This personal collection of inclusive African American Chamber Music brings together a wealth of musical traditions including the blues, straight-ahead and avant-garde jazz, calypso, and Western classical music. In the Wind is being released as part of the CAAMO Legacy Program, a multi-faceted effort to uphold McIntyre's legacy and commitment to education. Other plans include the distribution of his arrangements to music schools and professional ensembles, live performances of his music by a new repertory wind ensemble led by New York-based multi-instrumentalist Salim Washington, and project partnerships with organizations like the African American Jazz Caucus (AAJC).
Makanda Ken McIntyre has been described as the best player you've never heard of who is a master virtuoso, an original and provocative composer, and a soul of great depth" (AllAboutJazz), and Gary Giddins (Village Voice) called him a compelling virtuoso who can play anything with a reed and get a distinctive sound out of it." Born and educated in Boston, he burst onto the national scene in 1960 with two acclaimed recordings as a leader on Prestige, Stone Blues and Looking Ahead with Eric Dolphy, and continued as a leader on Steeplechase, United Artists, and Passin' Thru until his death in 2001 at age 69. Also a prominent sideman, McIntyre recorded with Nat Adderley, Bill Dixon, Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, and Beaver Harris and the 360-Degree Experience, and played on Cecil Taylor's landmark Unit Structures in 1966. His long career was equally defined by an extensive commitment to education, which included earning a doctorate in Curriculum Design from UMass Amherst in 1975 and a nearly 25-year tenure at Long Island's SUNY Old Westbury, where he founded and chaired one of the country's first departments dedicated to arts in the African American tradition. He also taught at Wesleyan University, Smith College, New School University and CCNY. More information is available at http://www.mkmjazz.com and http://www.passinthru.org
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About the CAAMO Legacy Program:
The release of In the Wind celebrates three years of commitment to the legacy of Dr. Makanda Ken McIntyre, during which time CAAMO has:
+ Produced three concerts of his music in New York and Boston
+ Catalogued and organized all of his music (over 500 compositions and 200 arrangements)
+ Placed manuscripts, recordings and other materials with the Library of Congress
+ Digitally preserved nearly 700 tapes of performances and other recordings for future use
Future activities tentatively include a performance by Salim Washington's repertory quartet at the IAJE Conference in January 2005 and a 2005-6 performance-season tour.
About Passin' Thru
Passin' Thru Records is a division of Passin' Thru, Inc., a non-profit organization founded by renowned composer/multi-instrumentalist Oliver Lake to promote increased knowledge and appreciation for jazz, new music and musically related forms of art. Since 1997, the label has released Lake's own music as well as recordings by Frederick Freddy" Washington, Jr., John Hicks, Trio 3, Gene Lake, and the last Makanda Ken McIntyre recording released during his lifetime, A New Beginning. In the Wind is the second McIntyre release produced in collaboration with CAAMO. More information is available at http://www.passinthru.org
About CAAMO
The Contemporary African American Music Organization (CAAMO) was founded in 1983 by Dr. Makanda Ken McIntyre to promote free expression and continuing education in music and the performing arts with African American origins. The organization has produced more than 250 performances and educational workshops throughout the New York City metropolitan area featuring a wide range of artists, including Craig Harris, Charli Persip, Wilber Morris, Joanne Brackeen, Jason Hwang, David Murray, Hamiett Blueitt, Sonny Fortune, Reggie Workman, Andrei Strobert, E.J. Allen, Donald Smith and Kwe Yao Agyapon. It has also produced workshops on music and creativity for students at the preschool, elementary, secondary, and collegiate levels at institutions across the country. Since Dr. McIntyre's death in June 2001, CAAMO has focused its activities on preserving and promoting his rich and extensive musical legacy. More information is available at http://www.mkmjazz.com
About Outward Visions
For more than 25 years, Outward Visions, Inc. has represented some of the most innovative and influential musicians within the jazz tradition and beyond, and worked to create new performance, education, and business opportunities for countless others. Co-founded by industry veterans Marty Khan and Helene Cann, Outward Visions actively manages the careers of Oliver Lake and George Russell, develops educational resources for students and professionals, and sustains the legacies of Makanda Ken McIntyre and Thomas Chapin. More information is available at http://www.outwardvisions.com
Media Contact for In the Wind: The Woodwind Quartets:
Scott Menhinick, Improvised Communications
(617) 489-6561
[email protected]
For more information contact All About Jazz.