Sunny Murray
Sunny Murray (James Marcellus Arthur Murray, 1936-2017) was an American drummer born in Idabel, Oklahoma, and one of the pioneers of free jazz drumming. Murray dropped steady timekeeping in favour of a continuous wash of cymbals, snare and bass drum, and is best known for his work with Cecil Taylor and Albert Ayler in the 1960s. He died in Paris. Sunny Murray moved to New York in 1956 and began playing with Cecil Taylor in 1959, recording Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come with Taylor and Jimmy Lyons in Denmark in 1962.
The Hilversum Session (LP)
Original 1980 Dutch LP on Osmosis with recordings from 1964 featuring Gary Peacock, Don Cherry and Sunny Murray.
New York Eye And Ear Control (CD)
1992 release (light wear) ** July 1964: the soundtrack to Michael Snow's film, and one of the great collective improvisations ever recorded - a record whose influence runs so deep that entire schools of music stand on it without always knowing. Alber…
Sun's Blessings
On Sun’s Blessings, Sunny Murray and Sabu Toyozumi meet as a double‑drum frontline, turning a 1999 Sapporo concert into a two‑part ritual where clattering polyrhythms, rolling thunder and sudden hollows of space make free improvisation feel both volc…
We Are Not At The Opera
1998 release ** "Whoa. Look out. When you look at the cover you know the sh*t is gonna hit the fan when this old master of the vanguard drumming tradition hooks up with the "gentle giant" of the alto, the tenor, and the flute. Sabir Mateen may not be…
Perles Noires Vol. II
2025 stock Sunny Murray's talent is bigger than any category you could use to describe it. he's one of the most original musical minds of the past 50 years, a genuine innovator, the liberator of the drum kit, and an artist of uncompromising honesty. …
Perles Noires Vol. I
2025 stock Sunny Murray is widely credited with being the first drummer to fully liberate the kit, developing a form of omni-directional accompaniment that dissolved the distinction between supporting and leading and helped spark the free jazz revolu…
Applecores
*2022 stock* Exact repro, originally released in 1978. One of the hippest, tightest sessions ever recorded by drummer Sunny Murray – a large group set recorded with his Untouchable Factor group – a great ensemble that includes Frank Foster on soprano…
New York Eye And Ear Control 1964, Revisited
Temporary Super Offer! Ezz-Thetics presents New York Eye And Ear Control 1964, Revisited. Albert Ayle tenor saxophone, Don Cherry cornet & trumpet, John Tchicai alto saxophone, Roswell Rudd trombone, Gary Peacock double bass and Sunny Murray drums.
A…
Sunny’s Time Now
The documentary feature Sunny’s time now explores the life and work of the avant-garde drummer Sunny Murray, one of the most influential figures of the Free Jazz revolution. Through a series of interviews with key time witnesses as well as historic a…
Intercommunal Dialogue 1&2
Between 1969 and 1971, Francois Tusques and Sunny Murray were often accomplices in rebellious music. After other recordings, their collaboration culminated in an album that became mythical, Intercommunal Music, the site of a joust within the orchestr…
Homework
**300 copies** Original, limited LP-only edition released as Super Secret Sound (3SLP010) in 1997. Sunny Murray - drums, Bob Dickie - bass, bass clarinet, Robert Andreano - guitar, bass. Recorded 30 May, 1994 at 816 South St. Philadelphia, PASpecial …
Big Chief
Examples on record of sunny murray's enduring originality and influence as a drummer are many (refer to eremite 14, 45 & 46, among others), but very few recordings demonstrate his strikingly unusual voice as a band leader and composer. none do so mor…