Ed Summerlin
Encyclopedia
Edgar Eugene Summerlin was an American composer, jazz saxophonist, and music educator, known for pioneering liturgical jazz, avant-garde jazz
, and free jazz
.
College of Music, Summerlin, in 1959, composed Requiem for Mary Jo, which is widely believed to be one of the first significant uses of jazz in a liturgical service. He and his wife, Mary Elizabeth (nee Bouknight), had a daughter, Mary Jo (b. April 2, 1958, Denton), who died of heart disease at age nine months on January 27, 1959, in Denton.
He performed Requiem for Mary Jo May 20, 1959, during a service in the chapel at the Perkins School of Theology
, Southern Methodist University
. Bill Slack, Jr., Assistant Pastor of the First Methodist Church of Denton, who had visited the Summerlins while Mary Jo was near death in the hospital, had encouraged Summerlin to compose Requiem. Dr. Roger Ellwood Ortmayer (1916–1984), then of the Perkins School, commissioned the work.
That same year, still studying and teaching at North Texas, Summerlin recorded his debut LP, Liturgical Jazz, on which "Requiem for Mary Jo," was the heartbreaking centerpiece.
Saturday night, February 13, 1960, NBC's World Wide 60 (hosted by Chet Huntley
) visited Denton to air the story of Ed Summerlin's liturgical jazz (national broadcast, NBC, Friday, February 19, 1960).
Summerlin's grieving and spiritual creativity inspired him to compose other liturgical jazz pieces, including
Summerlin later emerged as an avant-garde tenor saxophonist.
, Pete LaRoca, Don Ellis
, and Sheila Jordan
. He also composed and arranged for Ron Carter
, Kuhn, Freddie Hubbard
, Dave Liebman
, Toshiko Akiyoshi
, and Lee Konitz
. In 1969 collaborated with saxophonist and journalist Don Heckman to co-lead the Improvisational Jazz Workshop.
Summerlin also composed and/or arranged for Carter, Kuhn, Freddie Hubbard, Dave Leibman, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lee Konitz. As a tenor saxophonist his style was eclectic, reaching from jaunty, straight-ahead playing to horn-scouring avant-garde sounds.
Avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which ...
, and 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...
.
Professional career
While a graduate student at the University of North TexasUniversity of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
College of Music, Summerlin, in 1959, composed Requiem for Mary Jo, which is widely believed to be one of the first significant uses of jazz in a liturgical service. He and his wife, Mary Elizabeth (nee Bouknight), had a daughter, Mary Jo (b. April 2, 1958, Denton), who died of heart disease at age nine months on January 27, 1959, in Denton.
He performed Requiem for Mary Jo May 20, 1959, during a service in the chapel at the Perkins School of Theology
Perkins School of Theology
Perkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J...
, Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
. Bill Slack, Jr., Assistant Pastor of the First Methodist Church of Denton, who had visited the Summerlins while Mary Jo was near death in the hospital, had encouraged Summerlin to compose Requiem. Dr. Roger Ellwood Ortmayer (1916–1984), then of the Perkins School, commissioned the work.
That same year, still studying and teaching at North Texas, Summerlin recorded his debut LP, Liturgical Jazz, on which "Requiem for Mary Jo," was the heartbreaking centerpiece.
Saturday night, February 13, 1960, NBC's World Wide 60 (hosted by Chet Huntley
Chet Huntley
Chester Robert "Chet" Huntley was an American television newscaster, best known for co-anchoring NBC's evening news program, The Huntley-Brinkley Report, for 14 years beginning in 1956.-Early life:...
) visited Denton to air the story of Ed Summerlin's liturgical jazz (national broadcast, NBC, Friday, February 19, 1960).
Summerlin's grieving and spiritual creativity inspired him to compose other liturgical jazz pieces, including
- Episcopal Evensong
- Jazz Vespers Service
- Liturgy of the Holy Spirit, Summerlin Music Co. (1965), piano-vocal score, 13 pgs
Summerlin later emerged as an avant-garde tenor saxophonist.
Education
- 1951 – Bachelor of Music in Education, with a Major in Music, Central Missouri State University
- 1952 – Master of Music from the Eastman School of MusicEastman School of MusicThe Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
and later studied composition under Gunther SchullerGunther SchullerGunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
and Hall OvertonHall OvertonHall Franklin Overton was an American composer, jazz pianist, and music teacher. He was born in Bangor, Michigan...
.
- 1958 – After learning about the University of North TexasUniversity of North TexasThe University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
College of Music while performing with the Johnny Long BandJohnny Long (musician)Johnny Long was an American violinist and bandleader, known as "The Man Who's Long on Music". He was raised on a farm in Newell, North Carolina, currently a subdivision of Charlotte. He started practicing with the violin at the age of six, but injured two fingers on his left hand when he was...
, Summerlin enrolled as a graduate student and became a member of Lab BandOne O'Clock Lab BandThe One O’Clock Lab Band for years has been the premier ensemble of the Jazz Studies Division at the University of North Texas College of Music in Denton. The band has performed and toured abroad in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway,...
and also assisted Gene HallGene HallMorris Eugene Hall was a music educator, saxophonist, and arranger, most known for creating and presiding over the first academic curriculum leading to a bachelors degree in jazz at an institution of higher learning, being at the University of North Texas College of Music Morris Eugene Hall (aka...
in teaching jazz composition, theoryMusic theoryMusic theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
, and saxophoneSaxophoneThe 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...
.
New York
Summerlin relocated to New York in the early 1960s, where he freelanced with Eric DolphyEric Dolphy
Eric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions he also played the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s...
, Pete LaRoca, Don Ellis
Don Ellis
Don Ellis was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of unusual time signatures...
, and Sheila Jordan
Sheila Jordan
Sheila Jordan is an American jazz singer and songwriter. Jordan has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to a notable solo career....
. He also composed and arranged for Ron Carter
Ron Carter
Ron Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
, Kuhn, Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
, Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman is an American saxophonist and flautist. In June 2010, he received a NEA Jazz Masters lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.-Biography:...
, Toshiko Akiyoshi
Toshiko Akiyoshi
is a Japanese American jazz pianist, composer/arranger and bandleader. Among a very few successful female instrumentalists of her generation in jazz, she is also recognized as a major figure in jazz composition. She has received 14 Grammy nominations, and she was the first woman to win the Best...
, and Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
. In 1969 collaborated with saxophonist and journalist Don Heckman to co-lead the Improvisational Jazz Workshop.
Summerlin also composed and/or arranged for Carter, Kuhn, Freddie Hubbard, Dave Leibman, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lee Konitz. As a tenor saxophonist his style was eclectic, reaching from jaunty, straight-ahead playing to horn-scouring avant-garde sounds.
- 1971 to 1989 — Summerlin founded and directed the jazz program at City College of New YorkCity College of New YorkThe City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
.
- Oct 10, 2006 — Summerlin died in Rhinebeck, NY after a long battle with cancer.
Family
- Former wife (married Oct 15, 1949 or Aug 27, 1948) — Summerlin married Virginia Lee Allen, in Lexington, MO.
- Former wife, Mary Elizabeth (nee, Bouknight) Hyde Park, NY
- Surviving wife, Karen Jones Summerlin
-
- son — Jeff Summerlin, West Taghkanic, NYTaghkanicTaghkanic, a Native American word for "forest wilderness", can refer to:* Taghkanic Creek, a stream running through Columbia County, New York* Taghkanic, New York, a township in Columbia County, New York...
- son — Sean Wright, De Soto, KS
- son — Jeff Summerlin, West Taghkanic, NY
Selected discography
- Ring Out Joy (Avant-Garde Records) (1968)
- Liturgical Jazz (Ecclesia Records) (1959)
- The Improvisational Jazz Workshop (ICTUS RecordsICTUS RecordsICTUS Records is an independent record label for avant-garde jazz artists. Andrea Centazzo and Carla Lugli founded it in 1976. Centazzo is an eclectic drummer, percussionist, pioneer electronicist and composer. Due to financial problems, ICTUS collapsed in 1984...
) - Sum of the Parts (ICTUS RecordsICTUS RecordsICTUS Records is an independent record label for avant-garde jazz artists. Andrea Centazzo and Carla Lugli founded it in 1976. Centazzo is an eclectic drummer, percussionist, pioneer electronicist and composer. Due to financial problems, ICTUS collapsed in 1984...
) - Eye on the Future (ICTUS RecordsICTUS RecordsICTUS Records is an independent record label for avant-garde jazz artists. Andrea Centazzo and Carla Lugli founded it in 1976. Centazzo is an eclectic drummer, percussionist, pioneer electronicist and composer. Due to financial problems, ICTUS collapsed in 1984...
)
See also
- One O'Clock Lab Band, Notable Alumni