alocispepraluger102 Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 (edited) it will be little noted, if at all, that faruq z bey, one of our greatest living musicians has passed away. faruq z bey Detroit jazz and avant scenes lose icon in passing of Faruq Z. Bey JUNE 2, 2012 BY W. KIM HERON Faruq Z. Bey, local legend and icon of avant garde music in Detroit, has died after years of emphysema and other ailments. A friend who spoke to Bey regularly last heard from him Thursday and was unable to reach him on Friday. Her concerns lead to other friends entering his residence with police on Saturday and finding that he had died. He was around 70 years old. Bey was the leader of the group Griot Galaxy, a sprawling group into which dozens of musicians fell in and out between 1972 and the time it stabilized mid-decade and slowly distilled to a classic quintet around 1980. With saxophonists Bey, Tony Holland and David McMurray, drummer Tani Tabbal and bassist Jaribu Shahid, the group donned silver face paint and African garb, dubbing themselves a science fiction band. The name harkened to the African traditional bearers of tradition and history, on one hand, and … the reaches of space and the future, on the other. While they were clearly rooted in the jazz avant garde – in artists like John Coltrane, Sun Ra and the Art Ensemble of Chicago – the members of Griot Galaxy were extending that tradition in their own voices and in their collective sound. In fact, with their theatric edge and their penchant for hypnotic, layered rhythm, they were an avant garde group for people who didn’t particularly like the avant garde, or maybe even jazz. They were one of a kind. Sorry if that’s a cliché. But they really were. Edited June 2, 2012 by alocispepraluger102 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 Oh fuck no! I just recently found out about him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 Shit! RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan Wood Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 RIP. Fantastic musician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 He was wearing an oxygen tank the last few times I saw him - it was difficult to watch sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 Oh man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazz Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 Faruq had been in poor health for a few years, always carried his Oxygen bottle but could blow his ass off, as any recent recs will demonstrate. He was born on February 4, 1942, in Detroit. Griot Galaxy, with Jaribu, Tony Holland, Tani Tabbal a.o., was an amazing band. Faruq had a radio program for a few years at WDET called "Met-Ezzthetics". He had insightful, candid opinions and thoughts. Here's an interview from 2006 on "Detroit JazzStage": http://lberns.com/jazzstage/2006/10/19/djs-welcomes-faruq-z-bey/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmce Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 This is, unfortunately, the first I've heard of him but he sounds right up my alley...I dig the clip posted above. RIP. Any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 His most recent recordings and a archival release of the Griot Galaxy are available on entropy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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