Tuesday 12 July 2011

Amina Claudine Myers

Amina Claudine Myers (born March 21, 1942) in Blackwell, Arkansas; (a small community on US 64 in western Conway County) is an American jazz pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, and musical arranger.

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, Myers 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, 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 with Lester Bowie (African Children (1978), The Fifth Power (1978), The Organizer (1991) and Funky T. Cool T. (1991)) and Muhal Richard Abrams (Lifea Blinec (1978), Spihumonesty (1979) and Duet (1981)). 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.


Amina Claudine Myers - Salutes Bessie Smith  1980
 












01.Wasted Life Blues
02.Dirty No-Gooder's Blues
03.Jailhouse Blues
04.It Makes My Love Come Down
05.The Blues (Straight To You)
06.African Blues

Personnel:
Amina Claudine Myers (vocals, piano);
Cecil McBee (bass);
Jimmy Lovelace (drums)







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