Circle was an American avant garde

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 ...

ensemble, active in 1970 and 1971. The group arose from pianist Chick Corea's early 1970s trio with

Dave Holland David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years. His extensive discography r ...

on bass and

Barry Altschul Barry Altschul (born January 6, 1943, New York City) is a free jazz and hard bop drummer who first came to notice in the late 1960s for performing with pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea. Biography Altschul is of Russian Jewish heritage, the s ...

on drums and percussion with the addition of

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Ch ...

in a leading role on several reed instruments. The group's earliest (and only studio) recordings were made in 1970 for the

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

label but not released until 1975 under Corea's name. A live double album appeared on the ECM label in 1972. These recordings document a period in which Corea's work was steeped in the jazz 'avant garde,' prior to his complete shift to the jazz fusion orientation. Corea, Holland and Altschul also recorded the album, '' A.R.C.'' for ECM in 1971, but it was not released under the band name Circle.

Discography

* ''Circle 1: Live in Germany Concert'' (CBS/Sony Japan, 1970) – originally released under Circle's name, CD reissue released under Chick Corea's name * ''Circle 2: Gathering'' (CBS/Sony Japan, 1971) – originally released under Circle's name, CD reissue released under Chick Corea's name. * '' Paris Concert'' ( ECM, 1972) – recorded in 1971 * '' Circling In'' (

, 1975) – recorded in 1970. originally released under Chick Corea's name with additional tracks from Corea's earlier recordings. The Circle tracks were also released as ''Early Circle'' (1992). * '' Circulus'' (Blue Note, 1978) – recorded in 1970. originally released under Chick Corea's name.

References

External links

Circle discographyChick Corea looks back on Circle in an interview on ArtistInterviews.eu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Circle 1970 establishments in the United States 1971 disestablishments in the United States American jazz ensembles ECM Records artists Musical groups established in 1970 Musical groups disestablished in 1971