In Focus: John Tchicai

Born in Copenhagen, Danish-Congolese saxophonist John Tchicai's outsized talent surpassed the small Danish jazz scene. Moving to New York in the 1960s, he was part of the ceaselessly inventive "new thing" school, playing with Archie Shepp, Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Bill Dixon and others. A rare accolade, Tchicai played alongside both John Coltrane and John Lennon, performing with the latter on the album "Unfinished Music No 2: Life with the Lions". Tchicai taught music and practised yoga for much of the '70s and into the '80s. Towards the end of the 20th Century and into the 21st, he returned to jazz with an increased creative fervour, experimenting with fusion sounds and even electronics, most notably on "John Tchicai with Strings", created in collaboration with UK production duo Spring Heel Jack. Tchicai was the first jazz musician to receive a lifetime grant from Denmark's ministry of culture. He passed away in 2012.