Jon Gibson (minimalist musician)
American minimalist musician (1940–2020)
Jon Gibson
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Born |
(
1940-03-11
)
March 11, 1940
Los Angeles
,
California
, U.S.
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Died |
October 11, 2020
(2020-10-11)
(aged
80)
Springfield
,
Massachusetts
, U.S.
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Education | |
Occupations | |
Organizations | Philip Glass Ensemble |
Jon Gibson (March 11, 1940 – October 11, 2020) was an American flutist , saxophonist , composer and visual artist , known as one of the founding members of the Philip Glass Ensemble . He was a key player on several seminal minimalist music compositions. He was born in Los Angeles to Charles and Muriel (née Taylor) Gibson, both educators, and grew up in El Monte , a suburb. [1]
Education
Gibson studied at Sacramento State University and later at San Francisco State University with Henry Onderdonk and Wayne Peterson , where he earned a BA in 1964. His earliest work as an improviser and composer also dates from around this time, when he performed in the New Music Ensemble with composers Larry Austin , Richard Swift , and Stanley Lunetta. [2]
Career
Gibson used various instruments from around the world in his performances of jazz and classical music . He was a founding member of the Philip Glass Ensemble , [3] and his mastery of circular breathing techniques made him crucial to the development of Glass' sound. Glass stated, "To put it bluntly, the music wouldn’t have happened without that.” [4] Gibson performed in the premieres of In C by Terry Riley and Drumming by Steve Reich , as well as Reich's 1967 composition Reed Phase , which Reich wrote especially for him. [2] [3] For a time in the 1960s, alongside Philip Glass & Steve Reich, Gibson performed the music of Moondog during weekly sessions with the composer, recordings of which were made by Reich. [5] He was briefly a member of the Theatre of Eternal Music with La Monte Young , and in the 1970s Gibson studied with Pandit Pran Nath . [6]
He also performed and recorded with other composers, some of them minimalists , as well as composing for choreographers, including Christian Wolff , David Behrman , Harold Budd , Alvin Curran , Arthur Russell , Annea Lockwood , Robert Ashley , Lucinda Childs , Robert Wilson and Frederic Rzewski . [2] [3]
In 1973, Gibson's debut solo recording Visitations was released on the Chatham Square label, run by Philip Glass . [7] [8] Visitations is a departure from the structured repetitions of his minimalist contemporaries, instead using field recordings, ambient flutes, synthesizers and free-flowing percussive textures. In 1977, Two Solo Pieces was also released on the Chatham Square imprint, consisting of the droning organ composition Cycles and Untitled, a piece for solo alto flute . [8]
Gibson was also an accomplished visual artist. [9] Throughout his career, he created numerous graphic text based works laden with musical information. [10] He also created the cover artwork for albums such as Two Solo Pieces and Criss X Cross . [8] [9] In 2017, Gibson performed at Moogfest . [11] [12] [13]
Gibson died on October 11, 2020 from complications of a brain tumor. [3] [4] [14]
Discography
- Visitations (1973) (Chatham Square) [8]
- Two Solo Pieces (1977) (Chatham Square) [8]
- In Good Company (1992) ( Point Music ) [9]
- Criss X Cross (2006) ( Tzadik Records ) [8]
- The Dance (2013) (Orange Mountain Music) [8]
- Relative Calm (2016) ( New World Records ) [8]
- Violet Fire: An Opera About Nikola Tesla (2019) (Orange Mountain Music)
- Songs & Melodies: 1973-1977 (2020) (Superior Viaduct)
References
- ↑ Powell, Britton (July 20, 2016). "Jon Gibson" . BOMB Magazine . Archived from the original on September 21, 2018 . Retrieved August 10, 2018 .
- 1 2 3 Strickland, Edward (January 20, 2001). Sadie, Stanley ; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London : Macmillan Publishers . Gibson, Jon (Charles). doi : 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.42724 . ISBN 9780333608005 . OCLC 222818097 .
- 1 2 3 4 Hussey, Allison (October 13, 2020). "Jon Gibson, Minimalist Composer, Dead at 80" . Pitchfork . Archived from the original on October 16, 2020 . Retrieved October 14, 2020 .
- 1 2 Smith, Steve (October 19, 2020). "Jon Gibson, Minimalist Saxophonist and Composer, Dies at 80" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Archived from the original on October 19, 2020 . Retrieved August 21, 2022 .
- ↑ Scotto, Robert M.; Moondog; Reich, Steve; Glass, Philip; Gibson, Jon (2007). Moondog, the Viking of 6th Avenue: The authorized biography . Los Angeles : Process. Preface. ISBN 978-0-9760822-8-6 . OCLC 154705304 .
- ↑ Young, La Monte; Zazeela, Marian; Choi, Jung Hee; Budhkar, Naren (2017). "The Just Alap Raga Ensemble: Marian Zazeela 78th Birthday Tribute Celebration" . Mela Foundation . New York City . pp. 12, 15. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021 . Retrieved October 14, 2020 .
- ↑ "Jon Gibson Discography" . Discogs . Archived from the original on February 13, 2016 . Retrieved December 25, 2016 .
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Jon Gibson Albums and Discography" . AllMusic . 2020. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020 . Retrieved October 14, 2020 .
- 1 2 3 "Jon Gibson In Good Company" . Reviews. Gramophone . June 1993. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020 . Retrieved October 14, 2020 .
- ↑ Powell 2016 .
- ↑ "Moogfest expands 2017 lineup (Flying Lotus, Animal Collective, Gotye, more)" . BrooklynVegan . March 7, 2017. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020 . Retrieved August 21, 2022 .
- ↑ "May 18, 2017: Moogfest 2017 at Durham, North Carolina, United States" . Concert Archives . Archived from the original on March 9, 2022 . Retrieved August 21, 2022 .
- ↑ Lewin, Elisabeth McLaury (March 7, 2017). "Moogfest Unveils Performer Lineup, Program Highlights" . Synthtopia . Archived from the original on March 8, 2017 . Retrieved August 21, 2022 .
- ↑ Hughes, Josiah (October 13, 2020). "R.I.P. Minimalist Composer Jon Gibson" . Exclaim! . Archived from the original on October 14, 2020 . Retrieved October 13, 2020 .
External links
- Jon Gibson at AllMusic
- Jon Gibson (artwork) superiorviaduct.com
- Jon Gibson discography at Discogs
- Bill Pearis: Jon Gibson (Philip Glass Ensemble & more), RIP brooklynvegan.com; October 13, 2020
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