Paul Horn (jazz musician)
Encyclopedia
Paul Horn is an American
jazz
flautist
, and is considered by some to be a pioneer of New Age music
.
, and began playing the piano
at the age of 4 and the saxophone
at the age of 12. He studied the flute in 1952 at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio
and then earned a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music
.
Moving to Los Angeles he played with Chico Hamilton
's Quintet from 1956 to 1958 and recorded his debut album Something Blue in 1960. By now an established West Coast session player he played on the Duke Ellington
Orchestra's Suite Thursday
and worked with Nat King Cole
, Tony Bennett
and others. In 1970, he moved with his second wife Tryntje to Victoria
, British Columbia
on Vancouver Island
. He formed his own quintet and has recorded film scores for the National Film Board of Canada
.
He is widely known for his innovations on both metal and traditional wood flutes, and has recorded some truly exotic albums. Perhaps most famous of these are his "Inside" recordings, which feature airy, echoing sounds created in places of spiritual importance. The series began with Horn sneaking a tape recorder into the Taj Mahal
during a trip to India in 1968, where he was with The Beatles at Rishikesh, and continued later with recordings inside Great Pyramid of Giza
, and a return to the Taj Mahal in 1989. Horn has since made similar recordings in a cathedral, in the canyons of the Southwest with Native American flautist R. Carlos Nakai
, and with orca whales.
In 1998 he was able to record within the walls of the Potala Palace
in Lhasa
, Tibet
. Horn was the first westerner to be granted permission to perform inside this massive structure considered the spiritual nexus of Tibetan Buddhism. Horn was to return to Tibet in 2003 to film on the holy Mount Kailash
, where Horn would scatter the ashes of former travelling companion, Buddhist monk Lama Tenzin.
While he is undoubtedly a jazz musician, many of his works defy categorization. As well as the Inside series he has recorded other albums of jazz with musicians from a range of cultures and backgrounds including China and Africa.
He now lives in British Columbia with his third wife, singer and songwriter, Ann Mortifee
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
flautist
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
, and is considered by some to be a pioneer of New Age music
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
.
Biography
Paul Horn was born in 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...
, and began playing the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
at the age of 4 and 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...
at the age of 12. He studied the flute in 1952 at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and then earned a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
.
Moving to Los Angeles he played with 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...
's Quintet from 1956 to 1958 and recorded his debut album Something Blue in 1960. By now an established West Coast session player he played on the Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
Orchestra's Suite Thursday
Swinging Suites by Edward E. and Edward G.
Swinging Suites by Edward E. & Edward G. is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded for the Columbia label in 1960 featuring a jazz interpretation of "Peer Gynt" by Grieg and Ellington's tribute to John Steinbeck "Suite Thursday"...
and worked with Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
, Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
and others. In 1970, he moved with his second wife Tryntje to Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
. He formed his own quintet and has recorded film scores for the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
.
He is widely known for his innovations on both metal and traditional wood flutes, and has recorded some truly exotic albums. Perhaps most famous of these are his "Inside" recordings, which feature airy, echoing sounds created in places of spiritual importance. The series began with Horn sneaking a tape recorder into the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
during a trip to India in 1968, where he was with The Beatles at Rishikesh, and continued later with recordings inside Great Pyramid of Giza
Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact...
, and a return to the Taj Mahal in 1989. Horn has since made similar recordings in a cathedral, in the canyons of the Southwest with Native American flautist R. Carlos Nakai
R. Carlos Nakai
Raymond Carlos “R.” Nakai is a Native American flautist of Navajo/Ute heritage.-Biography:Born Ray Carlos Nakai, in Flagstaff, Arizona, he released his first album, Changes, in 1983...
, and with orca whales.
In 1998 he was able to record within the walls of the Potala Palace
Potala Palace
The Potala Palace is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara...
in Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. Horn was the first westerner to be granted permission to perform inside this massive structure considered the spiritual nexus of Tibetan Buddhism. Horn was to return to Tibet in 2003 to film on the holy Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet...
, where Horn would scatter the ashes of former travelling companion, Buddhist monk Lama Tenzin.
While he is undoubtedly a jazz musician, many of his works defy categorization. As well as the Inside series he has recorded other albums of jazz with musicians from a range of cultures and backgrounds including China and Africa.
He now lives in British Columbia with his third wife, singer and songwriter, Ann Mortifee
Ann Mortifee
Ann Mortifee, CM is a Canadian-based singer-songwriter, writer and speaker. After emigrating to Canada in childhood, she spent her youth in Vancouver, British Columbia. At the beginning of her musical career, she joined the cast of the original Vancouver production of The Ecstasy of Rita Joe...
.
Discography
- Clutch CargoClutch CargoClutch Cargo is an animated television series produced by Cambria Productions and syndicated beginning on March 9, 1959. Notable for its very limited animation, yet imaginative stories, the series was a surprise hit at the time, and could be seen on 65 stations nationwide in 1960.- Plot :The...
soundtrack (1959) - Something Blue (1960)
- The Jazz Years (1961)
- Profile of a Jazz Musician (1961) with vibraphonist Emil RichardsEmil RichardsEmil Richards, born Emilio Joseph Radocchia on September 2, 1932 in Hartford, Connecticut, is a percussionist who plays a variety of different percussion instruments.-Biography:...
- The Sound of Paul Horn (1961) also with Richards, this album is now on the Profile of a Jazz Musician CD
- Cycle (1965)
- Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts (1965) with Lalo SchifrinLalo SchifrinLalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...
- Here's That Rainy Day (1966) with Quintet
- In India & Kashmir (1968)
- Inside, also known as Inside the Taj Mahal (1968)
- Inside II, (1972)
- Visions (1974)
- The Altitude of the Sun (1975)
- Special Edition (1975)
- Nexus (1975)
- Inside the Great Pyramid (1976)
- Riviera Concert (1977)
- Dream Machine (1978)
- China (1981)
- Inside the Cathedral (1983)
- Traveler (1985)
- Sketches: A Collection (1986)
- The Peace Album (1988) - music for Christmas
- Brazilian Images (1989)
- Inside the Taj Mahal, Volume 2 (1989)
- Nomad (1990)
- Africa (1994)
- Music (1997)
- Inside Canyon de Chelly (1997) - with R. Carlos NakaiR. Carlos NakaiRaymond Carlos “R.” Nakai is a Native American flautist of Navajo/Ute heritage.-Biography:Born Ray Carlos Nakai, in Flagstaff, Arizona, he released his first album, Changes, in 1983...
- Inside Monument Valley (1999) - with Nakai
- Tibet: Journey to the Roof of the World (2000)
- Imprompture (2001)
- Journey Inside Tibet (2001)