George Russell Dies at 86

By I Jul. 29, 2009

Composer, theoretician and pianist George Russell passed away on Monday, July 27, from complications due to Alzheimer’s. He was 86.

A major theorist and one of jazz’s most profound composers, Russell was a hugely influential, innovative figure in the evolution of modern jazz. His ideas transformed and inspired some of the greatest jazz musicians in history, including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan and Dizzy Gillespie. His Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, first published in 1953, is credited with opening the way into modal music. Throughout the 1950s and ’60s, Russell continued to work on developing the concept. From 1960, he began leading his own sextets around the New York area and at festivals; he also toured throughout the Midwest and Europe.

In 1969, Russell began teaching at the newly created jazz department at the New England Conservatory, where his old friend, Gunther Schuller, was president. He played Carnegie Hall, the Village Vanguard, the Newport Jazz Festival, the Smithsonian, Sweet Basil, the U.S. West Coast and Europe with his 14-member orchestra and continued to compose extended works that redefined jazz composition.

During a career marked by numerous awards and honors, Russell received the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.

According to a press release, there will be no funeral, but a memorial service will be planned in the future.