Oct 17, 2023 3:36 PM
Carla Bley, Provocative Composer-Pianist, Dies at Age 87
With her iconic bangs, sharp features and free-flowing sense of the absurd, Carla Bley, who died Oct. 17 of brain…
Bassist Reggie Workman and choreographer Maya Milenovic Workman are among the 175 Guggenheim Fellows this year.
(Photo: reggieworkman.com)Bassist Reggie Workman, in tandem with choreographer Maya Milenovic Workman, has been awarded a 2020 Guggenheim Fellowship for music composition, the organization announced Wednesday.
The pair joins “a diverse group of 175 writers, scholars, artists, and scientists,” according to the Guggenheim website. Other performers receiving a fellowship this year are experimental composer Ellen Fullman, and musician and filmmaker Robert Millis.
The fellowship is intended to support already-proven talents in their development of new projects and research.
“Not only is he such a creative musician, but he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever known in my entire life,” bassist Christian McBride said, while discussing his time as a 17-year-old student in Workman’s orbit.
Workman, who teaches at The New School in New York City, might be best known for his work with John Coltrane, but the bassist’s discography also includes albums by Art Blakey, Bobby Hutcherson and Cedar Walton.
The Guggenheim honor follows another recent accolade as Workman was named a 2020 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. The April NEA ceremony, which had been slated for the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco, has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
For additional information about the Guggenheim Fellowship, visit the foundation’s website. DB
Bley told DownBeat in 1984: “I’m just a composer, and I use jazz musicians because they’re smarter, and they can save your ass in a bad situation. … I need all the help I can get.”
Oct 17, 2023 3:36 PM
With her iconic bangs, sharp features and free-flowing sense of the absurd, Carla Bley, who died Oct. 17 of brain…
Nov 22, 2023 12:33 PM
Samara Joy’s Linger Awhile topped a daunting list of amazing music.
Samara Joy, Linger Awhile (VERVE) … 1,910
…
“Blue Note music has been such an integral part of my musical and life experience for so long,” says Redman. “It’s surreal to be a part of this lineage.”
Oct 10, 2023 1:13 PM
“It just occurred to me just the other day,” said Joshua Redman, a bemused expression forming over his face on the…
Bennett had a wealth of material to draw upon, and he had a direct association with much of it.
Oct 31, 2023 1:50 PM
Perhaps no interpreter of American popular song had as long and distinguished a career as Tony Bennett. Yet in his…
The 66th GRAMMY Awards will air live (8–11:30 p.m. ET) on Feb. 4 on CBS Television and stream on Paramount+.
Nov 14, 2023 11:05 AM
The Recording Academy has officially revealed the nominations for the 2024 Grammys, which will take place Feb. 4 at…