Lester Bowie
born on 11/10/1941 in Frederick, MD, United States
died on 8/11/1999 in New York City, NY, United States
Lester Bowie
| Lester Bowie |
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Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941–November 8, 1999[1]) was an American jazz trumpet player[2] and composer. He was a member of the AACM, and cofounded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Biography
Born in the historic village of Bartonsville in Frederick, Maryland, Bowie grew up in St Louis, Missouri. At the age of five he started studying the trumpet with his father, a professional musician. He played with blues musicians such as Little Milton and Albert King, and rhythm and blues stars such as Solomon Burke, Joe Tex, and Rufus Thomas. In 1965, he became Fontella Bass's musical director and husband.[1] He was a co-founder of Black Artists Group (BAG) in St Louis.
In 1966, he moved to Chicago, where he worked as a studio musician, and met Muhal Richard Abrams and Roscoe Mitchell and became a member of the AACM. In 1968, he founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago[2] with Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, and Malachi Favors. He remained a member of this group for the rest of his life, and was also a member of Jack DeJohnette's New Directions quartet. He lived and worked in Jamaica and Africa, and played and recorded with Fela Kuti.[3] Bowie's onstage appearance, in a white lab coat, with his goatee waxed into two points, was an important part of the Art Ensemble's stage show.
In 1984, he formed Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, a brass nonet in which Bowie demonstrated jazz's links to other forms of popular music, a decidedly more populist approach than that of the Art Ensemble. With this group he recorded songs made popular by Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Manson, and the Spice Girls, along with more "serious" material. His New York Organ Ensemble featured James Carter and Amina Claudine Myers. In the mid 1980's he was also part of the jazz supergroup The Leaders. Featuring tenor saxophonist Chico Freeman, alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe, drummer Famoudou Don Moye, pianist Kirk Lightsey, and bassist Cecil McBee.
Although seen as part of the avant-garde, Bowie embraced techniques from the whole history of jazz trumpet, filling his music with humorous smears, blats, growls, half-valve effects, and so on. His affinity for reggae and ska is exemplified by his composition "Ska Reggae Hi-Bop", which he performed with the Skatalites on their 1994 "Hi-Bop Ska", and also with James Carter on "Conversin' With The Elders".
Also 1994, Bowie appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time.
Bowie took an adventurous and humorous approach to music and criticized Wynton Marsalis for his conservative approach to jazz tradition.
Bowie died of liver cancer in 1999 at his Brooklyn, NY house he shared with second wife Deborah for 20 years. The following year he was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.[4] In 2001, the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded Tribute to Lester.
Discography
As leader
| Title | Year | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers 1 & 2 | 1967 | Nessa | ||
| Gittin' to Know Y'All (features Bowie conducting the Baden-Baden Free Jazz Orchestra) | 1970 | MPS | ||
| Fast Last! | 1974 | Muse | ||
| Rope-A-Dope | 1976 | Muse | ||
| African Children | 1978 | Horo | ||
| Duet (with Phillip Wilson) | 1978 | Improvising Artists | ||
| The 5th Power | 1978 | Black Saint | ||
| The Great Pretender | 1981 | ECM | ||
| All the Magic | 1983 | ECM | ||
| Bugle Boy Bop (with Charles "Bobo" Shaw) | 1983 | Muse | ||
| Duet (with Nobuyoshi Ino) | 1985 | Paddle Wheel |
Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy
| Title | Year | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Only Have Eyes for You | 1985 | ECM | ||
| Avant Pop | 1986 | ECM | ||
| Twilight Dreams | 1987 | Venture | ||
| Serious Fun | 1989 | DIW | ||
| My Way | 1990 | DIW | ||
| Live at the 6th Tokyo Music Joy (with the Art Ensemble Of Chicago) | 1990 | DIW | ||
| The Fire This Time | 1992 | In & Out | ||
| The Odyssey Of Funk & Popular Music | 1999 | Atlantic |
Lester Bowie's New York Organ Ensemble
| Title | Year | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Organizer | 1991 | DIW | ||
| Funky T. Cool T. | 1992 | DIW |
With the Art Ensemble of Chicago
| Title | Year | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old/Quartet - Roscoe Mitchell | 1967 | Nessa | ||
| Numbers 1 & 2 - Lester Bowie | 1967 | Nessa | ||
| Congliptious - Roscoe Mitchell | 1967 | Nessa | ||
| A Jackson in Your House | 1969 | Actuel | ||
| Tutankhamun | 1969 | Freedom | ||
| the Spiritual | 1969 | Freedom | ||
| People in Sorrow | 1969 | Pathe Marconi | ||
| Message to Our Folks | 1969 | Actuel | ||
| Reese and the Smooth Ones | 1969 | Actuel | ||
| Eda Wobu | 1969 | JMY | ||
| Certain Blacks | 1970 | America | ||
| Go Home | 1970 | Galloway | ||
| Chi-Congo | 1970 | Paula | ||
| Les Stances a Sophie | 1970 | America | ||
| Live in Paris | 1970 | Freedom | ||
| Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass | 1970 | America | ||
| Phase One | 1971 | America | ||
| Live at Mandell Hall | 1972 | Delmark | ||
| Bap-Tizum | 1972 | Atlantic | ||
| Fanfare for the Warriors | 1973 | Atlantic | ||
| Kabalaba | 1974 | AECO | ||
| Nice Guys | 1978 | ECM | ||
| Live in Berlin | 1979 | West Wind | ||
| Full Force | 1980 | ECM | ||
| Urban Bushmen | 1980 | ECM | ||
| Among the People | 1980 | Praxis | ||
| The Complete Live in Japan | 1984 | DIW | ||
| The Third Decade | 1984 | ECM | ||
| Naked | 1986 | DIW | ||
| Ancient to the Future | 1987 | DIW | ||
| The Alternate Express | 1989 | DIW | ||
| Art Ensemble of Soweto | 1990 | DIW | ||
| America - South Africa | 1990 | DIW | ||
| Thelonious Sphere Monk with Cecil Taylor | 1990 | DIW | ||
| Dreaming of the Masters Suite | 1990 | DIW | ||
| Live at the 6th Tokyo Music Joy with Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy | 1991 | DIW | ||
| Fundamental Destiny with Don Pullen | 1991 | AECO | ||
| Salutes the Chicago Blues Tradition | 1993 | AECO | ||
| Coming Home Jamaica | 1996 | Atlantic | ||
| Urban Magic | 1997 | Musica Jazz |
With the Leaders
Main article: The Leaders
- Mudfoot (Black Hawk) 1986
- Out Here Like This (Black Saint) 1986
- Unforeseen Blessings (Black Saint) 1988
As sideman
With David Bowie
- Black Tie White Noise (Savage, 1993)
With Jack DeJohnette
- New Directions (Black Saint, 1978)
- New Directions in Europe (Black Saint, 1979)
- Zebra (MCA, 1989)
With Brigitte Fontaine
- Comme à la Radio (Saravah, 1971)
With Melvin Jackson
- Funky Skull (Limelight, 1969)
With Fela Kuti
- No Agreement (FAK, 1977)
With Frank Lowe
- Fresh (Freedom, 1975)
With Jimmy Lyons
- Free Jazz No. 1 (Concert Hall, 1969)
- Other Afternoons (BYG, 1970)
With Roscoe Mitchell
- Sound (Delmark, 1966)
With David Murray
- Live at the Lower Manhattan Ocean Club (India Navigation, 1978)
With Sunny Murray
- Sunshine (BYG, 1969)
- Homage to Africa (BYG, 1969)
With Charles Bobo Shaw
- Under the Sun (Freedom, 1973)
- Streets of St. Louis (Moers Music, 1974)
With Archie Shepp
- Yasmina, a Black Woman (BYG, 1969)
- Blasé (BYG, 1969)
- Pitchin Can (America, 1970)
- Coral Rock (America, 1970)
With Alan Silva
- Seasons (BYG, 1971)
With Wadada Leo Smith
- Divine Love (ECM, 1979)
- Funky Donkey Vol. 1 & 2 (Atavistic) (Luther Thomas & the Human Arts Ensemble)
- Under the Sun (Universal Justice) 1974 (Human Arts Ensemble)
- Funky Donkey 1977 (Circle) (Luther Thomas Creative Ensemble)
- Free to Dance (Black Saint) 1979 (Marcello Melis)
- 6 x 1 = 10 Duos for a New Decade (Circle) 1980 (John Fischer)
- The Razor's Edge/Strangling Me With Your Love (Hannibal, 12") 1982 (Defunkt)
- The Ritual (Sound Aspects) 1985 (Kahil El'Zabar)
- Meet Danny Wilson (Virgin) 1987 (Danny Wilson)
- Sacred Love (Sound Aspects) 1988 (Kahil El'Zabar)
- Avoid The Funk (Hannibal) 1988 (Defunkt)
- Environ Days (Konnex) 1991 (John Fischer)
- Cum Funky (Enemy) 1994 (Defunkt)
- Hi-Bop Ska 1994 (Skatalites)
- Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool (Impulse!) 1994 (Various Artists) appears on one track with Digable Planets
- Bluesiana Hurricane (Shanachie) 1995 with Rufus Thomas, Bill Doggett, Chuck Rainey, Bobby Watson, Will Calhoun, and Sue Foley
- Buddy Bolden's Rag (Delmark) 1995 (Malachi Thompson & Africa Brass)
- Not Two (Biodro Records) 1995 (Mio and Lester Bowie)
- Conversin' with the Elders 1996 (James Carter)
- No Ways Tired (Nonesuch) 1995 (Fontella Bass)
- Mac's Smokin' Section (McKenzie) 1996 (Mac Gollehon)
- Hello Friend: To Ennis with Love (Verve) 1997 (Bill Cosby)
- My Secret Life (Calliope) 1998 (Sonia Dada)
- Amore Pirata (Il Manifesto) 1998 (Lorenzo Gasperoni Mamud Band feat. Lester Bowie)
- Smokin' Live (McKenzie) 1999 (Mac Gollehon)
- Talkin' About Life And Death (Biodro Records) 1999 (Mio and Lester Bowie)
- Test Pattern (Razor & Tie) 2004 (Sonia Dada)
- Hiroshima (Art Yard) 2007 (The Sun Ra All Stars Band)
Notes
- 1.0 1.1 Voce, S. Obituary: Lester Bowie The Independent, November 12, 1999
- 2.0 2.1 [Lester Bowie at All Music Guide Kelsey, Chris. allmusic]
- Babcock, J Lester Bowie on Fela Kuti, Mean Magazine October/November 1999
- 2000 Down Beat Critics Poll. downbeat.com. Retrieved on September 9, 2009.
References
- Philippe Carles, André Clergeat, and Jean-Louis Comolli, Dictionnaire du jazz, Paris, 1994
- Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather and Brian Priestley, Jazz: the Essential Companion, London, 1987
- Richard Cook and Brian Morton, The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, 6th Edition, 2002
External links
- Village Voice article
- Fontella Bass bio (misdirected to a usurper, paid site prior to 7/10)
This article uses material from the article Lester Bowie from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.