HUMAN ARTS ENSEMBLE (JAMES MARSHALL)

The Human Arts Ensemble was a 1970s musical collective operating in St. Louis, Missouri. Members explored free jazz and loosely associated themselves with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and the Black Artists' Group (BAG) collective. It was formed in 1971 with the idea that performers could perform in the ensemble, without restrictions as to the performer's race. Additionally, public funding had ended for musical associations that were suspected of having connections with radical organizations. It disbanded in 1977. Human Arts Ensemble co-founder, saxophonist James Marshall, continues to pursue the vision of HAE to this day in Tucson, Arizona. Originally, after its activity in St. Louis, Jim and his then wife (and HAE co-founder) Carol, moved to Oregon to continue the project there in the context of a musician's commune. Unfortunately, neither the marriage (they're still friends) nor the commune lasted. However, when Jim moved to Tucson, read more...