George Russell's impact on the history of jazz cannot be understated. His work as a composer, educator and music theorist influenced some of the most important figures in the history of jazz, including trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Bill Evans, and composer Gil Evans.

Born in 1923, Russell was surrounded by music from an early age, singing in his church's choir as well as listening to the big bands that would play on the riverboats that would travel through his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. Initially pursuing a career as a drummer, he would study music composition while recovering from an illness in a military hospital during World War II. His interest in composition was only further inspired after hearing Thelonious Monk's seminal composition 'Round Midnight.

During a second stint in the hospital in 1945, Russell began working on what would eventually become known as the Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization. First published in 1953, Russell's book became a tremendous influence on the burgeoning modal jazz movement, as Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Bill Evans were all documented fans of his work. Early hints of Russell's theory can be heard in his two-part composition for the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, Cubano Be, Cubano Bop. His revolutionary and forward-thinking composition, A Bird in Igor's Yard, was recorded by Buddy DeFranco in 1949.

Russell formed his first of several groups in the mid-1950s. Although he rarely played with these groups himself, they were always staffed by some of the most forward-thinking young minds in jazz. Several of his records during this time period are considered classics today. These groups would vary in size from small combos to full big bands and beyond, and even featured some early examples of embracing electronic instruments in the late 1960s.

In late 1956, Russell recorded twelve compositions for an album entitled The Jazz Workshop which were all based on his Lydian Chromatic Concept. This album created quite a stir in the jazz community, pointing to a new direction in musical that could be used for both composition and improvisation. Russell was one of six composers commissioned to write pieces for the 1957 Brandeis University Jazz Festival of the Arts. All About Rosie was written for this occasion (and then later recorded by The Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band in 1961). The composition was lauded as one of the first successful works that combined jazz and concert music, and the solo recorded by a young pianist named Bill Evans made him a star; this solo is so famous that when All About Rosie was published in score format, the solo was transcribed for those who wanted to study and play it.

Russell signed with Decca Records and recorded two classic albums with large ensemble, New York, N.Y. and Jazz in the Space Age. He formed a sextet that recorded several albums for Riverside Records. In 1964 he moved to Scandinavia, forming a new sextet and began composing in what he called "Vertical Form," which he explained as "layers or strata of divergent modes of rhythmic behavior." Such works as Now and Then, Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature, Othello Ballet Suite, and Listen to the Silence were recorded by the Italian Soul Note label.

In 1969, Russell joined the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston on recommendation of his friend, fellow jazz theorist Gunther Schuller. While at NEC, Russell ran a big band and continued to develop and teach the Lydian Concept. In 1984, his composition The African Game was one of the first works to be released on the resuscitated Blue Note Record label. One of his greatest works, it was lauded in the press and was nominated for two Grammy Awards. His Living Time ensemble toured extensively as he continued to compose works for large ensemble. Along with leading his Living Time Orchestra in the 1980s, this would remain the primary focus of Russell's time and energy until his passing in 2009.