Henry Threadgill
Encyclopedia
Henry Threadgill is an American
composer
, saxophonist and flautist
. Threadgill came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres.
Henry Threadgill, aside from being a remarkable alto saxophone player, is one of the most imaginative of jazz composers today. Not long ago Peter Watrous of the New York Times described Threadgill as “perhaps the most important jazz composer of his generation.” Recent concerts in Chicago have led the local critics to speak of him as a revolutionary figure, altering the manner in which jazz itself is going. Said Howard Reich, jazz critic of the Chicago Tribune, “It would be difficult to overestimate Henry Threagill’s role in perpetually altering the meaning of jazz..…He has changed our underlying assumptions of what jazz can and should be.”'
- An excerpt from a chapter on Henry Threadgill from And They All Sang (published 2005) by late Pulitzer winning author and disc jockey Studs Terkel – a book about “forty of the greatest and most deeply human musical figures of our time.”
and later a large portion of the woodwind instrument
family. He soon settled upon the alto saxophone
and the flute
as his main instruments.
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. In 1967, he enlisted in the U.S. Army
, playing with a rock band in Vietnam
in 1967 and 1968. He was discharged in 1969.
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. In the meantime, Threadgill had moved to New York City
to begin pursuing his own musical visions, which explored musical genres in innovative ways thanks to his daringly unique group collaborations. His first group, X-75, was a nonet consisting of four reed
players, four bass
players and a vocalist.
replacing the late Steve McCall on drums, Threadgill re-formed the Henry Threadgill Sextett (with two t's at the end [three in all]) . This group recorded three CDs on the Novus Records
label. The six albums the group recorded feature some of Threadgill's most accessible work, notably on the album You Know the Number
.
The group's unorthodox instrumentation included two drummer
s, bass
, cello
, trumpet
and trombone
, in addition to Threadgill's alto and flute. Among the players who filled these roles were drummers akLaff, John Betsch, Reggie Nicholson and Newman Baker; bassist Fred Hopkins
; cellist Diedre Murray
; trumpeters Rasul Siddik and Ted Daniels; cornetist Olu Dara
; and trombonists Ray Anderson
, Bill Lowe and Craig Harris
.
During the 1990s, Threadgill pushed the musical boundaries even further with his ensemble Very Very Circus. In addition to Threadgill, the group's core consisted of two tuba
s, two electric guitar
s, a trombone
or french horn, and drums
. With this group he explored more complex and highly structured forms of composition, augmenting the group with everything from latin percussion
to French horn
to violin
to accordion
and an array of exotic instruments and vocalists.
Threadgill composed and recorded with other unusual instrumentations, such as a flute quartet (Flute Force Four, a one-time project from 1990); and combinations of four cellos and four acoustic guitars (on Makin' A Move).
By this time Threadgill's place amongst the upper echelon of the avant-garde was secured, so prolific in fact that he was signed by Columbia Records
for three albums (a rarity for musicians of his kind). Since the dissolution of Very Very Circus, Threadgill has continued in his iconoclastic ways with ensembles such as Make A Move and Zooid. Zooid, currently a sextet with tuba (Jose Davila), acoustic guitar (Liberty Ellman), cello (Christopher Hoffman), drums (Elliot Kavee) and bass guitar (Stomu Takeishi), has been the primary vehicle for Threadgill's most current compositions throughout the 2000s.
With Chico Freeman
With Roscoe Mitchell
With Frank Walton
With David Murray
With Material
With Sly & Robbie
With Bahia Black
With Leroy Jenkins
With Kip Hanrahan
With Billy Bang
With Sola
With Abiodun Oyewole
With Flute Force Four
With Douglas Ewart
With Jean-Paul Bourelly
With Ejigayehu "Gigi" Shibabaw
With Lucky Peterson
with Dafnis Prieto
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, saxophonist and flautist
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
. Threadgill came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres.
Henry Threadgill, aside from being a remarkable alto saxophone player, is one of the most imaginative of jazz composers today. Not long ago Peter Watrous of the New York Times described Threadgill as “perhaps the most important jazz composer of his generation.” Recent concerts in Chicago have led the local critics to speak of him as a revolutionary figure, altering the manner in which jazz itself is going. Said Howard Reich, jazz critic of the Chicago Tribune, “It would be difficult to overestimate Henry Threagill’s role in perpetually altering the meaning of jazz..…He has changed our underlying assumptions of what jazz can and should be.”'
- An excerpt from a chapter on Henry Threadgill from And They All Sang (published 2005) by late Pulitzer winning author and disc jockey Studs Terkel – a book about “forty of the greatest and most deeply human musical figures of our time.”
Early life and career
Threadgill first performed as a percussionist in his high school marching band before taking up the baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophone
The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
and later a large portion of the woodwind instrument
Woodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
family. He soon settled upon the alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
and the flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
as his main instruments.
He was one of the original members of the legendary AACM
AACM
AACM may refer to:* Ali Akbar College of Music, three schools founded by Indian musician Ali Akbar Khan to teach Indian classical music* Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, one of fourteen cemeteries for American World War II dead on foreign soil...
(Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) in his hometown of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and worked under the guidance of Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams is an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the Free jazz medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.- Biography :Abrams attended DuSable High School in Chicago...
before leaving to tour with a gospel band. In 1967, he enlisted in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, playing with a rock band in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
in 1967 and 1968. He was discharged in 1969.
Upon his return to Chicago he rejoined fellow AACM members Fred Hopkins
Fred Hopkins
Fred Hopkins was a Chicago double bassist who played a major role in the development of the avant-garde jazz movement. He was a member of the avant garde jazz trio Air and David Murray's Low Class Conspiracy; he frequently worked with the cellist Diedre Murray...
and Steve McCall
Steve McCall (drummer)
Steve McCall was an American jazz drummer.McCall was born in Chicago and began his career there in the 1950s. One of his early gigs was playing behind blues singer Lucky Carmichael. McCall befriended Muhal Richard Abrams in 1961, and went on to be one of the founders of the AACM in 1965...
, forming a trio which would eventually become the group Air
Air (jazz group)
Air was a free jazz trio founded in 1971 by saxophone player Henry Threadgill, double bassist Fred Hopkins and drummer Steve McCall. They combined radical free improvisation with a strong sense of tune and equal emphasis on each instrument in the group....
, one of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which ...
groups of the 1970s and 1980s. In the meantime, Threadgill had moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to begin pursuing his own musical visions, which explored musical genres in innovative ways thanks to his daringly unique group collaborations. His first group, X-75, was a nonet consisting of four reed
Woodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
players, four bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
players and a vocalist.
The Sextet/Sextett
In the early 1980s, Threadgill created his first critically acclaimed ensemble as a leader, Henry Threadgill Sextet (actually a septet; he counted the two drummers as a single percussion unit), which released three LPs on About Time Records. After a hiatus, during which Threadgill formed New Air with Pheeroan akLaffPheeroan akLaff
Pheeroan akLaff is an American jazz drummer. Pheeroan akLaff began playing in his hometown of Detroit, and Ann Arbor, Michigan with Travis Biggs, Ars Nova, The Ebony Set, The Last Days, and Rod Lumpkin, recorded with Major Lansky. Moved to New Haven, Connecticut and formed DejaVu with Dwight...
replacing the late Steve McCall on drums, Threadgill re-formed the Henry Threadgill Sextett (with two t's at the end [three in all]) . This group recorded three CDs on the Novus Records
Novus Records
Novus Records Novus Records Novus Records (later Arista Novus and RCA Novus was a United States jazz and contemporary jazz record label. It was an Arista Records imprint focused on then-contemporary jazz artists...
label. The six albums the group recorded feature some of Threadgill's most accessible work, notably on the album You Know the Number
You Know the Number
You Know the Number is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the RCA Novus label in 1986. The album and features six of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Sextett with Frank Lacy, Rasul Siddik, Fred Hopkins, Diedre Murray, Pheeroan akLaff and Reggie Nicholson.-Reception:The...
.
The group's unorthodox instrumentation included two drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
s, bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, in addition to Threadgill's alto and flute. Among the players who filled these roles were drummers akLaff, John Betsch, Reggie Nicholson and Newman Baker; bassist Fred Hopkins
Fred Hopkins
Fred Hopkins was a Chicago double bassist who played a major role in the development of the avant-garde jazz movement. He was a member of the avant garde jazz trio Air and David Murray's Low Class Conspiracy; he frequently worked with the cellist Diedre Murray...
; cellist Diedre Murray
Diedre Murray
Diedre Murray is an American cellist and composer specializing in jazz, improvised music, opera, and contemporary classical music. She is also active as a producer, and curator...
; trumpeters Rasul Siddik and Ted Daniels; cornetist Olu Dara
Olu Dara
Olu Dara Jones is an American cornetist, guitarist and singer.-History:...
; and trombonists Ray Anderson
Ray Anderson (musician)
Ray Anderson is an independent jazz trombone and trumpet player. Anderson is a boisterous trombonist who is masterful at multiphonics. Trained by the Chicago Symphony trombonists, he is regarded as pushing the limits of the instrument. He is a contemporary and colleague of trombonist/composer...
, Bill Lowe and Craig Harris
Craig S. Harris (trombonist)
Craig S. Harris is a Jazz trombonist and composer who has been a major figure in the jazz avant-garde movement since his stint with Sun Ra in 1976. Subsequently, Harris has worked with such notable jazz artists as Abdullah Ibrahim, David Murray, Lester Bowie, Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Muhal...
.
Very Very Circus and beyond
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
s, two electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s, a trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
or french horn, and drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. With this group he explored more complex and highly structured forms of composition, augmenting the group with everything from latin percussion
Latin percussion
The term Latin percussion refers to any number of a large family of musical percussion instruments used in Latin music, which in turn is a very loosely related group of musical styles, mainly from the Latin American region, and ultimately having roots or influences in African tribal...
to French horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
to violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
to accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and an array of exotic instruments and vocalists.
Threadgill composed and recorded with other unusual instrumentations, such as a flute quartet (Flute Force Four, a one-time project from 1990); and combinations of four cellos and four acoustic guitars (on Makin' A Move).
By this time Threadgill's place amongst the upper echelon of the avant-garde was secured, so prolific in fact that he was signed by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
for three albums (a rarity for musicians of his kind). Since the dissolution of Very Very Circus, Threadgill has continued in his iconoclastic ways with ensembles such as Make A Move and Zooid. Zooid, currently a sextet with tuba (Jose Davila), acoustic guitar (Liberty Ellman), cello (Christopher Hoffman), drums (Elliot Kavee) and bass guitar (Stomu Takeishi), has been the primary vehicle for Threadgill's most current compositions throughout the 2000s.
As leader
- 1979: X-75 Volume 1X-75 Volume 1X-75 Volume 1 is the debut album by Henry Threadgill released on the Arista Novus label in 1979. The album and features four of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill with Douglas Ewart, Joseph Jarman, Wallace McMillan, Leonard Jones, Brian Smith, Rufus Reid, Fred Hopkins and vocals by...
- 1982: When Was That?When Was That?When Was That? is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the About Time label in 1982. The album and features five of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill with Craig Harris, Olu Dara, Fred Hopkins, Brian Smith, Pheeroan akLaff and John Betsch.The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek states...
(Henry Threadgill Sextet) - 1983: Just the Facts and Pass the BucketJust the Facts and Pass the BucketJust the Facts and Pass the Bucket is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the About Time label in 1983. The album and features six of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill with Craig Harris, Olu Dara, Fred Hopkins, Diedre Murray, Pheeroan akLaff and John Betsch.The Allmusic review...
(Henry Threadgill Sextet) - 1984: Subject to ChangeSubject to Change (Henry Threadgill album)Subject to Change is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the About Time label in 1985. The album features six of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill with Ray Anderson, Rasul Siddik, Fred Hopkins, Diedre Murray, Pheeroan akLaff and John Betsch with Amina Claudine Myers...
(Henry Threadgill Sextet) - 1987: You Know the NumberYou Know the NumberYou Know the Number is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the RCA Novus label in 1986. The album and features six of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Sextett with Frank Lacy, Rasul Siddik, Fred Hopkins, Diedre Murray, Pheeroan akLaff and Reggie Nicholson.-Reception:The...
(Henry Threadgill Sextett, Novus RecordsNovus RecordsNovus Records Novus Records Novus Records (later Arista Novus and RCA Novus was a United States jazz and contemporary jazz record label. It was an Arista Records imprint focused on then-contemporary jazz artists...
) - 1988: Easily Slip Into Another WorldEasily Slip Into Another WorldEasily Slip Into Another World is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the RCA Novus label in 1987. The album and features five of Threadgill's compositions and one by Olu Dara performed by Threadgill with Frank Lacy, Rasul Siddik, Fred Hopkins, Diedre Murray, Pheeroan akLaff and Reggie...
(Henry Threadgill Sextett, Novus RecordsNovus RecordsNovus Records Novus Records Novus Records (later Arista Novus and RCA Novus was a United States jazz and contemporary jazz record label. It was an Arista Records imprint focused on then-contemporary jazz artists...
) - 1989: Rag, Bush and AllRag, Bush and AllRag, Bush and All is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the RCA Novus label in 1989. The album and features four of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Sextett with Bill Lowe, Ted Daniels, Fred Hopkins, Diedre Murray, Newman Baker and Reggie Nicholson.-Reception:The Allmusic...
(Henry Threadgill Sextett, Novus RecordsNovus RecordsNovus Records Novus Records Novus Records (later Arista Novus and RCA Novus was a United States jazz and contemporary jazz record label. It was an Arista Records imprint focused on then-contemporary jazz artists...
) - 1990: Spirit of Nuff...NuffSpirit of Nuff...NuffSpirit of Nuff...Nuff is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the Black Saint label in 1991. The album and features seven of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Very Very Circus with Curtis Fowlkes, Brandon Ross, Masujaa, Marcus Rojas, Edwin Rodriguez, and Gene...
(Very Very Circus) - 1991: Live at KonceptsLive at KonceptsLive at Koncepts is a live album by Henry Threadgill recorded at the Koncepts Cultural Gallery in Oakland, California. The album features seven of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Very Very Circus with Mark Taylor, Brandon Ross, Masujaa Edwin Rodriguez, Marcus Rojas, and Larry...
(Very Very Circus) - 1993: Too Much Sugar for a DimeToo Much Sugar for a DimeToo Much Sugar for a Dime is an album by Henry Threadgill, released in 1993 on the Axiom label. It has been described as: "a mad, glorious romp which explores some very dark timbres and tonalities and yet remains witty, fresh and consistently exciting." .-Track listing:# "Little Pocket Size...
(Very Very Circus, Axiom Records) - 1993: Song Out of My TreesSong Out of My TreesSong Out of My Trees is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the Black Saint label in 1994. The album features five of Threadgill's compositions performed by a variety of ensembles that include Threadgill, Ted Daniel, Brandon Ross, Jerome Richardson, James Emery, Ed Cherry, Myra Melford, Tony...
(Threadgill compositions and arrangements, although he doesn't play on all the tracks himself.) - 1994: Carry the DayCarry the DayCarry the Day is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the Columbia label in 1995. The album features six of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Very Very Circus with guest artists.-Reception:...
(Very Very Circus, Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) - 1995: Makin' a MoveMakin' a MoveMakin' a Move is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the Columbia label in 1996. The album features seven of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Very Very Circus with guest artists.-Reception:...
(half Very Very Circus, the other half performed by small ensembles of cellos, guitars and piano; Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) - 1996: Where's Your Cup?Where's Your Cup?Where's Your Cup? is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the Columbia label in 1996. The album features seven of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Make a Move band - Brandon Ross, Tony Cedras, Stomu Takeishi, and J.T...
(Make A Move, Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) - 2001: Everybodys Mouth's a BookEverybodys Mouth's a BookEverybodys Mouth's a Book is an album by Henry Threadgill featuring eight of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill & Make a Move. The album was the first album on the Pi label and was released simultaneously with Up Popped the Two Lips by Threadgill's Zooid in 2001.-Reception:Both of...
(Make A Move, Pi RecordingsPi RecordingsPi Recordings is a jazz record label whose motto is "dedicated to the innovative". Pi was founded in 2001 by Seth Rosner. He was joined as partner by Yulun Wang in 2002.- Discography :*Pi 01: Everybodys Mouth's a Book - Henry Threadgill...
) - 2001: Up Popped the Two LipsUp Popped the Two LipsUp Popped the Two Lips is an album by Henry Threadgill featuring seven of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Zooid. The album was the second album on the Pi label and was released simultaneously with Everybodys Mouth's a Book by Threadgill & Make a Move in 2001.-Reception:Both of...
(Zooid, Pi RecordingsPi RecordingsPi Recordings is a jazz record label whose motto is "dedicated to the innovative". Pi was founded in 2001 by Seth Rosner. He was joined as partner by Yulun Wang in 2002.- Discography :*Pi 01: Everybodys Mouth's a Book - Henry Threadgill...
) - 2005: Pop Start the Tape, Stop (Zooid, LP only)
- 2009: This Brings Us To Volume 1This Brings Us To Volume 1This Brings Us To Volume 1 is an album by Henry Threadgill featuring six of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Zooid. The album, Threadgill's first in eight years besides the limited edition Pop Start the Tape, Stop , was released on the Pi label in 2009.-Reception:The album was...
(Zooid, Pi RecordingsPi RecordingsPi Recordings is a jazz record label whose motto is "dedicated to the innovative". Pi was founded in 2001 by Seth Rosner. He was joined as partner by Yulun Wang in 2002.- Discography :*Pi 01: Everybodys Mouth's a Book - Henry Threadgill...
) - 2010: This Brings Us To Volume 2 (Zooid, Pi RecordingsPi RecordingsPi Recordings is a jazz record label whose motto is "dedicated to the innovative". Pi was founded in 2001 by Seth Rosner. He was joined as partner by Yulun Wang in 2002.- Discography :*Pi 01: Everybodys Mouth's a Book - Henry Threadgill...
)
With Air
- 1975: Air SongAir SongAir Song is the debut album by the improvisational collective Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall, and Fred Hopkins performing four of Threadgill's compositions. The album was originally released on the Japanese Why Not label in 1975 and later released in the U.S...
- 1976: Air RaidAir Raid (album)Air Raid is the second album by the improvisational collective Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall, and Fred Hopkins performing four of Threadgill's compositions. The album was originally released on the Japanese Why Not label in 1976 and later released in the U.S...
- 1977: Live AirLive AirLive Air is a live album by the improvisational collective Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall, and Fred Hopkins recorded at Studio Rivbea, in New York and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, first released by Black Saint Records in 1980....
- 1977: Air TimeAir TimeAir Time is an album by the improvisational collective Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall, and Fred Hopkins performing three of Threadgill's compositions and one each by Hopkins and McCall.-Reception:...
- 1978: Open Air SuitOpen Air SuitOpen Air Suit is an album by the improvisational collective Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall, and Fred Hopkins recorded in New York in 1978 featuring four of Threadgill's compositions.-Reception:...
- 1978: Montreux SuisseMontreux SuisseMontreux Suisse is a live album by the improvisational collective Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall, and Fred Hopkins recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Switzerland in 1978.-Reception:...
- 1979: Air LoreAir LoreAir Lore is an album by the improvisational collective Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall, and Fred Hopkins performing compositions by Jelly Roll Morton and Scott Joplin.-Reception:...
- 1980: Air MailAir Mail (album)Air Mail is an album by the improvisational collective Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall, and Fred Hopkins recorded for the Italian Black Saint label...
- 1982: 80° Below '8280° Below '8280° Below '82 is an album by the improvisational collective Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Steve McCall, and Fred Hopkins recorded in 1982 for the Antilles label.-Reception:...
- 1983: Live at Montreal International Jazz FestivalLive at Montreal International Jazz FestivalLive at Montreal International Jazz Festival is a live album recorded for the Italian Black Saint label by the improvisational collective New Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Fred Hopkins and Pheeroan akLaff performing at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 1983...
- as New Air - 1986: Air Show No. 1Air Show No. 1Air Show No. 1 is an album recorded for the Italian Black Saint label by the improvisational collective New Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Fred Hopkins and Pheeroan akLaff with Cassandra Wilson providing vocals on three selections.-Reception:...
- as New Air with Cassandra WilsonCassandra WilsonCassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating country, blues and folk music into her...
As sideman
With Muhal Richard AbramsMuhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams is an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the Free jazz medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.- Biography :Abrams attended DuSable High School in Chicago...
- Young at Heart/Wise in TimeYoung at Heart/Wise in TimeYoung at Heart/Wise in Time is the second album led by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Delmark label in 1974 and features Abrams a solo piano composition and accompanied by Leo Smith, Henry Threadgill, Lester Lashley and Thurman Baker...
(1969) - 1-OQA+191-OQA+19-Personnel:*Muhal Richard Abrams: piano, synthesizer, voice*Henry Threadgill: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, voice*Anthony Braxton: soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, flute, clarinet, voice*Leonard Jones: bass, voice...
(1977)
With Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman...
- Morning PrayerMorning Prayer (album)Morning Prayer is a 1978 album by Chico Freeman, released on India Navigation and the Japanese Whynot Records.-Tracklisting:#"Like the Kind of Peace It is"#"The In Between"#"Conversations"#"Morning Prayer"#"Pepe's Samba"#"Pepe's Samba"...
(1976)
With Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell is an African American composer, jazz instrumentalist and educator, mostly known for being "a technically superb—if idiosyncratic—saxophonist." He has been called "one of the key figures" in avant-garde jazz who has been "at the forefront of modern music" for the past...
- NonaahNonaahNonaah is a double album recorded in 1976-77 by Roscoe Mitchell. It was originally released on the Nessa label in 1977 and features solo, duo, trio and quartet performances by Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, Malachi Favors Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis, Henry Threadgill, Joseph Jarman, and Wallace...
(1977) - L-R-G/The Maze/S II Examples (1978)
With Frank Walton
- Reality (1978)
With David Murray
David Murray (jazz musician)
David Murray is an American jazz musician. Murray plays mainly tenor saxophone and sometimes bass clarinet. He has recorded prolifically for many record labels since the mid-1970s.-Biography:...
- MingMing (album)Ming is the third album by David Murray to be released on the Italian Black Saint label and the first to feature his Octet. It was released in 1980 and features performances by Murray, Henry Threadgill, Olu Dara, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, George Lewis, Anthony Davis, Wilbur Morris and Steve...
(1980) - HomeHome (David Murray album)Home is the fourth album by David Murray to be released on the Italian Black Saint label and the second to feature his Octet. It was released in 1982 and features performances by Murray, Henry Threadgill, Olu Dara, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, George Lewis, Anthony Davis, Wilbur Morris and Steve...
(1981) - Murray's StepsMurray's StepsMurray's Steps is the fifth album by David Murray to be released on the Italian Black Saint label and the third to feature his Octet. It was released in 1982 and features performances by Murray, Henry Threadgill, Bobby Bradford, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Craig Harris, Curtis Clark, Wilber Morris and...
(1982)
With Material
Material (band)
For the rock band of the same name, see The MaterialMaterial is a musical group formed in 1979 and led by bass guitarist Bill Laswell.-1978-82: The band:...
- Memory ServesMemory ServesMemory Serves is a 1981 album by the New York based No Wave music group Material.-Track listing:#"Memory Serves" – 5:08#"Disappearing" – 7:11...
(1981) - The Third PowerThe Third PowerThe Third Power is a 1991 album by the New York based music group Material. The album mixes reggae. funk, dub and rap music.Engineer Martin Bisi claims the album began as a Sly and Robbie record but "Bill really took over... And then, before you know it, the record's done and they're staring at...
(1991)
With Sly & Robbie
- Rhythm Killers (1987)
With Bahia Black
- Ritual Beating System (1991)
With Leroy Jenkins
- Themes & Improvisations on the Blues (1992)
With Kip Hanrahan
Kip Hanrahan
Kip Hanrahan is an American jazz music impresario, record producer and percussionist.-Biography:Hanrahan was born in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in the Bronx to an Irish-Jewish family. He has an unusual role in the albums released under his name, one which he has analogized to that of a film...
- Darn It! (1992) with Paul HainesPaul Haines (poet)Paul Haines was a poet and jazz lyricist. Born in Vassar, Michigan, Haines eventually settled in Canada, after spending time in Europe, India, New York City, as well as a long stint as a French Teacher at Fenelon Falls Secondary School, in Ontario, Canada.Haines's best-known work is Escalator over...
- A Thousand Nights and a Night (Shadow Night - 1) (1996)
With Billy Bang
Billy Bang
Billy Bang was an American free jazz violinist and composer.-Biography:...
- Hip Hop Be Bop (1993) with Craig HarrisCraig S. Harris (trombonist)Craig S. Harris is a Jazz trombonist and composer who has been a major figure in the jazz avant-garde movement since his stint with Sun Ra in 1976. Subsequently, Harris has worked with such notable jazz artists as Abdullah Ibrahim, David Murray, Lester Bowie, Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Muhal...
- Vietnam: Reflections (2004)
With Sola
- Blues in the East (1994)
With Abiodun Oyewole
Abiodun Oyewole
Abiodun Oyewole , is a poet, teacher and founding member of the American music and spoken-word group The Last Poets that developed into what is considered the first ever hip hop group....
- 25 Years (1996)
With Flute Force Four
- Flutistry (1997)
With Douglas Ewart
Douglas Ewart
Douglas R. Ewart is a multi-instrumentalist and instrument builder. He plays sopranino and alto saxophones, clarinets, bassoon, flute, bamboo flutes , and didgeridoo; as well as Rastafarian hand drums .Ewart emigrated to the United States in June 1963 and became...
- Angles Of Entrance (1998)
With Jean-Paul Bourelly
Jean-Paul Bourelly
Jean-Paul Bourelly is an American jazz fusion and blues rock guitarist.Bourelly was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, his mother American and his father an immigrant from Haiti. Bourelly sang at the Lyric Opera when he was ten years old and learned piano and drums, picking up guitar by age...
- Boom Bop (2000)
- Trance Atlantic - Boom Bop II (2001)
With Ejigayehu "Gigi" Shibabaw
- Gigi (2001)
With Lucky Peterson
Lucky Peterson
Lucky Peterson is an American musician who plays contemporary blues, fusing soul, R&B, gospel and rock and roll. He plays guitar and keyboards...
- Black Midnight Sun (2002)
with Dafnis Prieto
Dafnis Prieto
Dafnis Prieto is a Cuban Drummer, Composer and Educator. He is a 2011 MacArthur Fellow.-Life:"His arrival in the U.S. has been compared by to that of an asteroid hitting New York."...
- Absolute Quintet (2006)
External links
- GregSandow.com: Fried Grapefruit: The Life of Henry Threadgill biography written for Columbia Records, as part of the press kit for Threadgill's first Columbia album, Carry the Day
- Europe Jazz Network: Henry Threadgill
- AACM: Henry Threadgill
- Henry Threadgill by Dave Kaufman (November '97)
- Pi Recordings has released some of Threadgill's latest work
- biography by Iridium Jazz Club
- Lars Backstrom's Discography page