Malachi Favors
born on 22/8/1937 in Lexington, MS, United States
died on 30/1/2004 in Chicago, IL, United States
Malachi Favors
Malachi Favors (born August 22, 1927, Lexington, Mississippi died January 30, 2004, Chicago, Illinois) was a noted American jazz bassist best known for his work with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Biography
Favors primarily played the double bass, but also played the electric bass guitar, banjo, zither, gong, and other instruments. He began playing double bass at age fifteen and began performing professionally upon graduating high school. Early performances included work with Dizzy Gillespie and Freddie Hubbard. By 1965, he was a founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and a member of Muhal Richard Abrams' Experimental Band.[1]
At some point he added the word "Maghostut" to his name and because of this he is commonly listed as "Malachi Favors Maghostut." Musically he is most associated with bebop, hard bop, and particularly free jazz.[2]
Favors was a protégé of Chicago bassist Wilbur Ware. His first known recording was a 1953 session with tenor saxophonist Paul Bascomb. He made an LP with Chicago pianist Andrew Hill (1957). He began working with Roscoe Mitchell in 1966; this group eventually became the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Favors also worked outside the group, with artists including Sunny Murrary, Archie Shepp, and Dewey Redman.[3]
Prominent records include Natural and the Spiritual (solo bass, 1977) and Sightsong (duets with Muhal Richard Abrams, 1975). In 1994 he played with Roman Bunka (Oud) at Berlin Jazz Fest and recorded the German Critics Poll Winner album Color me Cairo.
Death & legacy
Favors died of pancreatic cancer in 2004, aged 76. Since his death, there have been several recorded tributes by fellow musicians (and especially Chicagoans), including Big M, A Tribute to Malachi by Kahil El'Zabar and the "Malachi Favors Suite" for unaccompanied double bass, composed and recorded by fellow Chicago bassist Karl E. H. Seigfried.
Discography
with Art Ensemble of Chicago
Title | Year | Label | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Sound - Roscoe Mitchell Sextet | 1966 | Delmark | ||
Old/Quartet - Roscoe Mitchell | 1967 | Nessa | ||
Numbers 1 & 2 - Lester Bowie | 1967 | Nessa | ||
Congliptious - Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble | 1968 | Nessa | ||
A Jackson in Your House | 1969 | Actuel | ||
Tutankhamun | 1969 | Freedom | ||
The Spiritual | 1969 | Freedom | ||
People in Sorrow | 1969 | Pathé-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 | Pathé-Marconi | ||
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 | AECO | ||
Tribute to Lester | 2001 | ECM | ||
Reunion | 2003 | Around Jazz | ||
The Meeting | 2003 | Pi | ||
Sirius Calling | 2004 | Pi |
With Hanah Jon Taylor & Vincent Davis
- Maghostut Trio "Live at Last" (RogueArt, 2006)
With Roman Bunka
- Color Me Cairo (Enja, 1995)
With Andrew Hill
- So In Love (Warwick, 1960)
With Roscoe Mitchell
- The Flow of Things (Black Saint, 1986)
With Dewey Redman
- Tarik (BYG Actuel, 1969)
References
- NNDB article
- Art Ensemble of Chicago obituary
- [Malachi Favors at All Music Guide Allmusic article]
External links
This article uses material from the article Malachi Favors from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.