Robert Northern, May 21, 1934 – May 31, 2019, also known as Brother Ah was an American jazz French Hornist. Born in North Carolina, Northern was raised in The Bronx. He studied at The Manhattan School of Music in the 1950s and at The Vienna State Academy in 1960. Perhaps his most well-known role was as a session musician. He worked extensively with musicians like Sun Ra, Gil Evans and Sun Ra in the 1950s, 1960s, as well as the Jazz Composers Orchestra, Roland Kirk and John Coltrane. Don Cherry, Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis were among his many collaborators. From 1963 to 1971, he lived in New York City. He then visited Africa seven times during 1972-1977, after which he became more interested in non-Western music. He released many albums in the 1970s as a bandleader, including Sound Awareness (1974), which featured Max Roach (and M’Boom). These albums were reissued in 2000 on CD by Ikef Records. Later in his career, Northern expanded beyond horn playing to include percussion and flute performance. From 1970 to 1973, he taught at Dartmouth College, Brown University, 1973-1982, and at the Levine School of Music, Washington, D.C., from 1982 to 1982. The World Music Ensemble was founded by Northern. This group explores American, Japanese, Spanish and East Indian musical traditions. The Sounds of Awareness Ensemble explores nature and music. As Brother Ah, Northern hosted a weekly jazz-oriented radio program called The Jazz Collectors on WPFW in Washington. Bob Northern, 86, died in Washington on May 31, 2020.
