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Ronald Shannon Jackson has passed away


alocispepraluger102

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"Ronald Shannon Jackson, a drummer and composer who worked largely within the realms of free jazz, funk and fusion, died this morning, Oct. 19, in Ft. Worth, Tex. Jackson’s passing was confirmed by his cousin, Tobi Hero, on Jackson’s Facebook page. No cause of death was cited, however, Jackson was suffering from leukemia and had been living in a hospice. He was 73...."

http://jazztimes.com/articles/108150-drummer-composer-ronald-shannon-jackson-dies-at-73

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I considered him to be one of the more individual/distinctive voices out there in "modern times". I'm pretty sure he was on the one Organissimo "blindfold test" CD I received (years ago, perhaps Jsngry?) and it was immediately obvious who was playing. I'll cherish his legacy and be saddened that he didn't survive to create more.

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What unfortunate news.

I'll repost what I mentioned on facebook:

I encountered Ronald Shannon Jackson in person once, in 2001 at the Vision Festival. I was standing and talking to the great bassist Juini Booth, and Jackson came up and embraced his old friend. Mr. Jackson was wearing black jeans, boots, a black shirt and sport coat; his long braids flowing out from underneath a wide-brimmed black hat. He had on super-sharp shades (we were inside) and he seemed like he came from an alternate Texas-related universe. What an amazing dude. May he rest in peace.
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My own personal preferences for listening to RSJ on record would be

Decoding Society: Eye On You, Street Priest, What Spirit Say

With Cecil Taylor: Live in the Black Forest

With Blood Ulmer: No Wave

With Akira Sakata: Mooko

With Albert Ayler: Live at Slugs Saloon

Not to slight One Too Many, Power Tools, the first Last Exit, or the Leo Smith Golden Quartet which are also well worth hearing. I like Dancing in Your Head and Body Meta but more for Ornette and the concept than for anything particularly noteworthy that Ron is playing. There are several youtube videos of him with Prime Time that showcase his work much better. Too bad they took down the Saturday Night Live performance, because that one was heavy. If he ever played piano I don't remember it. He liked to play a variety of small horns and other wind instruments.

Edited by ATR
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Seeing When Colors Play performed live was among the most thrilling live music experiences I've had. He's one of the greatest musicians I've ever seen. A great drummer who almost never soloed. I'm lucky to have seen five different editions of the Decoding Society live. A lesser known Decoding Society recording that is wonderful on close examination is Shannon's House, featuring the otherwise unrecorded (?) Fort Worth saxophonist Rachella Parks.

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