Jacques Coursil (1938-2020)

[clifford_thornton]

According to his friend, writer Adam Shatz, the French-Martiniquan trumpeter and linguistics professor/theorist Jacques Coursil has passed at 82. 

He recorded as a leader for BYG and as a sideman with Frank Wright, Burton Greene, and Sunny Murray (along with unissued music with Marion Brown for ESP). He also studied with Bill Dixon. In 2005, he returned to recording with a CD for Tzadik and released several albums in succession.

I always appreciated his sound and approach, and he seemed like a really interesting person though I never got the chance to meet or correspond with him. RIP.

Edited June 26, 2020 by clifford_thornton

[brownie]

Very sad news.Jacques Coursil died last night in Belgium. 

Outstanding musician and thinker.  He recorded recently for thé Rogue Art label the album Free jazz art with Alan Silva (Sessions for Bill Dixon).

[mjazzg]

Damn, another important voice quitens. I love the BYG leader dates and his other appearances on that label. Of the more recent recordings the Tzadik I have is really strong and 'Trail Of Tears' is a powerful statement, musically and otherwise.

I didn't know about the Rogue Art, not sure how I missed that as I'm on their mailing list

[clifford_thornton]

https://next.liberation.fr/musique/2020/06/26/mort-de-jacques-coursil-jazzman-genial-et-figure-meconnue-de-la-modernite-noire_1792481

21 minutes ago, mjazzg said:

Damn, another important voice quitens. I love the BYG leader dates and his other appearances on that label. Of the more recent recordings the Tzadik I have is really strong and 'Trail Of Tears' is a powerful statement, musically and otherwise.

I didn't know about the Rogue Art, not sure how I missed that as I'm on their mailing list

The Rogue Art is awesome, definitely recommended.

[bertrand]

I was lucky to hear and meet Jacques last November in Baltimore. He was in town for a conference called Paris/Algiers at Hopkins. The first day focused on the BYG days. Shepp, Moncur, Burrell, Cyrille and David Murray were also there. Burrell, Coursil and Murray also did solo sets at An Die Musik each night. Coursil did a short set. A bit of poetry, a bit of trumpet.

The second night was historical. Archie and Grachan joined the two Davids for a 20-minute jam. Jacques did not join them. Archie was on fire!

[Д.Д.]

An outstanding player. Great technique, beautiful sound, good ear for melody. Loved his early ESP / BYG work, some of the best and original trumpet playing in the "freer" idiom. It was great to see him reemerge in the XXI century, "Minimal Brass" (Tzadik, 2005) is a beautiful, innovative work. Still need to get that Rogue Art release with Silva - will actually go ahead and order it right now.    

[bertrand]

What is the ESP one?

[OliverM]

This is sad and unexpected (didn't know he was sick). He also looked younger than his age. Saw him twice in recent years in solo configuration. A fascinating player and a unique path.

[clifford_thornton]

On 6/27/2020 at 0:43 AM, bertrand said:

What is the ESP one?

sideman on Sunny Murray Quintet and Frank Wright "Your Prayer" as well as an unissued quartet date with Marion Brown, Reggie Johnson (apparently), and Rashied Ali.

[bertrand]

Oh right, I have the Murray.

Which of the recent ones should I start with?

[Д.Д.]

Coursil's BYG albums became available on Spotify:

'Way Ahead': https://open.spotify.com/album/0jB4eK43gKgPwniQVpnYLU  

'Black Suite': https://open.spotify.com/album/44TmvJt3XiweZZ4YXtoc3D 

[romualdo]

The Jason Weiss text "Always In Trouble - An Oral History of ESP-Disk" has a chapter dedicated to Jacques - mostly an interesting interview with him

[clifford_thornton]

On 6/28/2020 at 4:51 PM, bertrand said:

Oh right, I have the Murray.

Which of the recent ones should I start with?

the duo with Silva is my favorite of the newer releases. A solo trumpet/text piece is coming out on LP in France, will keep folks apprised of that one. It's beautiful.

[mjazzg]

Tease 

[clifford_thornton]

I have nothing to do with it, haha -- just heard it. I'll post something when distribution is secured.

[mjazzg]

This is on Discogs with a 2020 date and no copies for sale yet.

"The HOSTIPITALITY SUITE developed from a sonic live deliberation during SAVVY Contemporary’s 2018 project WHOSE LAND HAVE I LIT ON NOW? Contemplations on the Notions of Hospitality. In our effort to reflect on the complex entanglements between hostility and hospitality, Jacques Coursil together with Marque GIlmore proposed a phonic scope and a sonic scape. Choosing the path of music, and jazz for that matter, seemed to be a possibility of negotiating those spaces between guest, host and ghost. An extended conversation developed and found its way on this record."

[Д.Д.]

5 hours ago, mjazzg said:

This is on Discogs with a 2020 date and no copies for sale yet.

"The HOSTIPITALITY SUITE developed from a sonic live deliberation during SAVVY Contemporary’s 2018 project WHOSE LAND HAVE I LIT ON NOW? Contemplations on the Notions of Hospitality. In our effort to reflect on the complex entanglements between hostility and hospitality, Jacques Coursil together with Marque GIlmore proposed a phonic scope and a sonic scape. Choosing the path of music, and jazz for that matter, seemed to be a possibility of negotiating those spaces between guest, host and ghost. An extended conversation developed and found its way on this record."

It's apparently available from the label directly: https://www.savvy-contemporary.com/en/pillars/savvy-records/jacques-coursil/ 

Edited September 14, 2020 by Д.Д.

[Д.Д.]

9 hours ago, romualdo said:

The Jason Weiss text "Always In Trouble - An Oral History of ESP-Disk" has a chapter dedicated to Jacques - mostly an interesting interview with him

I guess this is it: https://bombmagazine.org/articles/jacques-coursil/ 

[mjazzg]

9 hours ago, Д.Д. said:

It's apparently available from the label directly: https://www.savvy-contemporary.com/en/pillars/savvy-records/jacques-coursil/ 

Thanks for the link. I shall be placing an order for this.

[romualdo]

12 hours ago, Д.Д. said:

I guess this is it: https://bombmagazine.org/articles/jacques-coursil/ 

Yep!!

[clifford_thornton]

6 hours ago, mjazzg said:

Thanks for the link. I shall be placing an order for this.

That's it. Glad to know they are selling copies!

[mjazzg]

5 minutes ago, clifford_thornton said:

That's it. Glad to know they are selling copies!

No reply to my email so far...

[mjazzg]

 

Performance here

[mjazzg]

On 15/09/2020 at 3:14 PM, clifford_thornton said:

That's it. Glad to know they are selling copies!

Order placed. Thanks for highlighting it's existence.

The LP is evidently not taken from the performance below but unclear if it's from another performance or from a studio. I'm sure LP sleeve will reveal all on arrival.

 

[umum_cypher]

I was at the Baltimore event in November that Betrand attended. JC's set was magical. He had a projection behind him - it may have been history's first good PowerPoint presentation - that alternated rather beautiful textural images and fragments of Edouard Glissant's poems. Coursil declaimed these with drama and not a bit of wryness. In between those texts, he paced around the stage, muttering flugelhorn lines. It was about 25 minutes, I guess, and it was gripping. So glad to have caught him.