23 April 1950) is a jazz pianist from Chicago, United States. Clark was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1950, but moved to Los Angeles where he spent his student years and started composing and playing the piano. After Clark gra ...

*''Letter to South Africa'' (1987, Nimbus) with

Ernst Reijseger Ernst Reijseger (born 13 November 1954) is a Dutch cellist and composer. He specializes in avant-garde jazz, free jazz, improvised music, and contemporary classical music and often gives solo concerts. He has worked with Louis Sclavis, Dere ...

, Ernst Glerum, Louis Moholo With

*'' Ascension'' (1965, Impulse!) With Peter Danstrup *''Reptiles in the Sky'' (2010, Gateway) *''Beautiful Untrue Things'' (2012, Gateway) With Dell – Westergaard – Lillinger *''Dell – Westegaard – Lillinger feat. John Tchicai'' (2012, Jazzwerkstatt) With

*''Ballad Round the Left Corner'' (1980, Steeplechase) with Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen,

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest, among others. Bio ...

*''Ball At Louisiana'' (1983, Steeplechase) *''Brikama'' (1984, Steeplechase) with New Jungle Orchestra *''Very Hot, Even The Moon Is Dancing'' (1985, Steeplechase) with New Jungle Orchestra *''Johnny Lives'' (1987, Steeplechase) with New Jungle Orchestra *''Different Places - Different Bananas'' (1989, Olufsen) with New Jungle Orchestra *''Peer Gynt'' (1989, Olufsen) with New Jungle Orchestra *''Live In Chicago'' (1991, Olufsen) with New Jungle Orchestra *''Giraf'' (1998, Dacapo Records) with New Jungle Orchestra With Johnny Dyani *''Witchdoctor's Son'' (1978, SteepleChase) with Dudu Pukwana *''Angolian Cry'' (1986, SteepleChase) With John Ehlis *''John Ehlis Ensemble'' (1996, Sivac) *''Along the Way'' (2012, Sivac) With The Engines *'' Other Violets'' (2013, Not Two) With Garrison Fewell's Variable Density Sound Orchestra *''Evolving Strategies'' (2012, Not Two) With Charles Gayle *''Always Born'' (1988, Silkheart) With

George Gruntz George Gruntz (24 June 1932 – 10 January 2013) was a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist, and composer known for the George Gruntz Concert Big Band and his work with Phil Woods, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, ...

*''Monster Sticksland Meeting Two – Monster Jazz'' (1974, MPS / BASF) With Paul Hemmings *''Letter From America'' (2007, Leading Tone Records) With The Instant Composers Pool *''Instant Composers Pool'' with Misha Mengelberg and Han Bennink (1968, ICP) *''Fragments'' with Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennink, and Derek Bailey (1978, ICP) *''Tetterettet'' (1977, ICP) With The

*''

'' (1965, Fontana) With Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith *''Yo Miles! Sky Garden'' (2003, Cuneiform Records) *''Yo Miles! Upriver'' (2013, Cuneiform Records) With Adam Lane *''Fo(u)r Being(s)'' (2002, CIMP) With

and

*'' Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions'' (1969, Zapple) With Jorgen Leth *''Jazz Jamboree 1962 Vol.4'' (2013, Jazzhus Disk) (Leth's name is on the album although he is not a musician and does not play on it.) With

*''

'' (1964, ESP-Disk) *'' Mohawk'' (1965,

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone *Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi * ...

) *'' 35th Reunion'' (2000, DIW Records) *'' Old Stuff'' (2010,

Cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo- syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge- ...

) *'' Call It Art'' (2013, Triple Point) With New York Contemporary Five *'' Consequences'' (1963,

) *'' Rufus'' (1963, Fontana) *'' New York Contemporary Five Vol. 1'' (1963, Sonet) *'' New York Contemporary Five Vol. 2'' (1963, Sonet) *'' Bill Dixon 7-tette/Archie Shepp and the New York Contemporary Five'' (1964,

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Sa ...

) One side of LP With Giancarlo Nicolai *''Giancarlo Nicolai Trio & John Tchicai'' (1987, Leo Records) With the Open Orchestra *''The Spiritual Man'' (2009, Terre Sommerse) With Francisco Mondragon Rio *''Ancient Civilizations'' (1997, Pulque) with Karl Berger With Rent Romus *''Adapt... or DIE!'' (1997, Jazzheads) with Lords of Outland With

*'' Four for Trane'' (1964, Impulse!) With Katrine Suwalski and Another World *''Message of Love'' (2013, Gateway) With

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in complex ...

*'' Winged Serpent (Sliding Quadrants)'' (1985, Soul Note) With Triot *''Sudden Happiness'' (2004, TUM) With Wiebelfetzer *''Live'' (1971, Bazillus) With Yggdrasil *''Den Yderste Ø'' (1981, Tutl) *''Yggdrasil'' (2002, Tutl) *''Concerto Grotto'' (1984, Tutl) *''Askur'' (2007, Tutl) With De Zes Winden (The Six Winds) *''Live At The Bim And More'' (1986, BV Haast) *''Elephants Can Dance'' (1988, Sackville) *''Man Met Muts'' (1990, BV Haast) *''Anger Dance'' (1993, BV Haast) *''Manestraal'' (1997, BV Haast)

References

Gallery

Image:John-Tchicai01.jpg Image:john-tchicai02.jpg Image:john-tchicai03.jpg Image:john-tchicai04.jpg Image:john-tchicai05.jpg Image:john-tchicai06.jpg

External links

Official Homepage
*
Official ICE9 with John Tchicai Home PageProfile at Edition S Documentary film about the New York Art Quartet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tchicai, John 1936 births 2012 deaths Avant-garde jazz musicians Danish jazz musicians Danish jazz saxophonists Male saxophonists Danish people of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent Jazz alto saxophonists Danish composers Male composers Black Saint/Soul Note artists Danish expatriates in the United States Danish expatriates in France Male jazz musicians ICP Orchestra members New York Art Quartet members New York Contemporary Five members Storyville Records artists Ilk Records artists FMP/Free Music Production artists Intakt Records artists NoBusiness Records artists 20th-century saxophonists