Milford Graves

Milford Graves
Background information
Born(1941-08-20)August 20, 1941[1][2]
Jamaica, Queens, New York, U.S.
DiedFebruary 12, 2021(2021-02-12) (aged 79)
Genres
Instruments
Years active1962-2021
Labels
Formerly ofNew York Art Quartet
Websitemilfordgraves.com

Milford Graves (August 20, 1941 – February 12, 2021) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, Professor Emeritus of Music,[3][4] researcher/inventor,[5][6] visual artist/sculptor,[7][8][9][10] gardener/herbalist,[11][12] and martial artist.[13][14] Graves was noteworthy for his early avant-garde contributions in the 1960s with Paul Bley, Albert Ayler, and the New York Art Quartet, and is considered to be a free jazz pioneer, liberating percussion from its timekeeping role. The composer and saxophonist John Zorn referred to Graves as "basically a 20th-century shaman."[15]

  1. ^ Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Yanow, Scott, eds. (1996). All Music Guide to Jazz (2nd ed.). Miller Freeman. p. 309.
  2. ^ Wilmer, Val (2018). As Serious As Your Life. Serpent's Tail. p. 220.
  3. ^ "Milford Graves: Faculty Emeritus". Bennington.edu. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Litweiler, John (1984). The Freedom Principle:Jazz after 1958. Da Capo. p. 137.
  5. ^ Jacobson, Mark (November 12, 2001). "The Jazz Scientist". New York Magazine.
  6. ^ "Milford Graves: Heart Music". MilfordGraves.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  7. ^ Cox, Christoph (March 2018). "Matters of the Heart: Christoph Cox on Milford Graves". Artforum.edu. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  8. ^ "Milford Graves: Hand-Painted Album Art". MilfordGraves.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "Milford Graves". QueensMuseum.org. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Milford Graves: Queens Museum". MilfordGraves.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Bengal, Rebecca. "Some Plant Stuff, Man: Tending the Global Garden with Milford Graves". HaomaEarth.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "Milford Graves: Garden". MilfordGraves.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  13. ^ Russonello, Giovanni (April 26, 2018). "For Milford Graves, Jazz Innovation Is Only Part of the Alchemy". The New York Times. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  14. ^ "Milford Graves on Yara". MilfordGraves.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  15. ^ Kilgannon, Corey (November 9, 2004). "Finding Healing Music in the Heart". The New York Times. Retrieved May 28, 2020.