Milford Graves

Milford Graves
Background information
Born	20 August 1941 (1941-08-20) (age 70) Jamaica, Queens, New York United States
Genres	Avant-garde jazz, Jazz, World music
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, Instructor
Instruments	Drums, conga drums, Percussion, timbales
Labels	ESP-Disk], Prestige, Fontana, RCA, Tzadik Records
Associated acts	Paul Bley, Hugh Masakela, Miriam Makeba, Graves Pullen Duo

Milford Graves (b. Queens, New York August 20, 1941)^[1] is an American jazz drummer and percussionist, most noteworthy for his early avant-garde contributions in the early 1960s with Paul Bley and the New York Art Quartet. He is considered to be a free jazz pioneer, liberating the percussion from its timekeeping role.^[2]

Graves has worked as a sideman and session musician with a variety of established jazz musicians throughout his career, including Don Pullen, Eddie Gomez, Andrew Cyrille, Rashied Ali, Kenny Clarke, Don Moye, Philly Joe Jones, John Zorn and Albert Ayler. He has invested his time in research within the field of healing through music.^[3] Graves accepted a job in 1973 as an instructor at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont.^[1]

Discography

As leader

• 1965: Percussion Ensemble (ESP Disk)
• 1977: Meditation Among Us (Kitty)
• 1977: Babi (IPS)
• 1998: Grand Unification (Tzadik)
• 2000: Stories' (Tzadik)

As sideman

with Montego Joe

• Arriba! (Prestige)
• Wild & Warm (Prestige)

with Giuseppi Logan

• Giuseppi Logan Quartet (ESP Disk)
• More Giuseppi Logan (ESP Disk)

with Paul Bley

• Barrage (ESP Disk)

with New York Art Quartet

• New York Art Quartet (ESP Disk)
• Mohawk (Fontana)
• 35th Reunion (DIW)

with the Jazz Composer's Orchestra

• Communication (Fontana)

with Miriam Makeba

• Makeba Sings! (RCA)

with Lowell Davidson

• The Lowell Davidson Trio (ESP Disk)

with Don Pullen

• At Yale University (PG)
• Nommo (SRP)

with Albert Ayler

• Holy Ghost: Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962–70) (Revenant)
• Love Cry (Impulse!)

with Sonny Sharrock

• Black Woman (Vortex)

with Andrew Cyrille

• Dialogue Of The Drums (IPS)

with Various Artists

• New American Music Volume 1-New York Section/Composers of the 1970's (Folkways)

with Sun Ra

• Untitled Recordings (Transparency)

with Kenny Clarke/Andrew Cyrille/Milford Graves/Famoudou Don Moye

• Pieces of Time (Soul Note)

with David Murray

• Real Deal (DIW)

with John Zorn

• 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 2 (Tzadik)

with Anthony Braxton & William Parker

• Beyond Quantum (Tzadik, 2008)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Milford Graves at All About Jazz". All About Jazz. AOL.Muaix. http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=7178. Retrieved 9 August 2010. 
2. ^ Litweiler, John (1984). The Freedom Principle:Jazz after 1958. Da Capo. p. 137. ISBN 0306803771. 
3. ^ Corey Kilgannon, "Finding Healing Music in the Heart", New York Times, November 9, 2004 Retrieved November 20, 2004

External links

• Audio Recordings of WCUW Jazz Festivals - Jazz History Database
• http://www.milfordgraves.com
• http://www.mindspring.com/~scala/graves.htm

Persondata
Name	Graves, Milford
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	20 August 1941
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death