Air (free jazz trio)

Air
Air
Origin	Chicago, Illinois
Genres	Jazz, free jazz
Years active	1971–1986
Labels	Novus
Past members	Henry Threadgill; Fred Hopkins; Steve McCall; Andrew Cyrille; Pheeroan Aklaff;

Air was a free jazz trio founded by saxophone player Henry Threadgill, double bassist Fred Hopkins, and drummer Steve McCall in 1971.[1][2]

Career

Threadgill was asked by Columbia College in Chicago to arrange a number of Scott Joplin songs.[2] Joplin was so strongly associated with piano that the musicians enjoyed the challenge of performing his trademark songs without piano. They opted to play them as rags and as a basis for jazz improvisation.

The album Air Lore contains improvisations over songs by Scott Joplin as well as selections by Jelly Roll Morton[3]

Air broke up and reformed several times, and after McCall's death Andrew Cyrille performed as part of the trio. They released two albums with drummer Pheeroan Aklaff as New Air on Black Saint Records.

Discography

Album	Label	Year of release
Air Song	India Navigation	1975
Air Raid	India Navigation	1976
Open Air Suit	Arista Novus	1978
Montreux Suisse	Arista Novus	1978
Air Time	Nessa	1978
Air Lore	Arista Novus	1979
Live Air	Black Saint	1980
Air Mail	Black Saint	1981
80° Below '82	Antilles	1982
Live at Montreal International Jazz Festival	Black Saint	1984
Air Show No. 1	Black Saint	1986

References

Mandel, Howard (2002). "Air". In Barry Kernfeld (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. pp. 20–21. ISBN 1-56159-284-6.
Yanow, Scott (1998). Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Yanow, Scott (eds.). All Music Guide to Jazz (3 ed.). San Francisco: Miller Freeman. p. 12. ISBN 0-87930-530-4.
Gold, Gerald (7 February 1988). "Records Notes: A Recording Studio As Artists See It". The New York Times.

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[New_Grove-1] Mandel, Howard (2002). "Air". In Barry Kernfeld (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. pp. 20–21. ISBN 1-56159-284-6.

[AM-2] Yanow, Scott (1998). Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Yanow, Scott (eds.). All Music Guide to Jazz (3 ed.). San Francisco: Miller Freeman. p. 12. ISBN 0-87930-530-4.

[3] Gold, Gerald (7 February 1988). "Records Notes: A Recording Studio As Artists See It". The New York Times.