The Society of Black Composers (SBC) was an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

composers collective, established in 1968 and dissolved in 1973. The stated goal of the society was "to provide a permanent forum for the exposure of Black Composers, their works and their thoughts; to collect an disseminate information related to Black Composers ad their activities; and to enrich the cultural life of the community at large." The Society of Black Composers was established by a group of Black composers and performers in New York City. While active, the group hosted a number of concerts showcasing the works of Black composers. Members of the Society have made significant contributions to American musical culture, including contemporary jazz, classical music, and television and film music. Its members included notable names, such as

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 ...

musicians David Baker,

Marion Brown Marion Brown (September 8, 1931 – October 18, 2010) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, writer, visual artist, and ethnomusicologist. He was a member of the avant-garde jazz scene in New York City during the 1960s, playing alongs ...

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 ...

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

and

Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album '' The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signifi ...

. Professional concert composers joined their rank, including

Noel Da Costa Noel G. Da Costa (24 December 1929 – 29 April 2002) was a Nigerian-Jamaican composer, jazz violinist, and choral conductor. Early life and educational career Noel Da Costa was born on 24 December 1929 Lagos, Nigeria to parents from Kingst ...

, Frederick Tillis, as well as

Kermit Moore Kermit Moore (March 11, 1929 – November 11, 2013) was an American conductor, cellist, and composer. Early life and education Of African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an eth ...

Talib Rasul Hakim Talib Rasul Hakim was an American composer. Born Stephen Alexander Chambers on February 8, 1940, brother to noted jazz drummer and composer Joe Chambers in Asheville, North Carolina, he grew up playing music in school, studying clarinet, piano, and ...

, William S. Fischer, Carman Moore,

Dorothy Rudd Moore Dorothy Rudd Moore (June 4, 1940 – March 30, 2022) was an American composer and music educator. She was one of the co-founders of the Society of Black Composers. She is considered one of the leading women composers of color for her generation a ...

, John Elwood Price,

Alvin Singleton Alvin Singleton (born December 28, 1940; Brooklyn, New York) is a composer from the United States. Born and raised in New York City, he received his music education from New York University (B.A.), studying with Hall Overton and Charles Wuorinen, ...

, Roger Dickerson, Primous Fountain, James Furman,

Adolphus Hailstork Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork III (born April 17, 1941) is an American composer and educator.De Lerma, Dominique-Rene"African Heritage Symphonic Series" Liner note essay. Cedille Records CDR061. He was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up i ...

Wendell Logan Wendell Morris Logan (November 24, 1940 – June 15, 2010), was an American jazz and concert music composer who created the jazz department at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Biography Wendell Logan was born in Thomson, Georgia on Nov ...

, and

Olly Wilson Olly Woodrow Wilson, Jr. (September 7, 1937 – March 12, 2018) was an American composer of contemporary classical music, pianist, double bassist, and a musicologist. He was one of the most preeminent composers of African American descent in the ...

. The

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

holds its archive.

References

Further reading