"You see, art is a matter of mastering the devices of expression. Just because you suffer doesn’t make you an artist. It’s the mastery of the means of expression that makes you an artist."
Albert Murray speaking with Wynton Marsalis in 1994.
Albert Murray was a remarkable American mind and a master of his chosen means of expression, be that essay, fiction, or the informal back and forth of an interview. Foremost among his many and varied interests was an abiding love of classic jazz. During his long life he published several essay collections focused on music, most notably Stomping the Blues (1976), which clearly defined his ideas. He wrote Good Morning Blues (1985), a comprehensive biography of William “Count” Basie. He also released several novels of interest to the jazz fan, a memoir, South to a Very Old Place (1971), and several collections of poetry.
Albert Murray attempted to capture elements of jazz in his unique prose style, for which he claimed his friend Duke Ellington as a model. For Duke he reserved his highest praise:
When you’re talking about Duke Ellington you are talking about the most comprehensive of all American composers and probably the quintessential contemporary composer. Here’s a man who was very serious about expressing life and his conception of life through his form.
Concern for what he sensed was an encroachment of the legacy of jazz
The Rise of a Jazz Vibraphonist: Evelyn Yosmali
Garry Berman
