John Gilmore

In memoriam....

Here’s a fun, short video of John Gilmore talking about Sun Ra:

Here is the song he was talking about, Saturn from Jazz In Silhouette, recorded in Chicago on March 6, 1959 and released that same year on Sun Ra’s Saturn label:

Sun Ra doesn’t allow us to say that we were born. He says we arrived on the planet. I arrived on this plant in Summit, Mississippi, but my family moved to Chicago when I was three years old.

- John Gilmore

This week, on that Big River called Jazz, our journey remembers Sun Ra’s great tenorman, John Gilmore. Sorry Roy Ayers - I know you were in the on-deck circle. However, we must pay homage to John Gilmore today, the day he left the planet 27 years ago - lord, has it been that long….

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To honor John Gilmore, we dig our paddles in for a seven-song journey in chronological order from 1958, the first time he went beyond Bebop, to 1964, his last solo before leaving Sun Ra for a short tour with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.

John Gilmore joined Sun Ra in 1953. To read more about Sun Ra, go here (Part 3 of a three part series on Sun Ra):

Sun Ra Part 3

1.) I’d like to start with his first “beyond Bebop” solo on Sun Ra’s Plutonian Nights from the Nubians of Plutonia album, recorded in Chicago in 1958 or 1959:

2.) Here Gilmore plays on Rocket Number Nine from Sun Ra’s Interstellar Low Ways, recorded in Chicago in 1960. He takes off at the 1:45 min. mark. You can begin to see his inventiveness and confidence really grow:

3.) On Sun Ra’s first record after leaving Chicago for New York, here is Gilmore on Jet Flight from The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra, recorded in 1961. Clearly, he is now in full flight. It was around this time that John Coltrane started listening to and taking note of John Gilmore, leading to Coltrane’s “Chasin’ the Trane” sound:

4.) Here’s the incredibly beautiful Search Light Blues, Gilmore’s own favorite solo on record from Sun Ra’s 1961 Bad and Beautiful:

By this time, John Gilmore had reached full maturity as a tenor player, but his style continued to develop throughout the 1960s.

5.) From Sun Ra’s When Sun Comes Out, recorded in late 1962 or early 1963, here is Gilmore on Rainmaker. He’s starting to reach for outer space and rain down sounds on this one:

6.) From Sun Ra’s When Angels Speak of Love, recorded in 1963, here is Gilmore playing The Idea Of It All:

By this time, you can hear how Sun Ra and his Arkestra are moving into the avant-garde direction that was becoming more popular in New York City at the time.

7.) Finally, from Sun Ra’s 1964 Other Planes of There, here is a blistering Gilmore solo on Sketch. His final note on this track is one of my all time favorites:

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From August 1964 until the end of march 1965, Gilmore toured with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. This was remarkably the only time in his entire career that he left the Arkestra. Here he is playing with Art Blakey and trumpeter Lee Morgan from that tour:

Here’s one more for the road. From Sun Ra’s 1979 classic Sleeping Beauty, here is the title song and probably my favorite Gilmore solo:

John Gilmore’s ideas never faltered, but after 1982 his playing began to be affected more and more by his physical condition. The picture below is how I will always remember seeing John Gilmore.

From the first time I saw John Gilmore play with Sun Ra’s Arkestra, I was completely awed by his playing and overall presence on the bandstand - a true giant. He will always be in my heart, and I can honestly say that I am still saddened by his passing, 27 years ago today.

Next week on that Big River called Jazz, we’ll dig our paddles in the waters to explore the great vibist Roy Ayers.

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Feel free to contact me at any time to talk shop. I welcome and encourage that.

Until then, keep on walking….