Leroy Jenkins (musician)
Leroy Jenkins | |
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![]() Jenkins in the 1980s | |
Background information | |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | March 11, 1932
Died | February 24, 2007 New York City, U.S. | (aged 74)
Genres | Contemporary classical music, Avant-garde jazz |
Occupation(s) | Composer, musician |
Instruments | Violin, Viola |
Years active | 1960s–2007 |
Labels | India Navigation, Black Saint; Pi Recordings[1] |
Associated acts | AACM, Revolutionary Ensemble, Creative Construction Company |
Leroy Jenkins (March 11, 1932[2] – February 24, 2007)[3] was an American composer and violinist/violist.
Early life[]
Jenkins was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States.[2] He commenced playing the violin at a young age and, despite dabbling in trying to play other instruments, it was the violin for which he became best known.[2]
Operas and a cantata[]
Mother of Three Sons, a dance-opera based on African mythology created in collaboration with choreographer/director Bill T. Jones and librettist Ann T. Greene. Commissioned by and premiered at the 1990 Munich Biennial New Music Theatre Festival (Hans Werner Henze, artistic director). Also performed by the New York City Opera (US premiere, 1991) and the Houston Grand Opera (1992).[4][5]
Fresh Faust, a jazz-rap opera in collaboration with librettist Greg Tate directed by Dominic Taylor. Performed at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art (1994).
The Negros Burial Ground, a cantata in collaboration with librettist Ann T. Greene and director Dominic Taylor. Presented by The Kitchen (1996) and workshopped at UMass Amherst (1995).[6][7]
The Three Willies, a multimedia jazz opera that explores the stereotype of Black men as "perpetual suspect". Created in collaboration with librettist Homer Jackson and choreographer Rennie Harris (Philadelphia show), director Talvin Wilks (New York show), and conductor/music director Alan Johnson (New York show). Premiered at The Painted Bride in Philadelphia (1996),[8] New York premiere at The Kitchen (2001). Public Panels were jointly organized with the New York University Vera List Center for Art and Politics[9] and a Digital Happy House on Race, Identity, and Media moderated by Christian Haye. Produced by Providence Productions International, Inc. with the support of Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Co-produced by The Kitchen.
Coincidents, a multimedia opera in collaboration with librettist Mary Griffin and visual artist Hisao Ihara. Jenkins and Griffin use incidents from their personal family histories to illustrate the fragility, flexibility, and resilience of individual identity. Performed at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn (2012).[10]
Death[]
Jenkins died from lung cancer on February 24, 2007, in New York City, at the age of 74.[3]
Discography[]
As leader/co-leader[]
- For Players Only (JCOA Records, 1975, LP)
- Swift are the Winds of Life (Survival, 1975, LP)
- Solo Concert (India Navigation, 1977, LP)
- Lifelong Ambitions (Black Saint, 1981, LP; 1993, CD)
- The Legend of Ai Glatson (Black Saint, 1978, LP; 1993, CD)
- Space Minds New Worlds, Survival of America (Tomato, 1979, LP; 1989, CD)
- Mixed Quintet (Black Saint, 1983, LP; 1997, CD)
- Straight Ahead/Free at Last (Red Record, 1980, LP)
- Urban Blues (Black Saint, 1984, LP; 1997, CD)
- Jenkins Live! (Black Saint, 1993, CD)
- Themes and Improvisations on the Blues (CRI eXchange, 1994, CD) with Soldier String Quartet, Henry Threadgill, Marty Ehrlich
- Out of the Mist (Ocean, 1997, CD) with Joseph Jarman
- Solo (Lovely Music, 1998, CD)
- Equal Interest (Omnitone Records, 1999, CD) as Equal Interest: with Joseph Jarman and Myra Melford
- Leroy Jenkins' Driftwood-The Art of Improvisation (Mutable Music, 2005, CD)
With the Revolutionary Ensemble
- Vietnam (ESP-Disk, 1972)
- Manhattan Cycles (India Navigation, 1973)
- The Psyche (Mutable Music, 1975)
- The Peoples Republic (A&M/Horizon, 1976)
- Revolutionary Ensemble (Enja, 1977)
- And Now... (Pi Recordings, 2004)
- Beyond The Boundary of Time (Mutable Music, 2008)
- Counterparts (Mutable Music, 2008)
With others[]
With Muhal Richard Abrams
- Levels and Degrees of Light (Delmark, 1968)
- Mama and Daddy (Black Saint, 1980)
With Carla Bley
- Escalator over the Hill (JCOA Records/ECM, 1971, 3LPs)
With Joe Bonner
- Angel Eyes (Muse, 1976)
With Anthony Braxton
- 3 Compositions of New Jazz (Delmark, 1968, LP; Delmark, 1991, CD)
- Silence (Freedom Records, 1975, LP)
- Anthony Braxton (BYG Actuel, 1969, LP)
- This Time... (BYG Actuel, 1970, LP)
- New York, Fall 1974 (Arista, 1975, LP)
With Thomas Buckner
- Sign of the Times (Lovely Music, 1994, CD)
With Don Cherry
- Relativity Suite (JCOA Records, 1973, LP)
With Alice Coltrane
- Universal Consciousness (Impulse!, 1971)
- World Galaxy (Impulse!, 1972)
With Creative Construction Company
- Creative Construction Company (Muse, 1970 [1975])
- Creative Construction Company Vol. II (Muse, 1970 [1976])
With Anthony Davis
- Of Blues and Dreams (Sackville 3032, 1979)
With James Emery
- Artlife (Lumina Records, 1982, LP)
With Carl Hancock Rux
- Apothecary Rx (Giant Step, 2004)
- Good Bread Alley (Thirsty Ear, 2006)
With Rahsaan Roland Kirk
- Rahsaan Rahsaan (Atlantic, 1970)
With George E. Lewis
- Shadowgraph (Black Saint, 1978, LP; 1998, CD)
With Grachan Moncur III
- Echoes of a Prayer (JCOA Records, 1974, LP)
With Paul Motian
- Conception Vessel (ECM, 1973)
With Mtume
- Allkebu-Lan (Land of the Blacks) at the East (Strata East, 1972, 2LPs)
With Dewey Redman
- Coincide (Impulse!, 1974)
With Jeffrey Schanzer
- Vistas (Music Vistas, 1987, LP)
With Archie Shepp
- Archie Shepp & Philly Joe Jones (Fantasy Records, 1975, LP)
- Pitchin Can (American Records, 1970, LP)
- Things Have Got to Change (Impulse Records, 1971, LP)
- Attica Blues (Impulse, 1972, LP)
- Black Gipsy (Prestige Records, 1977, LP)
- The Cry of My People (Impulse, 1973, LP)
With Alan Silva
- Luna Surface (BYG, 1969)
With Cecil Taylor
- Live in Bologna, Leo Records (1988, 2 LPs; 1988, CD)
- Live in Vienna, (Leo Records, 1988, 2 LPs-Limited edition; 1991, CD)
With Henry Threadgill
- Too Much Sugar for a Dime (Axiom, 1993, CD)
Grants[]
- Fromm Music Foundation, Harvard University, commission, 2003
- New York State Council on the Arts, Nyasaland, 2002; Jenkins Squared, 2000
- Meet the Composer, Color Eugoloid for the Relâche Ensemble, 2002; Three Willies, 1996
- The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Coincidents, 2002
- Ford Foundation, Three Willies, 2001
- Animating Democracy, Americans for the Arts (funded by the Ford Foundation and the NEA), Three Willies, 2001
- Mutable Music, brass quartet and voice piece, 1998; trio and voice piece, 1991
- Rockefeller Foundation, The Negros Burial Ground, 1996; Fresh Faust, 1992
- Mary Flagler Cary Trust, The Negros Burial Ground, 1995
- New York Foundation for the Arts, music fellowship, 1992, 1986
- Munich Biennial New Music Theatre Festival, The Mother of Three Sons, 1990
- National Endowment for the Arts, special projects grant, 1990, 1988, 1984
- National Endowment for the Arts, jazz composition fellowship, 1987, 1979, 1973
- Creative Arts Program, service grant, 1974
Awards[]
- The ASCAP Foundation Rudolf Nissim Prize, Concerto for Improvised Violin and Orchestra, 2006
- Nominated for United States Artists Fellowships, 2006
- John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, 2004
- The New York Dance and Performance Bessie Awards, The Mother of Three Sons, 1992
- Downbeat Magazine International Critics’ and Readers’ Poll, awardee, 1987, 1972
- Jazz Magazine Poll for violin, awardee, 1979
- Downbeat Magazine Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, awardee, 1974
Teaching[]
- Artist in Residence, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA, 2002 spring
- Composer in Residence, Other Minds Festival, San Francisco, CA, 2000
- Artist in Residence, Harvestworks, New York, NY, 2000
- Master Artist in Residence, Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL 1993
- Artist in Residence, Atlanta Virtuosi, Atlanta, GA, 1991
- Composer in Residence, Oberlin Conservatory, Oberlin, OH, 1975 and 1990
- Visiting Professor, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 1989 spring
Professional memberships[]
- Board of Directors, Meet The Composer (founding member)
- Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM)
- SESAC
- Atlantic Center for the Arts
Education[]
- Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida – B. A. in Music Education (full music scholarship)
- American Conservatory of Music, Chicago, Illionois
- DuSable High School, Captain Walter Dyett, Chicago, Illinois
References[]
- ^ "Leroy Jenkins". Pirecordings.com. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 227/8. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Obituary: Leroy Jenkins". The Guardian. 16 March 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ Southern, Eileen (1997). The Music of Black Americans: A History. ISBN 9780393038439.
- ^ Rockwell, John (May 25, 1992). "Munich Biennial and New Music: Different Drummer in a 3-Piece Suit". nytimes.com. A.G. Sulzberger. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ "Leroy Jenkins". Fac.umass.edu. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ Kasrel, Deni (November 21, 1996). "The Three Willies". Conjunctions.com. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ "The Three Willies". Mycitypaper.com. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ "The Vera List Center Racial Profiling: The Black Man as Perpetual Suspect". Veralistcenter.org. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ ESProductions (January 5, 2012). "Coincidents a multi-media opera by Leroy Jenkins, Mary Griffin, Hisao Ihara Excerpts". Last.fm. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
External links[]
- Turning Corners: The Life and Music of Leroy Jenkins by Carl E. Baugher
- Lovely Music Artist: Leroy Jenkins
- AACM: Leroy Jenkins
- Other Minds: Leroy Jenkins
- Dialogue between 'Blue' Gene Tyranny and Leroy Jenkins
- Eternal Planet (Dedicated To Leroy Jenkins), composed by William Parker and featured on Billy Bang's Medicine Buddha (NoBusiness Records, 2014, CD)
- African-American jazz composers
- African-American jazz musicians
- American jazz violinists
- American male violinists
- American jazz violists
- Avant-garde jazz musicians
- 1932 births
- 2007 deaths
- Jazz musicians from Illinois
- Musicians from Chicago
- Deaths from lung cancer
- India Navigation artists
- Red Records artists
- Pi Recordings artists
- Black Saint/Soul Note artists
- 20th-century jazz composers
- 20th-century violinists
- 20th-century American composers
- American male jazz composers
- American jazz composers
- 20th-century American male musicians
- Creative Construction Company members
- Revolutionary Ensemble members