John Tchicai & The Archetypes

JOHN TCHICA AND THE ARCHETYPES

Born in Denmark John Tchicai (1936 - 2012) first learned to play the violin before the irresistible charm of the saxophone got him horny and together they eloped. Tchicai attended the Academy of Music and Royal Conservatory in Copenhagen before breaking loose to blow at festivals and clubs around Scandinavia and EasternEurope. Then, in 1962, he met free-jazz saxophonist, Albert Ayler, and followed the siren call to New York, joining the New York Contemporary Five with Archie Shepp, Bill Dixon and Don Cherry. Living on the Higher Art Side of New York, he co-founded the New York Art Quartet in 1964 with Rosewell Rudd, spreading the word liberally, which led to him being invited to become a charter member of the Jazz Composers Guild and Jazz Composers Orchestra. The wild side still pulled, however, and in 1965 a spontaneous jam withJohn Coltrane led to him playing on the seminal album, 'Ascension'. "They were active years," says the man with typical understatement. "I managed to do a lot in a short time." Europe won him back in 1966 and he went on to become one of the liberating jazz voices, leading the Cadentia Nova Dancia from its mere nine-piece beginnings into the 26-piece free jazz supernova it became before burning out in 1971. From 1972 he concentrated his energies on teaching and learning: teaching others a little of the jazz mysteries while studying yoga and Tibetan and Hindu cultures, which provided a context for his creative spirit. John Tchicai's avant-garde credentials are impeccable, but he is also one of the few jazz players in the world to have worked with John Lennon (on 'Life With The Lions'). Formal recognition has come in the shape of Denmark's first ever Lifetime Grant for Jazz, but his real constituency lies in the freeform demi monde. There, his music can seek true originality, drifting cool and unanchored, informed by the logic of creativity and nothing else. "Music is a common language," he explains, "and we can communicate all over the world in that language." For lovers of South African Jazz Tchicai's collaboration work with the late Johnny "M'Bizo" Diyani is worth mentioning - a tribute to Diyani was recorded in the late 90's but remains unreleased so far - watch this space. Currently, John used to live in Davis, California, where he teaches music at theUniversity as well as continuing to compose and arrange and to lead a septet, TheArchetypes which included guitarists Mark Oi and Michael Grandi, Margriet Naber-Tchicai on keyboards Jeff Simons on bass, Andrew Enberg on drums and Basho Fujimoto on congas. The group's CD "Love Is Touching (BW055) " was released on X-Talk – a sub label of MELT2000.