He has played with many artists including Sun Ra, Max Roach, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock.
Priester attended Chicago's DuSable High School, where he studied under Walter Dyett. In his teens he played with blues and R&B artists such as Muddy Waters, Dinah Washington, and Bo Diddley, and had the opportunity to jam with jazz players like Max Roach, trumpeter Clifford Brown, and saxophonist Sonny Stitt.
In the early 1950s Priester was a member of Sun Ra's big band, recording several albums with the group before leaving Chicago in 1956 to tour with Lionel Hampton. In 1958 he settled in New York and joined the band of drummer Max Roach. While playing in Roach's group Priester also recorded two albums as a leader, Keep Swingin' and Spiritsville for Riverside, both of which came out in 1960.
In 1961 Priester left the Max Roach band, and between 1961 and 1969 appeared as a sideman on albums by Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Blue Mitchell, Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, and Sam Rivers. During that period he also took part in John Coltrane's Africa/Brass ensemble, which played with Coltrane's quartet on the album by the same name recorded in 1961. In 1969 he accepted an offer to play with Duke Ellington's big band, and he stayed with that ensemble for six months before leaving in 1970 to join pianist Herbie Hancock's fusion sextet.
After leaving the Hancock group in 1973, Priester moved to San Francisco, where he recorded two more albums as a leader: Love, Love in 1974 and 1977's Polarization. In 1979 he joined the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, where he teaches jazz composition, performance, and history. In the 1980s he became a member of the Dave Holland quintet and also returned to Sun Ra's band; the 1990s saw the addition of Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra to his schedule. In addition to teaching and touring, Priester continues to record albums under his own name. He released Hints on Light and Shadow (with Sam Rivers and Tucker Martine) in 1997 and followed it up in 2003 with In Deep End Dance.
Because most of his career was spent touring and recording with artists more significant than himself Priester has not received the attention he perhaps deserves. His musical experience spans to the borders of jazz and beyond, encompassing R&B, bebop, hard bop, and progressive and free jazz.
Just Friends
Julian Priester Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just friends, but not like before
To think of what we've been and not to kiss again
Seems like pretending it isn't the ending
Two friends drifting apart
Two friends, but one broken heart
We loved, we laughed, we cried, and suddenly love died
The lyrics of Julian Priester's song "Just Friends" vividly paint a picture of a bittersweet ending to a romantic relationship. The song is describing the transition from being lovers to becoming just friends. The singer speaks to his former partner, expressing that although they will still be friends, their relationship will never be the same. The line "just friends, but not like before" conveys that there is a sense of distance between them now.
The chorus, "to think of what we've been and not to kiss again, seems like pretending it isn't the ending", expresses the sense of loss and longing that comes with transitioning from a romantic to a platonic relationship. The singer realizes that it is time to move on but cannot help but feel the pain of the separation. The line "two friends drifting apart, two friends but one broken heart" is particularly poignant as it emphasizes the idea that the two people can never really go back to being just friends because one of them is still in love.
In summary, "Just Friends" is a nostalgic and melancholic song about the end of a romantic relationship and the attempt to remain friends despite the pain of separation. It captures the complexities of human emotions and relationships, and emphasizes how difficult it can be to let go of someone you once loved deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
Just friends, lovers no more
We used to be lovers, but now we're only friends.
Just friends, but not like before
Although we're still friends, our relationship has changed.
To think of what we've been and not to kiss again
It's hard to reminisce about our past experiences without feeling the desire to kiss again.
Seems like pretending it isn't the ending
Though we are trying to be just friends, it feels like we're in denial about our relationship's end.
Two friends drifting apart
Our friendship is disintegrating.
Two friends, but one broken heart
Even though we're both friends, one of us has a broken heart due to the loss of our romantic relationship.
We loved, we laughed, we cried, and suddenly love died
We had a great relationship as lovers filled with love, laughter, and tears, but abruptly, our love vanished.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: JOHN KLENNER, SAM M. LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nashira Priester
on Anatomy Of Longing
Great record and a good time to listen to it with all the scientific visual information available to us at this time.