John Stevens (drummer)
| John Stevens | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John William Stevens |
| Born |
June 10, 1940 Brentford, England |
| Died | September 13, 1994 Ealing, London |
| Genres | Jazz, free jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Labels | Nessa |
| Associated acts | Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Trevor Watts, Paul Rutherford |
John William Stevens (10 June 1940 in Brentford, Middlesex, England – 13 September 1994 in Ealing, London) was an English drummer and a founding member of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble.
Stevens was born in Brentford, the son of a tap dancer. He listened to jazz as a child but was more interested in drawing and painting, through which he expressed himself throughout his life. He studied at the Ealing Art College and then started work in a design studio but left at 19 to join the Royal Air Force. He studied the drums at the Royal Air Force School of Music in Uxbridge, and while there met Trevor Watts and Paul Rutherford, two musicians who became close collaborators.
In the mid-1960s Stevens began to play in London jazz groups with Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott, and in 1965 he led a septet. He moved away from mainstream jazz when he heard free jazz from the U.S. by musicians like Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler. In 1966, he formed the Spontaneous Music Ensemble (SME) with Watts and Rutherford. The band moved into the Little Theatre Club at Garrick Yard, St. Martin's Lane, London. In 1967 their first album, Challenge, was released. Stevens then became interested in the music of Anton Webern, and the SME began to play quiet music. Stevens also became interested in non-Western music.
In 1967, Evan Parker joined the SME and became one of the longest-standing members. He later summed up Stevens' approach to improvising in two basic maxims: if you can't hear another musician, then you're too loud; and there is no point in group improvisation if what you are playing doesn't relate to what other members of the group are playing.
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