Musician. He was an American composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist. His first job was playing the blues, Rhythm and Blues, in Chicago and working as a sideman with everyone from Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, Ruth Brown and Woody Shaw. In 1950 he began writing arrangements for the King Fleming Band, and in 1955 played in the hard-bop band Modern Jazz Two Plus Three, with tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris. In 1955 he began writing arrangements for the Chicago pianist King Fleming’s band. After this group, he organized the Experimental Band in 1962. As the bands president, the band evolved into the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), emerging in May 1965. He recorded and toured throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. In 1990 he won the Jazzpar Prize and he received a 1997 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award. The National Endowment for the Arts announced that he would be one of the recipients of the 2010 NEA (The National Endowment for the Arts) Jazz Masters Award in May, 2009. June 2010, he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by New York City's premier jazz festival, known as the Vision Festival. As a composer, he represented a similarly wide range. Steeped in the blues, he also created works for chamber ensembles and orchestras. His recordings include, 1967, Levels and Degrees of Light; 1969, Young at Heart/Wise in Time; 1975, Things to Come from Those Now Gone; 1997, The Open Air Meeting (Live) with Marty Ehrlich nNew World; 2001, The Visibility of Thought; 2005, Streaming with George Lewis; 2007, Vision Towards Essence (Live), and 2010, Spectrum with Roscoe Mitchell.
Musician. He was an American composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist. His first job was playing the blues, Rhythm and Blues, in Chicago and working as a sideman with everyone from Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, Ruth Brown and Woody Shaw. In 1950 he began writing arrangements for the King Fleming Band, and in 1955 played in the hard-bop band Modern Jazz Two Plus Three, with tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris. In 1955 he began writing arrangements for the Chicago pianist King Fleming’s band. After this group, he organized the Experimental Band in 1962. As the bands president, the band evolved into the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), emerging in May 1965. He recorded and toured throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. In 1990 he won the Jazzpar Prize and he received a 1997 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award. The National Endowment for the Arts announced that he would be one of the recipients of the 2010 NEA (The National Endowment for the Arts) Jazz Masters Award in May, 2009. June 2010, he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by New York City's premier jazz festival, known as the Vision Festival. As a composer, he represented a similarly wide range. Steeped in the blues, he also created works for chamber ensembles and orchestras. His recordings include, 1967, Levels and Degrees of Light; 1969, Young at Heart/Wise in Time; 1975, Things to Come from Those Now Gone; 1997, The Open Air Meeting (Live) with Marty Ehrlich nNew World; 2001, The Visibility of Thought; 2005, Streaming with George Lewis; 2007, Vision Towards Essence (Live), and 2010, Spectrum with Roscoe Mitchell.
Bio by: Babe
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