Jim Baker (musician)

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Jim Baker (* 1950 in Chicago ) is an American jazz and improvisation musician ( piano , synthesizer and keyboards ( ARP 2600 )).

Live and act

Baker studied piano with Thomas Scott and composition at the University of Illinois at Urbana with Morgan Powell and Herbert Brun. In the 1980s he played with Harold Jones and Nicholas Tremulis, then in the improvisation scene a. a. with Kent Kessler and Michael Zerang . In the following decade he also worked with Fred Anderson , Guillermo Gregorio , Ken Vandermark , Edward Wilkerson , Mars Williams , Billy Brimfield , Jim O'Rourke , Matt Wilson , Harrison Bankhead , Hal Russell , Fred Lonberg-Holm , Jeb Bishop , Weasel Walter , Hamid Drake and Chad Taylor . The first recordings were made in 1995 with the improvisation trio Caffeine (consisting of Baker, Ken Vandermark and Steve Hunt ) for the Okka Disk label ; In 1996, Baker performed at European jazz festivals, with Vandermark's Chicago Improvisers at the Moers Festival and with Fred Lonberg-Holm at the Tampere Jazz Happening in Finland. In 1996 he made a guest appearance at the FMP Festival in Chicago in a trio with Rüdiger Carl and Stephan Wittwer . In the following years, collaborations with Steve Beresford , Damon Short , Nicole Mitchell , Dave Rempis ( Out of Season , 2004), Jeff Parker Jason Roebke , Avreeayl Ra , Michael Attias and the Exploding Star Orchestra followed . In the field of jazz, he was involved in 32 recording sessions between 1994 and 2010. He released the solo album More Questions Than Answers on Delmark Records . Baker performs regularly in Fred Anderson's Velvet Lounge with his band Steam , for which he also composes.

Discographic notes

  • Jim Baker & Michael Zerang: The Earth Sessions Vol. I / II (1997)
  • Steam: Real Time (Eighth Day Music, 1997), with Ken Vandermakr, Kent Kessler, Tim Mulvenna
  • Witches & Devils: Empty Bottle Chicago ( Knitting Factory Records, 2000), with Kent Kessler, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Steve Hunt , Ken Vandermark, Mars Williams
  • In the Context of (482 Music, 2006), with Jeff Parker, Nicole Mitchell
  • Extraordinary Popular Delusions (Okka Disk, 2006)
  • Jim Baker / Steve Hunt / Brian Sandstrom : Williams Extraordinary (Okka Disk, 2007)
  • Baker, Bruckmann, Zerang: Psychotic Redaction (Multikulti Project, 2011), with Kyle Bruckmann
  • Erb / Baker / Zerang (Veto Records, 2011), with Christoph Erb , Michael Zerang
  • Bottervagl (Veto Records, 2012), with Christoph Erb
  • Christoph Erb / Jim Baker / Frank Rosaly : Parrots Paradise (Veto, 2017)
  • Charles Rumback / Jim Baker / John Tate: Threes (2017)
  • Bootleg Series No 5 3030 (2020), with Jerome Bryerton , Paul Hartsaw

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Discographic references at 482 Music
  2. ↑ http://michaelzerang.com/text/bios/bakerbio.htm
  3. ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online, accessed July 8, 2014)
  4. ↑ http://jazzinchicago.org/jazzfest/jim-baker/
  5. ↑ http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/jim-baker/Content?oid=892026
personal data
SURNAME Baker, Jim
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago