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Bern Nix (September 21, 1947 – May 31, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. He recorded and performed with Ornette Coleman from 1975 to 1987 in Coleman's Prime Time band.[1]
Bern Nix | |
|---|---|
 Bern Nix, Les Gallery Clemente Soto Velez, February 2005 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | September 21, 1947 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | May 31, 2017 (aged 69) New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Avant-garde jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1975–2017 |
| Labels | Tompkins Square |
Career
editA native of Toledo, Ohio, Nix was introduced to music in childhood and began playing the guitar at eleven years old. He listened intently to jazz guitarists, including Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Raney, Barney Kessel, and Charlie Christian. In 1975 he graduated from the Berklee College of Music.[2] For the next twelve years, he played guitar in Prime Time, Ornette Coleman's electric band.[2]
Nix led a trio with bassist William Parker and drummer David Cappello from 1985 until his death in 2017. In 1993, the trio released the album Alarms and Excursions.[3] Nix released the solo album Low Barometer on Tompkins Square Records in September 2006. His composition "Les is More" appears on Art and Money, an album released by 1687, Inc. in 2006. In 2013, the Bern Nix Quartet, featuring Francois Grillot, Reggie Sylvester, and Matt Lavelle, released Negative Capability.[4]
He also worked with Jayne Cortez, Marc Ribot, Elliott Sharp, Jemeel Moondoc, Ronald Shannon Jackson, and John Zorn.[2]
Discography
editAs leader
edit- Alarms and Excursions (New World/Counter Currents, 1993)
- Low Barometer (Tompkins Square, 2006)
- Negative Capability (56 Kitchen, 2013)
- Tangerine (Milan, 2015)
As sideman
editWith Ornette Coleman
- Dancing in Your Head (Horizon, 1977)
- Body Meta (Artists House, 1978)
- Of Human Feelings (Antilles, 1982)
- Opening the Caravan of Dreams (Caravan of Dreams, 1985)
- In All Languages (Caravan of Dreams, 1987)
- Virgin Beauty (Portrait, 1988)
- Prime Time Live (Repertoire, 1990)
With Jayne Cortez
- Unsubmissive Blues (Bola Press, 1980)
- There It Is (Bola Press, 1982)
- Maintain Control (Bola Press, 1986)
- Everywhere Drums (Bola Press, 1990)
- Poetry & Music (Tradition & Moderne, 1994)
- Cheerful & Optimistic (Bola Press, 1994)
- Taking the Blues Back Home (Harmolodic/Verve, 1996)[5]
- Borders of Disorderly Time (Bola Press, 2003)
With Jemeel Moondoc
- Nostalgia in Times Square (Soul Note, 1986)
- Spirit House (Eremite, 2000)
- Live at the Vision Festival (Ayler, 2003)
With others
- James Chance and the Contortions, Live in New York (ROIR, 1981)
- Ronald Shannon Jackson, Eye on You (About Time, 1980)
- Frank Lowe, Lowe-Down & Blue (CIMP, 2002)
- Hotel X, "Uncommon Ground", featuring Bern Nix and Greg Ginn (SST, 2003)
References
edit- ^ Chinen, Nate (June 1, 2017). "Bern Nix, Guitarist Steeped in Ornette Coleman's Harmolodic Language, Dies at 69". WBGO. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat. p. 145. ISBN 978-1-61713-023-6.
- ^ Alarms & Excursions - Bern Nix Trio | Album | AllMusic, retrieved July 23, 2024
- ^ "Bern Nix Quartet: Negative Capability". All About Jazz. July 14, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ "Taking the Blues Back Home". AllMusic. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
External links
edit
Media related to Bern Nix at Wikimedia Commons
