Jamie Muir
Encyclopedia
Jamie Muir is a UK painter
and former percussionist, best known for his work in King Crimson
.
during the 1960s and began playing jazz on trombone before settling on percussion.
On moving to London, Muir worked with choreographer Lindsay Kemp
and was active in free improvisation
, recording and performing with Derek Bailey and Evan Parker
in the Music Improvisation Company from 1968–1971. Muir used various found object
s as part of his percussion repertoire. He spoke of "approach[ing] the rubbish with a total respect for its nature as rubbish" and that "The way to discover the undiscovered in performing terms is to immediately reject all situations as you identify them (the cloud of unknowing) – which is to give music a future".
During this period he also played in the band Boris with Don Weller
and Jimmy Roche (both later of jazz-rock band Major Surgery) and Assagai with Alan Gowen
and others.
Muir was a member of King Crimson
from mid-1972 to early 1973. With King Crimson, Muir occasionally played a standard drum kit
, but more often he contributed an assortment of unusual sounds from a wide variety of percussion instruments, including chime
s, bell
s, thumb piano
, mbira
s, a musical saw
, shakers, rattles, found object
s, and miscellaneous drum
s. Muir initially appeared on a single King Crimson album, 1973's Larks' Tongues In Aspic; several live recordings featuring Muir have since been released by DGM
records. King Crimson violinist/keyboardist David Cross
reports that "We all learned an incredible amount from Jamie. He really was a catalyst of this band in the beginning and he opened up new areas for Bill
[Bill Bruford, the group's "conventional" drummer] to look into as well as affecting the rest of us."
In 1972 Muir decided to pursue a monastic lifestyle, in accordance with the strict principles of Buddhism
. He left King Crimson abruptly in 1973 to live in a monastery
in Scotland
. He had just completed his contribution to Lark's Tongues, released subsequent to his departure. The British Press at the time attributed his decision as the result of "personal injury sustained onstage during performance", a phrase attributed to the band's management company, E'G.
In 1980, Muir returned to the London
music scene, recording with Evan Parker
and Derek Bailey. He was also on the soundtrack of the film Ghost Dance
, a collaboration with another Crimson alumnus, drummer Michael Giles
and David Cunningham recorded in 1983, and eventually released in 1996.
Muir has since withdrawn completely from the music business and now devotes his energies to painting.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and former percussionist, best known for his work in King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
.
Biography
Muir attended Edinburgh College of ArtEdinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art is an art school in Edinburgh, Scotland, providing tertiary education in art and design disciplines for over two thousand students....
during the 1960s and began playing jazz on trombone before settling on percussion.
On moving to London, Muir worked with choreographer Lindsay Kemp
Lindsay Kemp
Lindsay Kemp is a British dancer, actor, teacher, mime artist and choreographer.Born in South Shields on May 3, 1938, Kemp's father, a seaman, was lost at sea in 1940. According to Kemp, he danced from early childhood: "I'd dance on the kitchen table to entertain the neighbours. I mean, it was a...
and was active in free improvisation
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
, recording and performing with Derek Bailey and Evan Parker
Evan Parker
Evan Shaw Parker is a British free-improvising saxophone player from the European free jazz scene.Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free jazz and free improvisation, and has pioneered or substantially expanded...
in the Music Improvisation Company from 1968–1971. Muir used various found object
Found object
A found object, in an artistic sense, indicates the use of an object which has not been designed for an artistic purpose, but which exists for another purpose already. Found objects may exist either as utilitarian, manufactured items, or things which occur in nature...
s as part of his percussion repertoire. He spoke of "approach[ing] the rubbish with a total respect for its nature as rubbish" and that "The way to discover the undiscovered in performing terms is to immediately reject all situations as you identify them (the cloud of unknowing) – which is to give music a future".
During this period he also played in the band Boris with Don Weller
Don Weller (musician)
Don Weller , is a British jazz musician, tenor saxophonist and composer.-Career:...
and Jimmy Roche (both later of jazz-rock band Major Surgery) and Assagai with Alan Gowen
Alan Gowen
Alan Gowen was a fusion/progressive rock keyboardist, best known for his work in Gilgamesh and National Health.-History:...
and others.
Muir was a member of King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
from mid-1972 to early 1973. With King Crimson, Muir occasionally played a standard drum kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, but more often he contributed an assortment of unusual sounds from a wide variety of percussion instruments, including chime
Chime
-Musical instrument or tone:* Chime , an array of large bells, typically housed in a tower and played from a keyboard.** An instrument of this kind with 23 bells or more is known as a carillon...
s, bell
Bell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
s, thumb piano
Thumb piano
The thumb piano is an African musical instrument, a type of plucked idiophone common throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.-Description:Each note of a kalimba, mbira, etc. is a separate idiophone, and in orchestral terms, the instrument as a whole belongs in the bar percussion family...
, mbira
Mbira
In African music, the mbira is a musical instrument that consists of a wooden board to which staggered metal keys have been attached. It is often fitted into a resonator...
s, a musical saw
Musical saw
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
, shakers, rattles, found object
Found object
A found object, in an artistic sense, indicates the use of an object which has not been designed for an artistic purpose, but which exists for another purpose already. Found objects may exist either as utilitarian, manufactured items, or things which occur in nature...
s, and miscellaneous 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. Muir initially appeared on a single King Crimson album, 1973's Larks' Tongues In Aspic; several live recordings featuring Muir have since been released by DGM
Discipline Global Mobile
If you were looking for the Italian Prog-Power Metal band, see DGM .Discipline Global Mobile, alias DGM, is a small independent record label company started in 1992 by Robert Fripp of King Crimson. In addition to running a mail-order music shop, it has offered Crimson/Fripp and related live...
records. King Crimson violinist/keyboardist David Cross
David Cross (musician)
David Cross is an electric violinist born in Turnchapel near Plymouth, England, best known for playing with progressive rock band King Crimson during the 1970s...
reports that "We all learned an incredible amount from Jamie. He really was a catalyst of this band in the beginning and he opened up new areas for Bill
Bill Bruford
William Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
[Bill Bruford, the group's "conventional" drummer] to look into as well as affecting the rest of us."
In 1972 Muir decided to pursue a monastic lifestyle, in accordance with the strict principles of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. He left King Crimson abruptly in 1973 to live in a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He had just completed his contribution to Lark's Tongues, released subsequent to his departure. The British Press at the time attributed his decision as the result of "personal injury sustained onstage during performance", a phrase attributed to the band's management company, E'G.
In 1980, Muir returned to the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
music scene, recording with Evan Parker
Evan Parker
Evan Shaw Parker is a British free-improvising saxophone player from the European free jazz scene.Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free jazz and free improvisation, and has pioneered or substantially expanded...
and Derek Bailey. He was also on the soundtrack of the film Ghost Dance
Ghost Dance (film)
Ghost Dance is a 1983 British film directed by Ken McMullen. This independent film explores the beliefs and myths surrounding the existence of ghosts and the nature of cinema.-Plot:...
, a collaboration with another Crimson alumnus, drummer Michael Giles
Michael Giles
Michael Giles is an English drummer, best known as a co-founder of King Crimson in 1969...
and David Cunningham recorded in 1983, and eventually released in 1996.
Muir has since withdrawn completely from the music business and now devotes his energies to painting.