John Corbett (writer)
John Corbett is an American writer, musician, radio host, teacher, record producer, concert promoter, and gallery owner based in Chicago, Illinois. He is best known among musicians and music fans as a champion of free jazz and free improvisation. In recent years he has become known in the visual art world as well through his Corbett vs. Dempsey gallery.
Activities
Corbett's activities include:- musician playing free improvisation, usually on acoustic guitar
- staff writer for DownBeat magazine
- curator, with Ken Vandermark, of the Wednesday night jazz series at the Empty Bottle in Chicago, circa 1996–2004
- artistic director of the Berlin Jazz Festival in 2002
- record producer; he curates the Unheard Music Series for Atavistic Records, reissuing both classic and obscure recordings of free jazz and free improvisation, and has also produced new recordings by Peter Brötzmann and others
- adjunct associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he has taught since 1988
- co-owner, with Jim Dempsey, of Corbett vs. Dempsey, a Chicago art gallery
Books
- Extended Play: Sounding Off from John Cage to Dr. Funkenstein Sun Ra + Ayé Aton: Space, Interiors, and Exteriors
- Microgroove: Forays into Other Music
- A Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation
- Vinyl Freak: Love Letters to a Dying Medium
- ''Pick Up the Pieces: Excursions in Seventies Music''
Discography
I'm Sick About My HatVan's Peppy Syncopators The Devil's in the Details Battuto Twofer Humdinger Sticky Tongues and Kitchen Knives- ''Night People''