Stafford James
Encyclopedia
Biography
As a young man, Stafford James enlisted in the Air Force; after his discharge he studied at the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
with Rudolf Fahsbender. In 1969 he moved to New York City
New 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...
and studied under Julius Levine at the Mannes College for Music. Here he met Pharaoh Sanders, with whom he played his first jazz concerts in New York. James played with Monty Alexander
Monty Alexander
Monty Alexander is a jazz pianist and melodica player. His playing has a strong Caribbean influence and swinging feeling, but he has also been influenced by Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, and Ahmad Jamal.-Biography:Alexander discovered the piano at the age of 4, taking classical music...
and 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...
at the end of the 1960s as well. Soon after he worked with Alice Coltrane
Alice Coltrane
Alice Coltrane, née McLeod was an American jazz pianist, organist, harpist, and composer.-Biography:...
and Albert Ayler
Albert Ayler
Albert Ayler was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer.Ayler was among the most primal of the free jazz musicians of the 1960s; critic John Litweiler wrote that "never before or since has there been such naked aggression in jazz" He possessed a deep blistering tone—achieved...
. He did the first road tour of the Broadway show "Hair" and toured Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with them in 1970. In 1971 he met Melba Moore
Melba Moore
Beatrice Melba Smith , known by her stage name, Melba Moore is an American disco, R&B singer and actress. She is the daughter of saxophonist Teddy Hill and R&B singer Bonnie Davis.-Early life:...
, and played with her as part of the David Frost Revue. Other performances in the early 1970s included gigs with Rashied Ali
Rashied Ali
Rashied Ali, born Robert Patterson was an American free jazz and avant-garde jazz drummer best known for playing with John Coltrane in the last years of Coltrane's life.-Biography:...
, Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk .- Biography :Ayers...
, Al Haig
Al Haig
Alan Warren Haig was an American jazz pianist, best known as one of the pioneers of bebop.Haig was born in Newark, New Jersey...
, Barry Harris
Barry Harris
Barry Doyle Harris is an American bebop jazz pianist and educator.-Biography:Harris left Detroit for New York City in 1960...
, Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill was an American jazz pianist and composer.Hill is recognized as one of the most important innovators of jazz piano in the 1960s...
, Andrew Cyrille
Andrew Cyrille
Andrew 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...
, and Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton , is an American jazz drummer and bandleader.-Early life through 1960s:Hamilton was born in Los Angeles, California. He had a fast-track musical education in a band with Charles Mingus, Illinois Jacquet, Ernie Royal, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Collette and Jack Kelso...
.
In 1973 he toured Europe for the first time with Gary Bartz
Gary Bartz
Gary Bartz is an American alto and soprano saxophonist and clarinetist.Bartz graduated from the Baltimore City College high school and The Juilliard School...
. In 1974, he was a member of Art Blakey
Art Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
's Jazz Messengers. At the same time he met Betty Carter
Betty Carter
Betty Carter was an American jazz singer renowned for her improvisational technique and idiosyncratic vocal style...
, sparking a lifelong friendship, and Woody Shaw
Woody Shaw
Woody Shaw was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer and band leader, often referred to as the "last innovator" in the jazz trumpet lineage...
. During this period, he started teaching at the United Nations International School in NYC. His first album as a leader in 1975 on the Horo label featured Enrico Rava, Dave Burrell and Beaver Harris. In 1976 he founded a quintet, featuring bass, cello, saxophones, drums and percussion which also toured Europe. He met Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
there while touring with Al Cohn and recorded Homecoming with him upon his return to the United States. He then toured Europe with John Scofield
John Scofield
John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
and performed on his album Rough House
Rough House (John Scofield album)
-Personnel:*John Scofield - guitar*Hal Galper - piano*Stafford James - bass*Adam Nussbaum - drums...
. After this he recorded his second album as a bandleader, The Stafford James Ensemble in 1978 featuring Frank Strozier, Harold Mabern and Louis Hayes.
In the early 1980s James toured Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. In 1983 he began collaborating with Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath
James Edward Heath , nicknamed Little Bird, is an American jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger. He is the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath.-Biography:...
, and did more work with Woody Shaw, including a world tour with the United States Information Service. In 1986, he composed an Ethiopian Suite for two basses, string ensemble, drums and dancers for the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival Dance. That same year, he arranged compositions by Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
for an ensemble consisting of himself, pianist Mulgrew Miller
Mulgrew Miller
Mulgrew Miller is an American jazz pianist who performs in a number of jazz idioms. He began his career as member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.-Biography:...
and cellist Akua Dixon. In 1987 he composed Sonatina for viola d'amore
Viola d'amore
The viola d'amore is a 7- or 6-stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin.- Structure and sound :...
and double bass, premiered at Bates Recital Hall at the University of Texas, Austin and at the European Music Festival in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
in 1988.
In 1989 James moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, collaborating with Pharaoh Sanders, Barney Wilen
Barney Wilen
Barney Wilen was a French tenor and soprano saxophonist and jazz composer.Wilen was born in Nice; his father was an American dentist turned inventor, and his mother was French. He began performing in clubs in Nice after being encouraged by Blaise Cendrars who was a friend of his mother...
and Lavelle
Lavelle
Lavelle may refer to:* Lavelle, an Irish surname Lavelle may refer to:* Lavelle, an Irish surname Lavelle may refer to:* Lavelle, an Irish surname (see Irish name.* Brian Lavelle (b. 1972), Scottish sound artist* Caroline Lavelle (b. 1969), British singer-songwriter and cellist* Gary Lavelle (b....
, afterwhich he formed the Stafford James Project. Then studies with Ludwig Streicher
Ludwig Streicher
Ludwig Streicher was a contrabassist from Vienna, Austria. Familiar to many as the former principal bass of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and leading bass soloist, he is also known as a self-taught instructor and as the author of a popular contrabass textbook.-Career:Entering the Vienna Music...
in Vienna. In 1991 he played Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's The Firebird
The Firebird
The Firebird is a 1910 ballet created by the composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor....
on tour with the Ukrainian National Orchestra of LVOV. In 1994 he played in his trio with pianist Onaje Allen Gumbs and drummer Ronnie Burrage
Ronnie Burrage
Ronnie Burrage is an American jazz drummer. His style draws elements from hard bop, bebop, funk, and soul....
. He then composed Les Alpes aux Carpates for solo bass, two pan flutes, string orchestra, women's choir, synthesizers and drums in 1995.
In 1998 he toured Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria, and Italy in a quartet with Buster Williams
Buster Williams
Charles Anthony Williams is an American jazz bassist.-Biography:Williams has gained prestige among jazz musicians as a solid supportive player. Since the early 1960s, he has made subtle swing, a precise rhythm and superb technique the landmark of his playing...
, Miquel Diaz (later Don Alias
Don Alias
Charles 'Don' Alias was an American jazz percussionist.Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums...
), and Ronnie Burrage
Ronnie Burrage
Ronnie Burrage is an American jazz drummer. His style draws elements from hard bop, bebop, funk, and soul....
(later Jeff Boudreaux). In that same year he won the Civitella Ranieri Fellowship to compose new music for contrabass soloist and orchestra. In 1999 he was invited to Uzbekistan.
In 2001 he recorded his third cd "Le Gecko", in co-production with the WestDeutschlandRundfunk (WDR) radio of Cologne, Germany. The cd also features Don Alias
Don Alias
Charles 'Don' Alias was an American jazz percussionist.Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums...
and Gene Jackson. During this period there were also recordings with Radio France
Radio France
Radio France is a French public service radio broadcaster.-Mission:Radio France's two principal missions are:* To create and expand the programming on all of their stations; and...
and NPS radio of the Netherlands.
In 2005 he re-formed his seven piece string ensemble consisting of solo bass, rhythmic bass, string quartet and drums with tours in Austria, Germany and France. He also did corporate conferences on the "History of Jazz 1889 to the Present" i.e.; GTM-Bâtiment, Vinci, GTPR and Chateau de Ermenonville for the French Minister of Finance and Taxation. Also in 2005, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
included his compositions into the Regenstein Research Library.
In 2008, his new recording "The Stafford James String Ensemble" will be released on the (Staja Music) label featureing: Ralph Morrison, Sara Parkins, Jennie Hansen, Wolf Sebastian and Douglas Sides.
In 2009, masterclasses at the University of Graz
University of Graz
The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....
, Austria, Brückner Universitaet, Linz, Austria, Roosevelt University, Chicago and tours with members of the Brückner Orchestra of Linz, Austria and concerts in the United States.
In 2010, the Chicago based WFMT Radio Network,which is the official radio station of both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, did a two hour program on his life and compositions entitled "Composing for the Contrabass" that was heard worldwide.
In 2011, Stafford is Founder and President of Top Hat Music Society, Inc.. A dinner/concert music series including Jazz, Classical, Operetta and Cabaret with international artists.
Also in 2011,Stafford's composition "That's what dreams are made of" is utilized in the French film "Le Grand Restaurant" by Pierre Palmade
Pierre Palmade
Pierre Palmade is a French actor and comedian.-Biography:He has done dubbing for the films, Pédale douce and Pédale dure...
, starring Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu is a French actor and filmmaker. He is a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite and has twice won the César Award for Best Actor...
, Gérard Jugnot
Gérard Jugnot
Gérard Jugnot is a French actor, film director, screenwriter and producer.Jugnot was one of the founders of the comedy troupe Le Splendid in the 1970s, along with, among others, his high-school friends Christian Clavier, Thierry Lhermitte, and Michel Blanc...
,
Thierry L Hermitte, Chantal Lauby, Gérard Damon, Nathalie Baye
Nathalie Baye
Nathalie Marie Andrée Baye is a French film, television, and stage actress. After having dance and dramatic education, Baye began acting in 1970. She has appeared in more than 70 films. She won four César Awards for Sauve qui peut , Une étrange affaire , La Balance , and Le Petit Lieutenant...
, Pierre Cassignard, Marie Bourlet, Alex Lutz, Maxime Godart
Maxime Godart
Maxime Godart is a French actor.-As actor:* 2009: Le Petit Nicolas - Nicolas * 2009: Les Meilleurs Amis du monde - Bruce-External links:* at l'Internet Movie Database...
, Virginie Hocq, Anne Elizabeth Blateau, plus a stellar cast of others and was aired on FRANCE 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
(FR2).
As leader
- 1975: Stafford James (Horo RecordsHoro Records-HDP series:*HDP 1-2 Irio De Paula orchestra Casinha Branca*HDP 3-4 Sam Rivers trio Black Africa 1*HDP 5-6 Sam Rivers trio Black Africa 2*HDP 7-8 Ran Blake solo piano Open City*HDP 9-10 Max Roach quartet The Loadstar*HDP 11-12 Michael Smith duo Elvira Madigan...
) recorded in Rome, Italy - 1978: Stafford James Ensemble (Red RecordsRed RecordsRed Records is an Italian jazz record label established in 1976.Artists who have recorded for the label include Joe Henderson, Bobby Watson, Billy Higgins, Roberto Gatto, Franco d'Andrea, Dave Liebman, Cedar Walton, Edward Simon, Stafford James, Ray Mantilla, Jim Snidero, Black Note, Julius...
) recorded in London, England - 1985-2001 Multiple studio recordings of his compositions for Strings including his arrangements on the musics of Rossini, Boccherini, Solér, Bach and Brahms.
- 2001: Le Gecko (Staja Music), recorded in Klaus von Bismark Saal of West Deutschland Rundfunk( WDR ), Cologne, Germany
- 2008: A Song for our Heroes, (Staja Music), The Stafford James String Ensemble, recorded in Zürich, Switzerland
As sideman
WIth Albert AylerAlbert Ayler
Albert Ayler was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer.Ayler was among the most primal of the free jazz musicians of the 1960s; critic John Litweiler wrote that "never before or since has there been such naked aggression in jazz" He possessed a deep blistering tone—achieved...
- The Last AlbumThe Last AlbumThe Last Album was the last studio album Albert Ayler released before his death in 1970. The album was released in 1969 on Impulse! Records. The album Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe was also recorded during the sessions for this album...
WIth Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
- HomecomingHomecomingHomecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...
WIth Woody Shaw
Woody Shaw
Woody Shaw was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer and band leader, often referred to as the "last innovator" in the jazz trumpet lineage...
- For Sure
- Lotus Flower
WIth Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath
James Edward Heath , nicknamed Little Bird, is an American jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger. He is the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath.-Biography:...
- Peer Pleasure
WIth Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders is a Grammy Award–winning American jazz saxophonist.Saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world." Emerging from John Coltrane's groups of the mid-60s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on...
- Welcome to Love
- Moon ChildMoon ChildMoon Child is a movie starring Gackt Camui, Hyde Takarai, and Leehom Wang.-Plot:In the year 2014, Japan suffers a major economic collapse and people are forced to emigrate to mainland China. Three orphaned boys live in a fictional Chinese city called Mallepa, a 'melting pot' of different Asian groups...
WIth Tyrone Washington
Tyrone Washington (musician)
Tyrone Washington is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.He is known best for his 1967 debut album for Blue Note Records.-As Leader:*1967: Natural Essence...
- Roots (1973)