Billy Bang
Encyclopedia
Billy Bang was an American
free jazz
violin
ist and composer
.
's Bronx neighborhood while he was still an infant, and as a child he attended a special school for musicians in nearby Harlem
. At that school, students were assigned instruments based on their physical size. Bang was fairly small, so he received a violin
instead of either of his first choices, the saxophone
or the drum
s. It was around this time that he acquired the nickname of "Billy Bang", derived from a popular cartoon character.
Bang studied the violin until he earned a hardship scholarship to a private high school in Stockbridge, Massachusetts
, at which point he abandoned the instrument because the school did not have a music program. He had difficulty adjusting to life at the school, where he encountered racism
and developed confusion about his identity, which he later blamed for his onset of schizophrenia
. Bang felt that he had little in common with the largely privileged children at the school, who included Jackie Robinson, Jr. (son of baseball star Jackie Robinson
) and Arlo Guthrie
, and he struggled to reconcile the disparity between the wealth of the school and the poverty of his home in New York. He left the school after two years and attended a school in the Bronx. He did not graduate, decided not to return to school after receiving his draft papers
, and at the age of 18, he was drafted into the United States Army
.
Bang spent six months in basic training
and another two weeks learning jungle warfare, arriving in Vietnam just in time for the Tet Offensive. Starting out as an infantry
man, he did one tour of combat duty, rising to the rank of sergeant before he mustered out.
After Bang returned from the war, his life lacked direction. The job he had held before the army had been filled in his absence. He pursued and then abandoned a law degree, before becoming politically active and falling in with an underground group of revolutionaries. The group recognized Bang's knowledge of weapons from his time in the Army, and they used him to procure firearms for the group during trips to Maryland
and Virginia
, buying from pawnshops and other small operators who did not conduct extensive background checks. During one of these trips, Bang spotted three violins hanging at the back of a pawnshop, and he impulsively purchased one.
He later joined Sun Ra
's band. In 1977, Bang co-founded the String Trio of New York
(with guitarist James Emery
and double bassist John Lindberg
). Billy Bang explored his experience in Vietnam in two albums: Vietnam: The Aftermath (2001) and Vietnam: Reflections (2005), recorded with a band which included several other veterans of that conflict. The latter album also features two Vietnamese musicians based in the United States (voice and đàn tranh zither).
Bang died on April 11, 2011. According to an associate, Bang had suffered from lung cancer
. He had been scheduled to perform on the opening day of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival on June 10, 2011.
With Kahil El'Zabar
With William Hooker
With John Lindberg
With William Parker
With World Saxophone Quartet
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Biography
Bang's family moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Bronx neighborhood while he was still an infant, and as a child he attended a special school for musicians in nearby Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. At that school, students were assigned instruments based on their physical size. Bang was fairly small, so he received a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
instead of either of his first choices, the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
or the drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s. It was around this time that he acquired the nickname of "Billy Bang", derived from a popular cartoon character.
Bang studied the violin until he earned a hardship scholarship to a private high school in Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
, at which point he abandoned the instrument because the school did not have a music program. He had difficulty adjusting to life at the school, where he encountered racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and developed confusion about his identity, which he later blamed for his onset of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. Bang felt that he had little in common with the largely privileged children at the school, who included Jackie Robinson, Jr. (son of baseball star Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
) and Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
, and he struggled to reconcile the disparity between the wealth of the school and the poverty of his home in New York. He left the school after two years and attended a school in the Bronx. He did not graduate, decided not to return to school after receiving his draft papers
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
, and at the age of 18, he was drafted into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
Bang spent six months in basic training
Basic Training
Basic Training may refer to:* Basic Training, a 1971 American documentary directed by Frederick Wiseman* Basic Training , an American sex comedy* Recruit training...
and another two weeks learning jungle warfare, arriving in Vietnam just in time for the Tet Offensive. Starting out as an infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
man, he did one tour of combat duty, rising to the rank of sergeant before he mustered out.
After Bang returned from the war, his life lacked direction. The job he had held before the army had been filled in his absence. He pursued and then abandoned a law degree, before becoming politically active and falling in with an underground group of revolutionaries. The group recognized Bang's knowledge of weapons from his time in the Army, and they used him to procure firearms for the group during trips to Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, buying from pawnshops and other small operators who did not conduct extensive background checks. During one of these trips, Bang spotted three violins hanging at the back of a pawnshop, and he impulsively purchased one.
He later joined Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
's band. In 1977, Bang co-founded the String Trio of New York
String Trio of New York
The String Trio of New York is an American jazz chamber ensemble.The group was founded in 1977 by bassist John Lindberg, violinist Billy Bang, and guitarist James Emery. Though they initially worked on improvisational playing and on their own compositions, they eventually began taking on...
(with guitarist James Emery
James Emery (musician)
James Emery is an American jazz guitarist. He grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio.Emery played in the 1970s with Leroy Jenkins, Bobby Naughton and Anthony Braxton. He has been a member of the String Trio of New York, which he founded along with Billy Bang and John Lindberg, since 1977, and also played...
and double bassist John Lindberg
John Lindberg
John Lindberg is an American jazz double-bassist.Lindberg studied at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and moved to New York City in 1977. There he played with the Human Arts Ensemble alongside Joseph Bowie and Bobo Shaw, and he was in ensembles with Anthony Braxton from 1978-1985...
). Billy Bang explored his experience in Vietnam in two albums: Vietnam: The Aftermath (2001) and Vietnam: Reflections (2005), recorded with a band which included several other veterans of that conflict. The latter album also features two Vietnamese musicians based in the United States (voice and đàn tranh zither).
Bang died on April 11, 2011. According to an associate, Bang had suffered from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. He had been scheduled to perform on the opening day of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival on June 10, 2011.
Discography
As leader
- 1979: Distinction without a Difference (hat Hut)
- 1979: Sweet Space (Anima)
- 1981: Rainbow GladiatorRainbow GladiatorRainbow Gladiator is an album by the American jazz violinist Billy Bang recorded in 1981 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.-Reception:...
(Soul Note) - 1982: Invitation (Soul Note)
- 1982: Bangception, Willisau 1982 (hatOLOGY)
- 1982: Live at Green Space (Anima)
- 1983: Outline No. 12 (Celluloid)
- 1984: The Fire from WithinThe Fire from WithinThe Fire from Within is an album by the American jazz violinist Billy Bang recorded in 1984 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.-Reception:...
(Soul Note) - 1986: Live at Carlos 1Live at Carlos 1Live at Carlos 1 is a live album by the American jazz violinist Billy Bang recorded in 1986 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.-Reception:...
(Soul Note) - 1991: Valve No. 10Valve No. 10Valve No. 10 is an album by the American jazz violinist Billy Bang recorded in 1988 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.-Reception:...
(Soul Note) - 1992: A Tribute to Stuff SmithA Tribute to Stuff SmithA Tribute to Stuff Smith is an album by the American jazz violinist Billy Bang recorded in 1992 featuring Sun Ra, John Ore and Andrew Cyrille and released on the Italian Soul Note label.-Reception:...
(with Sun RaSun RaSun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
, John OreJohn OreJohn Ore is an American jazz bassist.Ore attended the New School of Music in Philadelphia from 1943-46, studying cello, and followed this with studies on bass at Juilliard....
, Andrew CyrilleAndrew CyrilleAndrew Charles Cyrille is an avant-garde jazz drummer.Cyrille was born in Brooklyn, New York into a family with a mother from Haiti. He began studying science at St...
, Soul Note) - 1996: Spirits Gathering (CIMP)
- 1997: Bang On! (Justin Time)
- 1997: Commandment (No More)
- 1999: Big Bang Theory (Justin Time)
- 2001: Vietnam: The Aftermath (Justin Time)
- 2003: Hip Hop Bebop (ITM)
- 2004: Vietnam: Reflections (Justin Time)
- 2004: Configuration (with SironeSirone (musician)Norris Jones, better known as Sirone was an American jazz bassist and composer.-Biography:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Sirone worked in Atlanta late in the 1950s and early in the 1960s with "The Group" alongside George Adams; he also recorded with R&B musicians such as Sam Cooke and Smokey Robinson...
, Silkheart RecordsSilkheart Records- External links :* *...
) - 2007: Above and Beyond: An Evening in Grand Rapids (Justin Time)
As sideman
With the String Trio of New YorkString Trio of New York
The String Trio of New York is an American jazz chamber ensemble.The group was founded in 1977 by bassist John Lindberg, violinist Billy Bang, and guitarist James Emery. Though they initially worked on improvisational playing and on their own compositions, they eventually began taking on...
- First StringFirst StringFirst String is the debut album by American jazz group the String Trio of New York recorded in 1979 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:...
(Black Saint, 1979) - Area Code 212Area Code 212 (album)Area Code 212 is the second album by American jazz group the String Trio of New York recorded in 1980 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 4½ stars.-Track listing:# "Twixt C and D" - 6:58...
(Black Saint, 1980) - Common GoalCommon GoalCommon Goal is the third album by American jazz group the String Trio of New York recorded in 1981 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 4 stars.-Track listing:# "Multiple Reasons" - 7:06...
(Black Saint, 1983) - Rebirth of a FeelingRebirth of a FeelingRebirth of a Feling is the fourth album by American jazz group the String Trio of New York recorded in 1983 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Ron Wynn awarded the album 4½ stars stating "this was a unified effort...
(Black Saint, 1983) - Natural BalanceNatural Balance (album)Natural Balance is the fifth album by American jazz group the String Trio of New York recorded in 1986 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:...
(Black Saint, 1986)
With Kahil El'Zabar
Kahil El'Zabar
Kahil EL'Zabar is a jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer. He regularly records for Delmark Records. He joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in the early 1970s, and became its chairman in 1975...
- Big Cliff (Delmark, 1995)
- The Power (CIMP, 2000)
- Spirits Entering (Delmark, 2001)
- If You Believe... (8th Harmonic Breakdown, 2002)
- Live at the River East Art Center (Delmark, 2005)
With William Hooker
- Joy (Within)! (1995)
With John Lindberg
John Lindberg
John Lindberg is an American jazz double-bassist.Lindberg studied at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and moved to New York City in 1977. There he played with the Human Arts Ensemble alongside Joseph Bowie and Bobo Shaw, and he was in ensembles with Anthony Braxton from 1978-1985...
- Dimension 5Dimension 5 (album)Dimension 5 is an album by American jazz double-bassist John Lindberg recorded in 1981 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Eugene Chadbourne awarded the album 3 stars stating "Lindberg put together an ensemble for this project that's as sharp as his suit.....
(Black Saint, 1981)
With William Parker
William Parker (musician)
William Parker is an American free jazz double bassist, poet and composer.-Biography:Parker was not formally trained as a classical player, though he did study with Jimmy Garrison, Richard Davis, and Wilbur Ware and learned the tradition. Parker is one of few jazz bassists who regularly plays arco...
- Through Acceptance of the Mystery Peace (1979)
- Scrapbook (Thirsty EarThirsty EarThirsty Ear Recordings is an American independent record label. It was founded in the late 70s as a marketing company and expanded to issue its own records in 1990....
, 2003)
With World Saxophone Quartet
World Saxophone Quartet
The World Saxophone Quartet is a jazz ensemble founded in 1977, implementing elements of free funk and African jazz into their musical routines.-History:...
- ExperienceExperience (WSQ album)-Track listing:# "Freedom" - 7:14# "If 6 Was 9" - 5:20# "Hey Joe" - 7:10# "Machine Gun" - 8:02# "Little Wing" - 7:34# "Foxy Lady" - 5:29# "Hear My Train a Comin'" - 8:34# "The Wind Cries Mary"- 7:38-Personnel:...
(2004)
External links
- Billy Bang bio from Justin Time Records site
- Billy Bang Myspace page
- Billy Bang interview by Fred Jung
- Billy Bang discography
- New England Jazz History Database - WICN Jazz & Folk Worcester Radio Interview
- Pulse Magazine Berlin Interview 2009
- Audio Recordings of WCUW Jazz Festivals - Jazz History Database