Sam Rivers describes himself as having been
"born on tour" in Oklahoma, since both his parents were musicians,
and as having "always been a musician". After growing up in Chicago,
he moved to Boston for formal study at the Boston Conservatory of Music, where
he studied composition with Alan Hovaness, and at Boston University. "It
was a very creative time," he recalls, "because there were so many
extremely talented musicians there at the same time. Some of my early
influences were Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, of course, and
Miles and Dizzy, but I studied everybody, and my influences were extremely
varied."
"Very consciously,
though," Rivers continues, "I sought to develop my own style. When I
studied piano, for example, I wrote out my own exercise books instead of using
existing ones. Even at the level of study, I wanted to be very strict about
avoiding imitation."
As with Priester, the list
of musicians with whom Rivers has played includes almost everybody of
significance in jazz. Some of the longer associations included those with T-Bone
Walker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Cecil Taylor, Tony Williams, and Herbie
Hancock. "I learned so much about how to write and present from
Miles," Rivers notes, "he was so precise and disciplined, such a
perfectionist." His numerous recordings as a sideman include Miles
in Tokyo (Columbia) with Miles Davis and Spring
(Blue Note) with Tony Williams, as well as the Postcards recordings with
Reggie Workman and with Bruce Ditmas (What
If 1995).
Rivers has been playing
with his own groups since the '40s -- mostly quartets and big bands. These
groups included such musicians as Dave Holland, Chico Freeman, Steve Coleman,
Kevin and Robin Eubanks, Don Pullen, George Adams, and Cecil McBee. Some of the
many recordings he has made as a leader are Fuschia
Swing Song (Blue Note), Dimensions
& Extensions (Blue Note), two coleader recordings with Dave Holland (IAI),
Waves (Tomato), and the Rivbea Orchestra's Evocation Suite (Repertoire Records).
From the late '60s through
the late '70s, Rivers ran Studio RivBea in New York. Originally intended for
teaching and rehearsals, Studio RivBea evolved into a vibrant performance space
for avant-garde music when musicians such as Oliver Lake and the Art Ensemble
began giving concerts there because there were few other places in New York that
welcomed their performances. According to Rivers, the studio filled such an
obvious vacuum that the New York State Council on the Arts, on its own
initiative, provided funding to support its activities.
ARKADIA JAZZ
Sam Rivers describes himself as having been
"born on tour" in Oklahoma, since both his parents were musicians,
and as having "always been a musician". After growing up in Chicago,
he moved to Boston for formal study at the Boston Conservatory of Music, where
he studied composition with Alan Hovaness, and at Boston University. "It
was a very creative time," he recalls, "because there were so many
extremely talented musicians there at the same time. Some of my early
influences were Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, of course, and
Miles and Dizzy, but I studied everybody, and my influences were extremely
varied."