John Gilmore

John Gilmore's decision to play almost exclusively within the realm of Sun Ra's <a href="spotify:artist:5V5vvh5MgM7vDuPp4lJYkh">Arkestra</a> long frustrated jazz observers who felt that he could have made a bigger impact if he had had a solo career. Gilmore grew up in Chicago and after a stint in the Army (1948-1952), he worked with <a href="spotify:artist:2mY5u4CceAPrpBnse1WpFr">Earl Hines</a> (1952). In 1953, he joined <a href="spotify:artist:0tIODqvzGUoEaK26rK4pvX">Ra</a> and 40 years later, when the bandleader died, Gilmore was still there. His playing in the 1950s was an influence on the developing <a href="spotify:artist:2hGh5VOeeqimQFxqXvfCUf">John Coltrane</a> and Gilmore, who teamed up with <a href="spotify:artist:0oJCbLnXR9ZfTkwxO9tVNn">Clifford Jordan</a> for a 1957 Blue Note session, did spend 1964-1965 with <a href="spotify:artist:6QQuESLtKhAOcLW2TeWC2t">Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers</a>. However, other than a few sideman recordings in the 1960s (including with <a href="spotify:artist:0fTHKjepK5HWOrb2rkS5Em">Freddie Hubbard</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2EsmKkHsXK0WMNGOtIhbxr">McCoy Tyner</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4ORSNkNYSzva169PBZCzvy">Andrew Hill</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:5HWSWx1uHCqorf70HByfjW">Pete LaRoca</a>), Gilmore stuck with <a href="spotify:artist:0tIODqvzGUoEaK26rK4pvX">Ra</a>, being well-featured both on hard bop and free-form material. He briefly headed <a href="spotify:artist:0tIODqvzGUoEaK26rK4pvX">the Arkestra</a> after <a href="spotify:artist:0tIODqvzGUoEaK26rK4pvX">Ra</a>'s death. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi