Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Paul Rutherford...

I received a mail from a group I belong to saying that the renowned British pioneer of improvising trombone Paul Rutherford had died on Monday 6th August. Just checked around and his Wikipedia entry confirms this in its last sentence. Nothing else yet so... more news as and when...

11 comments:

Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg said...

From MD
As you may already know, Paul Rutherford was found dead in his flat in S.E. London on August 5. The cause of death was sclerosis of the liver and a ruptured aorta.

Paul was one of the pioneers of free improvisation, and many consider him to have been the finest trombonist and one of the finest improvisers in the area. He was certainly a very distinctive musician – many players had been influenced by him to some degree (not only trombonists), but no one sounded anything like him. Among his most important performances were his unaccompanied solos, and those in his trio Iskra 1903 that contained Barry Guy and either Derek Bailey or Philipp Wachsmann. He was a gentle, kind man with an outrageous sense of humour, and will be sorely missed. However, he also suffered from bouts of depression, and was frustrated that he was not recognised more widely.

For those who are able to attend, the funeral will be on Thursday August 16 at 10:30 am at Lewisham Crematorium in Hither Green Cemetery on Verdant Lane, London SE6 1JX. [The nearest station is Grove Park (trains from Charing Cross, Waterloo East & London Bridge). From there, it is about a 20 minute walk, or buses 124 or 284 can be boarded from the bus stop in Downham Way.]

Anonymous said...

I had the pleasure of presenting Paul with drummer Harris Eisenstadt and bassist Torsten Muller at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico in January of 2006. The performance was stellar and Paul was one of the kindest men I have ever met. I will never forget the performances, the evening spent with him, talking about the great musicians he played with and the music he made over the years and the scene we are trying to foster out here in the high desert that he was so supportive of. I know he was not recognized as widely as he should have been but every person who was in the audience that night walked out at the end of the show a true believer in the amazing talent of this man. He will be dearly missed.

Anonymous said...

Thank you all for your kind comments on Paul Rutherford who is my uncle. He will be very sadly missed by us all.

However you have made a mistake on the funeral arrangements. The time is actually 2.30pm and not 10.30am Thursday August 16 at 10:30 am at Lewisham Crematorium in Hither Green Cemetery on Verdant Lane, London SE6 1JX. [The nearest station is Grove Park (trains from Charing Cross, Waterloo East & London Bridge). From there, it is about a 20 minute walk, or buses 124 or 284 can be boarded from the bus stop in Downham Way.]

Rod Warner said...

... I will amend the funeral arrangement details asap... and condolences on your loss. He will be sadly missed by many who knew him only through his music - through which his humanity, wit and intelligence always shone through...

Anonymous said...

I had the good fortune of seeing/hearing Paul Rutherford play a couple of times in Vancouver, Canada. Once in a trio w/ Wolfgang Fuchs and Torsten Muller that was absolutely magical; improv at it's highest level. Another w/ Torsten, Ken Vandermark and drummer Dylan Van Schyff, a quartet that was gelling into a formidable unit. Paul was the elder statesman of both units and it certainly came across in the maturity and sheer inventiveness of his playing. What a pleasure to hear a master craftsman of his art. Sorry to hear of his passing. My condolences to his family and friends.

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Rod Warner said...

... some language poetry? You are Charles Bernstein and I claim my reward

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