Edgar Eugene Summerlin was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and educator known for pioneering Liturgical jazz, avant-garde jazz, and free jazz.
Professional career
While a graduate student at the University of North Texas College of Music, Summerlin, in 1959, composed Requiem for Mary Jo, which is widely believed to be one of the first significant uses of jazz in a liturgical service. He and his wife, Mary Elizabeth, had a daughter, Mary Jo, who died of heart disease at age nine months on January 27, 1959, in Denton. He performed Requiem for Mary Jo May 20, 1959, during a service in the chapel at the Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. Bill Slack, Jr., Assistant Pastor of the First Methodist Church of Denton, who had visited the Summerlins while Mary Jo was near death in the hospital, had encouraged Summerlin to compose Requiem. Dr. Roger Ellwood Ortmayer, then of the Perkins School, commissioned the work. That same year, still studying and teaching at North Texas, Summerlin recorded his debut LP, Liturgical Jazz, on which "Requiem for Mary Jo," was the heartbreaking centerpiece. Saturday night, February 13, 1960, NBC's World Wide 60 visited Denton to air the story of Ed Summerlin's liturgical jazz. Summerlin's grieving and spiritual creativity inspired him to compose other liturgical jazz pieces, including
Episcopal Evensong
Jazz Vespers Service
Liturgy of the Holy Spirit Summerlin Music Co., piano-vocal score, 13 pgs
As the sixties progressed, Summerlin gradually established himself as an avant-garde tenor saxophonist, composer and arranger. At the same time, his well-publicized prime time television debut was followed by several Sunday morning appearances throughout the 1960s on the long-running CBS series, Look Up and Live, collaborating with musicians such as Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, Don Ellis, Slide Hampton, and Ron Carter, as well as choreographer Anna Sokolow. During this decade, Summerlin also scored two feature films, the little-known 1963 Bay of Pigs-inspired drama, We Shall Return and the even lesser known 1967 film Ciao, which, after becoming the only U.S. feature film to be entered in that year's Venice Film Festival, failed to find a distributor and quickly disappeared from view.
Summerlin relocated to New York in the early 1960s, where he freelanced with Eric Dolphy, Pete LaRoca, Don Ellis, and Sheila Jordan. He also composed and arranged for Ron Carter, Kuhn, Freddie Hubbard, Dave Liebman, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Lee Konitz. In 1969 collaborated with saxophonist and journalist Don Heckman to co-lead the Improvisational Jazz Workshop. Summerlin also composed and/or arranged for Carter, Kuhn, Freddie Hubbard, Dave Leibman, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lee Konitz. As a tenor saxophonist his style was eclectic, reaching from jaunty, straight-ahead playing to horn-scouring avant-garde sounds.
Winnie the Pooh: Told and Sung – words and music by A. A. Milne, Fraser-Simson and Julian Slade, read and sung by Carol Channing; additional music, arrangements and conducting by Ed Summerlin.
Many Moons – James Thurber story read by Peter Ustinov; background music composed and conducted by Edgar Summerlin.
The Great Quillow – James Thurber story read by Peter Ustinov; background music composed and conducted by Ed Summerlin.
Curious George,' and other stories about Curious George – read by Julie Harris; background music composed and conducted by Ed Summerlin.
Curious George Reads the Alphabet,' and other stories about Curious George – read by Julie Harris; music composed and conducted by Ed Summerlin.
Whoever heard of a Fird? – Othello Bach story performed by Joel Grey; arranged and conducted by Ed Summerlin.
