Results for "Henry Threadgill"

Henry Threadgill

Henry Threadgill first performed as a percussionist in his high school marching band before taking up the baritone saxophone and later a large portion of the woodwind instrument family. He soon settled primarily upon the alto saxophone and the flute. He was one of the original members of the legendary AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) in his hometown of Chicago and worked under the guidance of Muhal Richard Abrams before leaving to tour with a gospel band. He later served in the Army, where he played with a rock band. Upon his return to Chicago he rejoined fellow AACM members Fred Hopkins and Steve McCall, forming a trio which would eventually become the group Air, one of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed avant-garde jazz groups of the 1970s and 1980s

2020: The Year in Jazz

By KEN FRANCKLING

The COVID-19 pandemic put the jazz world in a tailspin, just like the world at large, in 2020. And there is plenty of uncertainty going into the new year about what “new normal: might emerge from the darkness. International Jazz Day, like so many other things, became an online virtual event this time around. Pianist Keith ...

A Night at the Jazz Circus! - Part 1

By LUDOVICO GRANVASSU

Circus is like Jazz. They both require a great deal of originality and a capacity to improvise and be in the moment. They come out of a sense of urgency and self-expression since artists do not embrace them to get rich. And they both demand incredible dedication and discipline. This week we explore the ...

Steph Richards: Supersense

By MIKE JURKOVIC

With all the threatening weirdness and desperate surrealism that has become life in the USA, it makes absolute sense that Supersense, daring trumpeter/composer Steph Richards' third full length album, starts out like an encroaching invasion of ants, or microbes, or a disruptive, divisive, myopic political movement. As with such forward seeking rebels as Henry ...

Jason Robinson: Harmonic Constituent

By MARK CORROTO

If you've ever visited Mendocino County you would have a head start to appreciate saxophonist Jason Robinson's Harmonic Constituent. His week-long retreat to this magnificent Northern California coast inspired this ambitious and diverse recording. Robinson, a musical omnivore previously recorded with the quartet Cosmologic, his Henry Threadgill inspired Janus Ensemble, in duos with Anthony Davis and ...

Brian Krock: Advocating for True Value in Humanity

By LEO SIDRAN

Musician, bandleader-arranger-composer, and YouTuber Brian Krock on the role of critical analysis in music, the “unintended consequences of the capitalist nature of music education," what it means to improvise as a composer, how reading James Joyce influenced his relationship to listening to and writing music and led him to “create artwork that invites people to put ...

A Jazz Immuno-Booster: Part 8

By LUDOVICO GRANVASSU

The immuno-booster series is back. After all and, sadly, the pandemic is everything but over so our need for soothing and uplifting music is greater than ever. As usual, we've asked a number of prominent jazz musicians to share with our readers the music they rely for encouragement. For this instalment the selectors were ...

Pulitzer and Polar Prizes —Henry Threadgill, Wadada Leo Smith, Wayne Shorter

By RUSSELL PERRY

Much of Jazz at 100 Today! so far has focused on younger musicians who are making their mark on the music. In this hour, we look at the late career accolades for Henry Threadgill and Wadada Leo Smith who have been honored by the Pulitzer Prize Committee, and Wayne Shorter, the recipient of the 2017 Polar ...

Andrew D’Angelo’s DNA Orchestra, Barrage & Luis Nubiola

By MAURICE HOGUE

The size of a group means nothing. There's as much fantastic music created by a trio as there is by a big band. This episode of OMJ attempts to prove that with sparkling new music from trios (Jason Robinson, Bruno Räberg & Bob Weiner -a definite must on my faves of 2020 list, Cuban/Polish saxophonist Luis ...

Camila Nebbia, Jeff Cosgrove, Vijay Anderson and More

By MAURICE HOGUE

This episode has a definite focus on the progressive improvisation scene in Buenos Aires, with much of the music centering on the talented tenor player, Camila Nebbia. You'll hear music from several groups where Nebbia is a featured voice. Also debuting this week, drummer Jeff Cosgrove--still in trio mode--but this time without William Parker playing bass; ...