Alvin Fielder

[Chuck Nessa]

Dennis Gonzalez posted this at Jazz Corner:

My long-time playing partner and drumming legend, Alvin Fielder, who lives in Jackson, Mississippi, is suffering from acute heart problems, and has been bedridden for a month and a half or so. He was scheduled to play Vision Fest last June with Kidd Jordan and declined due to failing health.

He is too weak to undergo the necessary open-heart surgery, but hopefully he will regain his strength soon...we need him back playing again.

Alvin turned 73 in November of this past year and is known for his excellent drumming with the Roscoe Mitchell Quartet (just before it became the Art Ensemble and they all left for Paris without him), Braxton, John Cage, Sun Ra, Leroy Jenkins, and thousand of other musicians.

Send up your prayers and meditations for his return to health, please!

[paul secor]

Prayers for a full recovery for Mr. Fielder.

[papsrus]

Prayers for a full recovery for Mr. Fielder.

Yes. Here as well.

[clifford_thornton]

Yes indeed. Sorry to hear he's having trouble - I remember when I interviewed him a few years ago he mentioned some health issues he was wrestling with.

Here is the interview. Apparently some recent site formatting made all the apostrophes look ugly. Sorry.

[johnlitweiler]

Clifford, thanks for that interview with Alvin. Did you do it in NYC?

[clifford_thornton]

Houston when Alvin was visiting with Kidd.

Glad you liked it, John. Thanks.

[.:.impossible]

My thoughts are with him. I met him a few years back in Boston. Surely, he doesn't remember me, but he was an encyclopedia of knowledge. I could have sat with him for hours.