Stratusphunk: The Life and Works of George Russell by Duncan A Heining

Stratusphunk is the story of remarkable musician and a remarkable man. Through his ideas and music, composer, theorist and musician George Russell joins the dots in modern jazz from bebop, though modal and free jazz and into jazz rock. It is hard to imagine another artist, who was both so influential but also so misunderstood. Throughout his life, as an African American, George Russell confronted and overcame the many obstacles thrown in his way of racism, class inequalities and life threatening illnesses. Widely acknowledged for his influence on the many of the developments in jazz from the fifties onwards, Russell’s impact on the music came both from his writings and teaching and from his compositions and recordings.His life and work connected with many of the most seminal figures in jazz Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Carla Bley and Ornette Coleman – influencing these musicians and being influenced by them. For the first time in paperback and in a fully revised edition, Stratusphunk makes Russell’s story, music and theories available to scholars, students and fans.