Alvin Fielder (November 23, 1935 – January 5, 2019)
To make an impact on the world, a person isn't required to be famous or rich. This is
exactly the case with jazz drummer Alvin Fielder. "Al," as he is called by many of his
friends, has put all his efforts and skills into bringing jazz music to the 21st century. Yet
many people of the world don't recognize him. Fame and fortune is not what Fielder
desires. His love goes to the community, friends, and the world; not for money, not to
be a star, but to be someone that they can look up to. So after thirty years of hard
work, respect for Mr. Fielder is well past due. Alvin Fielder was born in Meridian,
Mississippi, on November 23, 1935. He has a brother named Bill Fielder. Al became
interested in music from the very beginning, not surprisingly, since both of his parents
were musicians. His mother played the piano and violin, while his father studied the
coronet. As a result, music was always heard around the house. When Al was about
six, he took piano lessons for about three years but disliked his teacher. Then, at about
the age of twelve , a friend of Al's played the drums. who had a natural talent playing
percussion. His friend gave him an album titled Koko by Charlie Walker. The drummer
was Max Roach. Young Al loved the way Max played the drums, and that's how Al
became attracted to playing the drums (Fielder interview). Al attended Xavier College
in New Orleans from 1951 to 1953, then he attended Texas Southern from 1953 to
1956. The University of Illinois was the place where Al went for graduate school. He
wanted to become a pharmacist like his father before him. However, even during his
graduate studies, all he wanted to do was play music (Fielder interview). In 1963, Al,
and other jazz musicians founded the Association for the Advancement of Creative
Music (AACM). "The purpose of this was for groups to market the music, set up the
concerts, and have a forum to play they own music without relying on the music of
others. We wanted it to be free," said Fielder (Fielder interview). "AACM was based
out of Chicago, and these musicians realized that free music wasn't being played
outside of New York. So their music is completely free, it was designed to elevate the
music to a new level," said Al's friend and former SHS graduate Chad Anderson
(Anderson interview).
Roscoe Mitchell's Sextet was the first album that Al was a part of. It was also the first
album released from the AACM (Drimala website). Their first album, released in 1967,
was entitled Sound. "Improvisational" music is what describes the type of music Al
enjoys to play. This "improvisational" sound is basically making up the tunes, beats,
and sounds as the song progresses. The sound may not be delightful to the untrained
ear, but it is really beautiful to listen to. Both the sounds and skills of all the musicians,
using their listening abilities to "improvise" with one another, is of critical importance
in making the music sound right. That's why the music is always new and always "in the
moment" (Drimala website). In 1977, Al started a pharmacy in Starkville, Mississippi. .
At that time, he lived in Meridian. Everyday, Al would drive back and forth from home
to work and back again. In 1991, he decided the driving was too much and decided to
leave his Starkville pharmacy. He instead established a new pharmacy in the Jackson
area, where he had moved to around 1978. Tied down with his business, Al has found
it difficult to play as many shows as he used to. Nevertheless, he still makes every
effort to keep active in the music arena. Reflecting on his preparation activities, Al
indicated that "when a show is coming up, I train like a boxer. I undergo intense
practices. I get to my drum set and I practice the rudiments of getting around the
drum. I don't practice the music, I am open minded, and improvise on the spot." said Al
(Fielder interview). "Music is like painting a portrait or creative writing. Drumming is
not beating on something. I think in terms of actual music and rhythm. Like writing,
there is form to it. There has to be a vocabulary to have good music. There has to be a
starting point and an ending one" (Fielder interview). In recent years Fielder joined
with Joel Futterman and Kidd Jordan to make the album Nickelsdorf Knofrontation,
and in 1998 he recorded Southern Extreme with them live at Mississippi State
University.
Biography written by Brian Beaulieu (SHS)