Riff Raff

A Jazzman's Life Bay Area composer and tenor saxophonist Glenn Spearman died of cancer in his home Thursday morning, Oct. 8. He was 51. A colossal improviser and kindhearted father figure to many in the local creative-music community, Spearman's loss is deeply felt by all who knew him. "Musically, Glenn was a lot more talented than I think he even knew," says Rova saxophonist Larry Ochs. "His compositions were simple on the surface, but deep and profound to play. He was basically always positive, a unique force in this community. And he's not replaceable." A nurturing, eloquent artist with great respect for all music traditions, Spearman taught improvised-music history classes at Mills College. Along with fellow saxophonist Marco Eneidi he co-founded the 21-piece Creative Music Orchestra, an ambitious project that provided dozens of up-and-coming players with great opportunities in adventurous, collective musicmaking. "Glenn took me under his wing and taught me what it means to be an artist -- what kind of dedication is required," says pianist Matthew Goodheart. Spearman -- whose death ended a short bout with colon cancer, diagnosed in August -- had a long history in the Bay Area. Originally hooked by the radical "energy" players of the mid-'60s, like saxophonist John Coltrane and pianist Cecil Taylor, Spearman began performing in S.F. and Los Angeles almost 30 years ago. In the mid-'70s he lived in Europe, studying with expat and arch avant-gardist Frank Wright, who became an influential mentor to the developing improviser. Spearman returned to the States in '78, taking up residence in New York and working the underground loft scene with Taylor and trumpeter Raphe Malik. A few years later the ever-screaming saxophonist moved back to the Bay Area and began a lifelong partnership with drummer Donald Robinson. Their excellent debut album of duets, Night After Night, was compared at the time to Coltrane's inspired collaborations with drummer Rashied Ali. Over the past decade, Spearman recorded and toured with increasing prolificacy, including critically acclaimed stints with his Double Trio with Robinson, percussionist William Winant, pianist Chris Brown, bassist Lisle Ellis, and Ochs. (John Zorn's label Tzadik will release the Double Trio's last studio recording.) His final live appearance -- with Goodheart and drummer Rashid Bakr -- took place this past summer at Amherst's renowned Fire in the Valley Festival. Glenn Spearman is survived by his mother Marianne, his father Rawn, his wife Shantee, his former wives Marte and Marja, his children Rose, Ahmad, Jihan, and Angelica, and his stepchildren Jessica and Jasper. (Sam Prestianni)