Sunny Murray
b. James Marcellus Arthur Murray, 21 September 1937, Idabel, Oklahoma, USA. Murray is probably the most influential and certainly the most controversial drummer to emerge from the '60s new wave. He began to teach himself drums at the age of nine, subsequently flirting briefly with trumpet and trombone. In 1956 he moved to New York and worked with figures as diverse as Henry ‘Red’ Allen, Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Jackie McLean, Rocky Boyd, Ted Curson and Cecil Taylor. In 1963 he went with Taylor and Jimmy Lyons to Europe, where he joined Albert Ayler in the legendary trio that produced GHOSTS and SPIRITUAL UNITY. He later played on several more Ayler albums, including NEW YORK EYE AND EAR CONTROL, BELLS and SPIRITS REJOICE, while Ayler guested on Murray's debut, SUNNY'S TIME NOW. He lived in France from 1968-71, then moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, where he worked with an equally influential drummer from the hard bop era, Philly Joe Jones. In the '70s and '80s Murray remained extremely active, co-leading the Untouchable Factor, running a trio (that included tenor tyro David Murray—no relation) and recording with pianists Don Pullen (APPLECORES) and Alex Von Schlippenbach (on the duo SMOKE) as well as renewing his old association with Cecil Taylor (IT IS IN THE BREWING LUMINOUS) and Jimmy Lyons. A player with an abstract and oblique approach to the beat, paying at least as much attention to the cymbals as the drums, Murray nevertheless creates a strong feeling of pulse for the music. He has played with most of the major figures of avant garde jazz, including Archie Shepp, Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, John Coltrane, John Tchicai, Roswell Rudd, and Grachan Moncur III.