Barry Altschul
Barry Altschul (born January 6, 1943, in New York City) is an American free jazz and hard bop drummer, who first came to notice in the late 1960s for performing with pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea.
Barry Altschul

Nomo / michael hoefner · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Barry Altschul
- Born
- 6 January 1943
- Birthplace
- New York City, U.S.
- Occupation
- Musician
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- jazz
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Barry Altschul (born January 6, 1943, in New York City) is an American free jazz and hard bop drummer, who first came to notice in the late 1960s for performing with pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q809000 · wikipedia · Barry Altschul
In this article
Biography
Biography
Altschul worked across drummer, jazz musician, composer and musician. The registers place that work in jazz. This article rests on 45 catalogued compositions, 30 issued recordings, 1 digitised documents and 15 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

Barry Altschul with the Anthony Braxton Trio Brockport, N.Y. 1976
Tom Marcello Webster, New York, USA · Barry Altschul
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Barry Altschul • Landscape — yes • Born — 6 January 1943 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Genre — Avant-garde jazz • Occupation — Musician • Instrument — Drums • Years Active — 1960s–present • Illustration — Barry Altschul, moers festival 2011
Biography
Biography
Altschul is of Russian Jewish heritage, the son of a laborer who did construction work and drove a taxi. Having initially taught himself to play drums, Altschul studied with Charlie Persip during the 1960s. In the latter part of the decade, he performed with Paul Bley. In 1969 he joined with Chick Corea, Dave Holland and Anthony Braxton to form the group Circle. At the time, he made use of a high-pitched Gretsch kit with add-on drums and percussion instruments. In the 1970s, Altschul worked extensively with Anthony Braxton's quartet featuring Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, and George E. Lewis. Braxton, signed to Arista Records, was able to secure a large enough budget to tour with a collection of dozens of percussion instruments, strings and winds. In addition to his participation in ensembles featuring avant-garde musicians, Altschul performed with Lee Konitz, Art Pepper and other "straight ahead" jazz performers. Altschul also made albums as a leader, but after the mid-1980s he was rarely seen in concert or on record, spending much of his time in Europe. Since the 2000s, he has become more visible, with five co-leader appearances with the FAB trio (with Billy Bang and Joe Fonda), the Jon Irabagon Trio recording Foxy and the bassist Adam Lane. Altschul has played or recorded with many musicians, including Roswell Rudd, Dave Liebman, Barre Phillips, Denis Levaillant, Andrew Hill, Sonny Criss, Hampton Hawes, and Lee Konitz. In 2012, Altschul began performing and recording with his new trio, the 3dom Factor, featuring saxophonist Jon Irabagon and double bassist Joe Fonda. 2019 saw the first release by the OGJB Quartet, a collective group featuring saxophonist Oliver Lake, cornetist Graham Haynes, Joe Fonda, and Altschul.
As leader
As leader
• 1977: You Can't Name Your Own Tune (32 Jazz, 1977) • 1978: Another Time/Another Place (Muse, 1978) • 1979: For Stu (Soul Note, 1981) • 1979: Somewhere Else (Moers Music, 1979) – live • 1980: Brahma (Sackville, 1980) • 1983: Irina (Soul Note, 1983) • 1985: That's Nice (Soul Note, 1986) With the 3dom Factor (Altschul, Jon Irabagon, and Joe Fonda) • 2013: The 3dom Factor (TUM) • 2015: Tales of the Unforeseen (TUM) • 2017: Live in Kraków (Not Two) • 2021: Long Tall Sunshine (Not Two) Source:
As co-leader
As co-leader
• 1967: Virtuosi with Paul Bley and Gary Peacock (Improvising Artists, 1976) • 1978: Stop Time with David Izenzon and Perry Robinson (NoBusiness, 2023) • 1979: Be-Bop? with Pepper Adams (Musica, 1979) • 2014?: BBK with Barry Wedgle and Kim Stone (Exit, 2014)
As a member
As a member
The FAB Trio With Joe Fonda, Billy Bang • Transforming the Space (CIMP, 2003) • Live at Iron Works (Konnex, 2005) • A Night in Paris (Marge, 2008) • Live in Amsterdam (Porter, 2009) • History of Jazz in Reverse (TUM, 2011) Source: The OGJB Quartet With Oliver Lake, Graham Haynes, Joe Fonda • Bamako (TUM, 2019) • Ode to O (TUM, 2022) Source:
As sideman
As sideman
With Paul Bley • Touching (Debut, 1965) • Closer (ESP-Disk, 1966) • Ramblin (BYG Actuel, 1967) • Blood (Fontana, 1966) • In Haarlem - Blood (Freedom, 1967) • Ballads (rec. 1967, ECM, 1971) • Paul Bley & Scorpio (Milestone, 1973) • Japan Suite (Improvising Artists, 1977) • Hot (Soul Note, 1985) • Live at Sweet Basil (Soul Note, 1988) • Indian Summer (SteepleChase, 1987) • Rejoicing (SteepleChase, 1989) With Anthony Braxton • The Complete Braxton (Freedom, 1973) – rec. 1971 • News from the 70s (Musica Jazz/Felmay, 1998) – rec. 1971–1976 • Town Hall 1972 (Trio, 1972) • Quartet: Live at Moers Festival (Ring, 1976) – rec. 1974 • Five Pieces 1975 (Arista, 1975) • Creative Orchestra Music 1976 (Arista, 1976) • Dortmund (Quartet) 1976 (hatART, 1991) – rec. 1976 • The Montreux/Berlin Concerts (Arista, 1976) – rec. 1975–76 With Chick Corea • The Song of Singing (Blue Note, 1971) – rec. 1970 • ARC (ECM, 1971) • Circle 1: Live in Germany Concert (CBS/Sony Japan, 1971) – live rec. 1970 • Circle 2: Gathering (CBS/Sony Japan, 1971) – live • Paris Concert (ECM, 1972) – rec. 1971 • Circling In (Blue Note, 1975) – rec. 1968, 1970 • Circulus (Blue Note, 1978) – rec. 1970 • The Beginning (LaserLight Digital, 1996) – rec. 1970 With Annette Peacock • 1972 I'm the One • 2014 I Belong to a World That's Destroying Itself [aka Revenge] With Sam Rivers • 1973 Hues (Impulse!) • 1975 Sizzle (Impulse!) • 1976 The Quest (Red) • 1977 Paragon (Fluid) • 1977 Zenith (NoBusiness, 2019) • 1978 Ricochet (NoBusiness, 2020) • 2007 Reunion: Live in New York (Pi, 2012) With Roswell Rudd • 1974 Flexible Flyer (Freedom) • 2009 Trombone Tribe (Sunnyside) With Ullmann/Swell 4 • 2004 Desert Songs and Other Landscapes (CIMP) • 2010 News? No News! (Jazzwerskstatt) • 2010 Live in Montreal (CIMP) • 2022 We're Playing in Here? (NoBusiness) With others • 1972 Hold That Plane!, Buddy Guy • 1972 Play the Blues, Buddy Guy/Junior Wells • 1973 Conference of the Birds, Dave Holland (ECM) • 1973 Icarus, Paul Winter • 1974 Drum Ode, Dave Liebman • 1975 Coon Bid'ness, Julius Hemphill, reissued in 1995 as Reflections • 1975 Spiral, Andrew Hill • 1982 Give and Take, John Lindberg (Black Saint) • 1983 And Far Away Kenny Drew (Soul Note) • 1983 Lido, Claudio Fasoli • 1983 My One and Only Love, Franco D'Andrea • 1983 No Idea of Time, Franco D'Andrea • 1983 Sounds of Love, Tiziana Ghiglioni • 1986 Passages, Denis Levaillant (DLM, 1986/2012) • 1990 Brundl's Basslab, Manfred Brundl • 1991 For All the Marbles Suite, Simon Nabatov • 1992 Giacobazzi: Autour de la Rade, André Jaume • 1995 Live, Brundl's Basslab • 1997 Kinshasa-Washington D.C.-Paris, Ray Lema • 1999 Clarinet Sessions, André Jaume • 2000 Another Side, Ken Simon • 2001 Skillfullness, Alan Silva • 2002 Four Beings, Adam Lane • 2005 Flat Fleet, Enrico Rava • 2020 An Evening in Houston, Patty Waters Source:
Life and work
Life and work
Barry Altschul was born on 6 January 1943 in The Bronx. Altschul held the nationality of United States. Altschul worked as drummer, jazz musician, composer and musician. The fields Altschul worked in include jazz. Altschul played the drum kit. Altschul worked in English.
Catalogued output
Compositions
The entries below are works composed by the subject, as the institutional registers catalogue them; later performances and commercial recordings of the same music are listed separately. 45 further compositions are catalogued under Altschul's name without a date the collections agree on, which is why they are set apart from the dated run rather than placed in it. A selection is set out below and the complete run may be opened beneath it.
The entries follow MusicBrainz
History of Jazz in Reverse
For Frank Lowe
From the Waters of New Orleans
Ballad for Tillie
Olhos de gato
Be Out S’Cool
Percussion Piece. Útviklingssang
Tune for Barry
For Papa Jo, Klook & Philly Too
Just a Simple Song
From Here to There
Issued recordings
Primary material
Issued recordings
These are published sound issues catalogued under the name. Most postdate the works they carry, and an issue is never counted here as a work of composition. 6 issues carry dates between 1971 and 2023. The run opens with A.R.C. and closes with Stop Time: Live at Prince Street, 1978. The 1970s are the densest part of the run, with 3 titles, and that concentration is a fact about what the registers have catalogued rather than a judgement on the work itself.
Recordings and discography
Primary material
Recordings and discography
The discography assembled here shows how Altschul's work has been published in sound, not what Altschul made. 24 sound issues are catalogued, carrying dates from 1971 to 2023. An issue is a published recording, distinct from the composition it carries, from a printed score of that composition and from any single performance of it; none of the entries below is counted in the catalogue of compositions above, and several of them carry the same work in different readings. The 1980s are the densest decade of publication, with 6 issues. The performers and issuing labels are as the discographic register states them; where it names no performer the article names none.
The 3dom Factor
2013
Drum Ode
1975
World-Music-Meeting
1985
Tales Of The Unforseen
2015
A.R.C
1971
Passages
1986
Long Tall Sunshine
2021
Irina
1998
Be-Bop?
1979
Around Again
2018
Les Passagers Du Delta (The Passengers of the Delta)
2013
Brahma
1980
Japan Suite
1992
Stop Time (Live at Prince Street, 1978)
2023
You Can’t Name Your Own Tune
1977
Autour De La Rade
1993
Give and Take
1985
No Idea Of Time
1984
The Art of Percussion
2020
Live in New York
2012
At Moers Festival
1976
Ricochet
2020
For Stu
1981
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Barry Altschul”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
institutional register
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q809000: Barry Altschul
General reference · Wikimedia Foundation
Where the work is held
Institutional memberships
Altschul is recorded as a member of Sam Rivers Quintet and The OGJB Quartet. Membership is stated by the bodies' own records and is not read here as evidence of office or of any particular role within them.
Authority records
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Wikidata, structured authority record Q809000: Barry AltschulWikimedia Foundation
General reference
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Formation and teaching. Each of those relationships is stated by the authority record rather than inferred from style.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
42,438 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Barriemore BarlowPerson
- Barrington LevyPerson
- Barrington PheloungPerson
- Barry AdamsonPerson
- Barry AndrewsPerson
- Barry BanksPerson
- Barry BeckettPerson
- Barry BiggsPerson
Best supported in this field
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