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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZCOLLIER, Graham(b 21 February 1937, Tynemouth, England; d 9 September 2011) Bass, composer. He played trumpet from age 11 and was a band boy in the British army at 16; while in the army took up bass and composition, entered a Down Beat competition while stationed in Hong Kong, winning part of his tuition at Berklee School of Music, Boston. He studied with Herb Pomeroy, gigged with the Jimmy Dorsey ghost band and was Berklee's first British graduate '63. He formed his own UK septet '64, and did much educational and studio work. He was the first jazz composer to get funds from the UK government's Arts Council, '67: 'Workpoints' for twelve- piece band resulted. 'Day Of The Dead' was for the Ilkley Literature Festival '77, Collier's words including some from Malcolm Lowry's novel Under The Volcano '47, and led to a BBC commission for a radio version of the novel. He toured India '79; gave up bass for full-time composition. LPs: Deep Dark Blue Centre '67, a septet on Deram with Kenny Wheeler; sextet Down Another Road '69 and Songs For My Father '70, with seven songs played by ten-piece group, both on Fontana; Mosaics '70 on Philips with a septet. He started his own Mosaic label; eleven issues '74-8 included his own records Darius '74, Midnight Blue '75; New Conditions '76 and Symphony Of Scorpions '77, The Day Of The Dead '78 on two discs with 13 pieces plus narrator. He also made educational recordings '75 for Cambridge U Press. A large composition 'Hoarded Dreams' was recorded at the Bracknell Jazz Festival '83 for Channel 4, broadcast '84 and '85; the piece was also played at the Camden (London) Jazz Festival '85. Another piece was called 'Crystals Of Time And Place'. He was inflenced by Duke Ellington and Gil Evans; he admired Mike Mantler and Carla Bley, asnd also Vienna Art Orchestra's Mathias Rüegg. A tour of Greece '83 with an octet was satisfying (well paid and good audiences) but in general there is simply not enough work for composers of new music; he gave up low-paid live work to stay home and write, has done film and TV work and is active as an educator, having written several books. Charles River Fragments '94 on Boathouse was a rare later recording, two pieces played by a big band. |