Remembering Grachan Moncur III
Grachan Moncur III, the American jazz trombonist, passed away of cardiac arrest on June 3, his 85th birthday. Moncur was a pioneer of the free jazz movement which emerged in the late 1950s. Free jazz allowed for simultaneous collective improvisation within the group. This was in contrast to earlier more structured forms, such as bebop, in which a single solo line was heard over a chordal accompaniment. Additionally, free jazz absorbed influences …