Michael White (violinist)
Encyclopedia
Michael Walter White is an American
jazz
violin
ist.
White was born in Houston, Texas
, and grew up in Oakland, California
, taking up the violin when he was nine years old. He first became known in 1965 when he played with the John Handy
Quintet at the Monterey Jazz Festival
, and recorded three album
s with Handy. White was among the first to play the violin in avant-garde jazz, and in the late 1960s became one of the first jazz violinists to play jazz rock fusion (with his band The Fourth Way
). He has played with musicians such as Sun Ra
, Prince Lasha
, McCoy Tyner
, Eric Dolphy
, Wes Montgomery
, Kenny Dorham
, Joe Henderson
, and Richard Davis. In early 2007, The Michael White Quintet's "Mechanical Man" won in The 6th Annual Independent Music Awards
for Best Jazz Song.
White now lives in Kobe, Japan. After a long period of obscurity, in the mid 1990s he was involved in a reunion of the Handy Quintet, and recorded an album as co-leader with Bill Frisell
, Motion Pictures (1997). In 2006 White released the album Voices.
With Sonny Simmons
With The Dead Science
With Pharoah Sanders
With Alice Coltrane
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
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....
ist.
White was born in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, and grew up in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, taking up the violin when he was nine years old. He first became known in 1965 when he played with the John Handy
John Handy
John Richard Handy III is an American jazz alto saxophonist.-Biography:In the 1960s, Handy led several groups...
Quintet at the Monterey Jazz Festival
Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuted on October 3, 1958 and was founded by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons.-History:...
, and recorded three album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s with Handy. White was among the first to play the violin in avant-garde jazz, and in the late 1960s became one of the first jazz violinists to play jazz rock fusion (with his band The Fourth Way
The Fourth Way (band)
The Fourth Way was a jazz quartet comprising Eddie Marshall, Mike Nock, Michael White, and Ron McClure. They formed in 1967 and worked primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area through the early 1970s, releasing three albums...
). He has played with musicians such as Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
, Prince Lasha
Prince Lasha
William B. Lawsha, better known as Prince Lasha , was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist....
, McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
, Eric Dolphy
Eric Dolphy
Eric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions he also played the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s...
, Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
, Kenny Dorham
Kenny Dorham
McKinley Howard Dorham was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer born in Fairfield, Texas. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention from the jazz establishment that many of his peers did...
, Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
, and Richard Davis. In early 2007, The Michael White Quintet's "Mechanical Man" won in The 6th Annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
for Best Jazz Song.
White now lives in Kobe, Japan. After a long period of obscurity, in the mid 1990s he was involved in a reunion of the Handy Quintet, and recorded an album as co-leader with Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
, Motion Pictures (1997). In 2006 White released the album Voices.
As leader
- 1971: Spirit Dance (Impulse!Impulse! RecordsImpulse! Records was an American jazz record label, originally established in 1960 by producer Creed Taylor as a subsidiary of ABC-Paramount Records, based in New York City...
) - 1972: Pneuma (Impulse!)
- 1973: The Land of Spirit and Light (Impulse!)
- 1974: Father Music, Mother Dance (Impulse!)
- 1974: Go with the Flow (Impulse!)
- 1978: The X Factor (Elektra RecordsElektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
) - 1979: White Night (Elektra)
- 1997: Motion Pictures (Intuition)
- 2006: Voices (Izniz)
As sideman
With The Fourth WayThe Fourth Way (band)
The Fourth Way was a jazz quartet comprising Eddie Marshall, Mike Nock, Michael White, and Ron McClure. They formed in 1967 and worked primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area through the early 1970s, releasing three albums...
- The Fourth Way (Capitol RecordsCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, 1969) - The Sun and Moon Have Come Together (1970, Harvest RecordsHarvest Records-References:* Harvest Records collectors guide ISBN 978-5-9622-0021-7...
) - Werewolf (Harvest, 1970)
With Sonny Simmons
Sonny Simmons
Huey "Sonny" Simmons is an American jazz musician.He grew up in Oakland, California, where he began playing the english horn. At age 16 he took up the alto saxophone, which became his primary instrument...
- Manhattan Egos (Arhoolie, 1969 & 2000)
With The Dead Science
The Dead Science
The Dead Science is an experimental pop band based in Seattle, Washington.The band consists of guitarist/vocalist Sam Mickens, Jherek Bischoff on bass and Nick Tamburro on drums. Jherek Bischoff's brother Korum was the drummer from the band's inception in 1999 through 2005...
- SubmarinerSubmariner (album)Submariner is the debut album from The Dead Science, released in 2003 on Absolutely Kosher Records. Its contributors include jazz musician Michael White.-Track listing:# "Unseeing Eye" – 7:04# "White Cane" – 3:40# "White Train" – 4:17...
(2003)
With Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders is a Grammy Award–winning American jazz saxophonist.Saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world." Emerging from John Coltrane's groups of the mid-60s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on...
- ThembiThembiThembi is a 1971 album by free-jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders.In this album, named after Sanders's wife, the saxophonist moved away from the intense, lengthy, percussion-heavy jams he'd been pursuing in his solo work up to that point, and produced a record made up of shorter tracks, often with a...
(1971)
With Alice Coltrane
Alice Coltrane
Alice Coltrane, née McLeod was an American jazz pianist, organist, harpist, and composer.-Biography:...
- John Coltrane: InfinityJohn Coltrane: InfinityJohn Coltrane: Infinity is an album by Alice Coltrane, overdubbing recordings by her late husband John Coltrane, which was released on Impulse! Records in 1972...
(1972)
External links
- [ Michael White] — biography by Scott Yanow for AllMusic
- Michael White — biography at World Music Central