Amina Claudine Myers

Amina Claudine Myers

Amina Claudine Myers Photo: Bob Travis
Background information
Birth name Amina Claudine Myers
Born (1942-03-21) March 21, 1942
Blackwell, Arkansas United States
Genres Jazz, Gospel
Occupation(s) Musician, composer, musical arranger
Years active 1969–present

Amina Claudine Myers (born March 21, 1942) is an American jazz pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, and musical arranger.[1]

Biography

Born in Blackwell, Arkansas (a small community on US 64 in western Conway County), Myers started singing and playing the piano and organ as a child in church choirs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in Texas, where she grew up, and directed choirs at an early age. She graduated in concert music and music education at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas in the early 1960s. After graduation, she moved to Chicago, where she taught music, attended classes at Roosevelt University and worked with musicians such as Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons. In 1966 she joined the AACM in Chicago, focusing on vocal compositions and arrangements, and recording her first jazz album with Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre in 1969.

In 1976 Myers relocated to New York City,[2] where she intensified her compositional work and expanded it into the realm of Off-Broadway productions. She also continued performing and recording as a pianist and organist. Around 1978 she began touring in Europe with the Lester Bowie Quintet and his New York Organ Ensemble.[2] In 1985 she joined Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra.

Notable collaborations also include recordings with Bill Laswell, Marian McPartland, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Archie Shepp, David Murray, Arthur Blythe, Frank Lowe, Leroy Jenkins, Jim Pepper and Ray Anderson.

Discography

As leader

Albums featured

With Muhal Richard Abrams

With the Art Ensemble of Chicago

With Arthur Blythe

With Lester Bowie

With Frank Lowe

With Greg Osby

With Jim Pepper

With Third Rail

With Henry Threadgill

With James Blood Ulmer

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic biography
  2. 1 2 "Full length Bio: Amina Claudine Myers", Company of Heaven.
  3. ↑ "Third Rail – South Delta Space Age", Polystar – PSCW-5338

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, January 14, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.