John Stevens

John Stevens (1940-1994) was an English drummer and a founder of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, a London group devoted to free improvisation. He met Trevor Watts and Paul Rutherford at the RAF School of Music and formed the SME with them in the mid-1960s. He is remembered for that group and for his teaching, which brought improvised music to people far outside the jazz scene. The SME released its first album, Challenge, in 1967 and played at the Little Theatre Club in London.