Barry Altschul

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Barry Altschul

| image = Barry_Altschul.jpg

| caption = 1976

| image_size = 250

| landscape = yes

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1943|1|6}}

| birth_place = New York City, U.S.

| genre = Avant-garde jazz

| occupation = Musician

| instrument = Drums

| years_active = 1960s–present

| label =

| associated_acts = Circle, Paul Bley, FAB Trio

}}

File:Barry Altschul 06N5386.jpg

Barry Altschul (born January 6, 1943, in New York City) is a free jazz and hard bop drummer who first came to notice in the late 1960s for performing with pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea.{{Cite book

| last = Cook

| first = Richard

| year = 2005

| title = Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia

| publisher = Penguin Books

| location = London

| isbn = 0-141-00646-3

| pages = 11

}}

Biography

Altschul is of Russian Jewish heritage, the son of a laborer who did construction work and drove a taxi. Having initially taught himself to play drums, Altschul studied with Charlie Persip during the 1960s. In the latter part of the decade, he performed with Paul Bley. In 1969 he joined with Chick Corea, Dave Holland and Anthony Braxton to form the group Circle. At the time, he made use of a high-pitched Gretsch kit with add-on drums and percussion instruments.

In the 1970s, Altschul worked extensively with Anthony Braxton's quartet featuring Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, and George E. Lewis. Braxton, signed to Arista Records, was able to secure a large enough budget to tour with a collection of dozens of percussion instruments, strings and winds. In addition to his participation in ensembles featuring avant-garde musicians, Altschul performed with Lee Konitz, Art Pepper and other "straight ahead" jazz performers.

Altschul also made albums as a leader, but after the mid-1980s he was rarely seen in concert or on record, spending much of his time in Europe. Since the 2000s, he has become more visible, with five co-leader appearances with the FAB trio (with Billy Bang and Joe Fonda), the Jon Irabagon Trio recording Foxy and the bassist Adam Lane. Altschul has played or recorded with many musicians, including Roswell Rudd, Dave Liebman, Barre Phillips, Denis Levaillant, Andrew Hill, Sonny Criss, Hampton Hawes, and Lee Konitz. In 2012, Altschul began performing and recording with his new trio, the 3dom Factor, featuring saxophonist Jon Irabagon and double bassist Joe Fonda.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/arts/music/albums-from-barry-altschul-arve-henriksen-kevin-eubanks.html |title=A Stealth Eminence of the Avant-Garde, and New Vinyl |first=Nate |last=Chinen |date=February 15, 2013 |website=The New York Times |access-date=April 2, 2024}} 2019 saw the first release by the OGJB Quartet, a collective group featuring saxophonist Oliver Lake, cornetist Graham Haynes, Joe Fonda, and Altschul.{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-ogjb-quartet-mn0004150688#biography |title=The OGJB Quartet Biography |first=Thom |last=Jurek |website=AllMusic |access-date=April 13, 2024}}

Discography

=As leader=

1977: You Can't Name Your Own Tune (32 Jazz)
1978: Another Time/Another Place (Muse)
1979: For Stu (Soul Note, 1981)
1979: Somewhere Else (Moers Music)
1980: Brahma (Sackville)
1983: Irina (Soul Note)
1986: That's Nice (Soul Note)

With the 3dom Factor (Altschul, Jon Irabagon, and Joe Fonda)

2013: The 3dom Factor (TUM)
2015: Tales of the Unforeseen (TUM)
2017: Live in Kraków (Not Two)
2021: Long Tall Sunshine (Not Two)

Source:{{cite web |url=https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/barry-altschul |title=Barry Altschul Discography |website=Jazz Music Archives |access-date=April 3, 2024}}

=As co-leader=

1967: Virtuosi (Improvising Artists, 1976) with Paul Bley and Gary Peacock{{cite web |url=https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/album/barry-altschul/virtuosi |title=Barry Altschul - Virtuosi |website=Jazz Music Archives |access-date=April 3, 2024}}
1978: Stop Time (NoBusiness, 2023) with David Izenzon and Perry Robinson{{cite web |url=https://wjct.org/jme/2023/10/stop-time-barry-altschul-david-izenzon-perry-robinson |title='Stop Time,' A Crucial Archival Release of Barry Altschul, David Izenzon and Perry Robinson Live Performance Documents a Peak Moment of NYC Free Jazz |first=Daniel A. |last=Brown |date=October 2023 |website=WJCT |access-date=December 22, 2023}}
1979: Be-Bop? (Musica) with Pepper Adams{{cite web |url=https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/album/pepper-adams/be-bop-question-mark |title=Pepper Adams - Be-bop? |website=Jazz Music Archives |access-date=April 3, 2024}}
2014: BBK (Exit) with Barry Wedgle and Kim Stone{{cite web |url=https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/album/barry-altschul/barry-altschul-barry-wedgle-kim-stone-bbk |title=Barry Altschul - BBK |website=Jazz Music Archives |access-date=April 16, 2024}}

With the FAB Trio (Joe Fonda, Altschul, Billy Bang)

Transforming the Space (CIMP, 2003)
Live at Iron Works (Konnex, 2005)
A Night in Paris (Marge, 2008)
Live in Amsterdam (Porter, 2009)
History of Jazz in Reverse (TUM, 2011)

Source:{{cite web |url=https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/fab-trio |title=FAB Trio Discography |website=Jazz Music Archives |access-date=April 3, 2024}}

With the OGJB Quartet (Oliver Lake, Graham Haynes, Joe Fonda, Altschul)

Bamako (TUM, 2019)
Ode to O (TUM, 2022)

Source:{{cite web |url=https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/the-ogjb-quartet-oliver-lake-graham-haynes-joe-fonda-barry-altschul |title=OGJB Quartet Discography |website=Jazz Music Archives |access-date=April 3, 2024}}

=As sideman=

With Paul Bley

Touching (Debut, 1965)
Closer (ESP-Disk, 1966)
Ramblin' (BYG Actuel, 1967)
Blood (Fontana, 1966)
In Haarlem - Blood (Freedom, 1967)
Ballads (ECM, 1967 [1971])
Paul Bley & Scorpio (Milestone, 1973)
Japan Suite (Improvising Artists, 1977)
Hot (Soul Note, 1985)
Live at Sweet Basil (Soul Note, 1988)
Indian Summer (SteepleChase, 1987)
Rejoicing (SteepleChase, 1989)

With Anthony Braxton

The Complete Braxton (Freedom, 1971 [1973])
News from the 70s (Musica Jazz/Felmay, 1971–1976 [1998])
Town Hall 1972 (Trio, 1972)
Quartet: Live at Moers Festival (Ring, 1974 [1976])
Five Pieces 1975 (Arista, 1975)
Creative Orchestra Music 1976 (Arista, 1976)
Dortmund (Quartet) 1976 (hatART, 1976 [1991])
The Montreux/Berlin Concerts (Arista, 1975–76)

With Chick Corea

The Song of Singing (1971)
Circling In (1975)
ARC (ECM, 1971)
Circulus (1970)
Circle 1: Live in Germany Concert (CBS/Sony Japan, 1971)
Paris Concert (ECM, 1971)
Circle 2: Gathering (CBS/Sony Japan, 1971)
The Beginning (1996)

With Annette Peacock

1972 I'm the One
2014 I Belong to a World That's Destroying Itself [aka Revenge]

With Sam Rivers

1973 Hues (Impulse!)
1975 Sizzle (Impulse!)
1976 The Quest (Red)
1977 Paragon (Fluid)
1977 Zenith (NoBusiness, 2019)
1978 Ricochet (NoBusiness, 2020)
2007 Reunion: Live in New York (Pi, 2012)

With Roswell Rudd

1974 Flexible Flyer (Freedom)
2009 Trombone Tribe (Sunnyside)

With Ullmann/Swell 4

2004 Desert Songs and Other Landscapes (CIMP)
2010 News? No News! (Jazzwerskstatt)
2010 Live in Montreal (CIMP)
2022 We're Playing in Here? (NoBusiness)

With others

1972 Hold That Plane!, Buddy Guy
1972 Play the Blues, Buddy Guy/Junior Wells
1973 Conference of the Birds, Dave Holland (ECM)
1973 Icarus, Paul Winter
1974 Drum Ode, Dave Liebman
1975 Coon Bid'ness, Julius Hemphill, reissued in 1995 as Reflections
1975 Spiral, Andrew Hill
1982 Give and Take, John Lindberg (Black Saint)
1983 And Far Away Kenny Drew (Soul Note)
1983 Lido, Claudio Fasoli
1983 My One and Only Love, Franco D'Andrea
1983 No Idea of Time, Franco D'Andrea
1983 Sounds of Love, Tiziana Ghiglioni
1986 Passages, Denis Levaillant (DLM, 1986/2012)
1990 Brundl's Basslab, Manfred Brundl
1991 For All the Marbles Suite, Simon Nabatov
1992 Giacobazzi: Autour de la Rade, André Jaume
1995 Live, Brundl's Basslab
1997 Kinshasa-Washington D.C.-Paris, Ray Lema
1999 Clarinet Sessions, André Jaume
2000 Another Side, Ken Simon
2001 Skillfullness, Alan Silva
2002 Four Beings, Adam Lane
2005 Flat Fleet, Enrico Rava
2020 An Evening in Houston, Patty Waters

Source:{{cite web|title=Barry Altschul {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/barry-altschul-mn0000140067/credits|website=AllMusic|access-date=22 October 2017}}

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{Citation | last=Wynn | first=Ron | author-link=Ron Wynn | editor=Ron Wynn | editor-link=Ron Wynn | others=M. Erlewine, V. Bogdanov | year=1994 | title=All Music Guide to Jazz | place=San Francisco | publisher=Miller Freeman | pages=[https://archive.org/details/allmusicguidetoj00wynn/page/37 37–38] | isbn=0-87930-308-5 }}

}}