Willie Pickens

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Willie Pickens (born April 18, 1931 - December 13, 2017 in New York City ) was an American jazz pianist and music teacher .

Live and act

Pickens grew up in the Midwest and studied music education at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee , then at the University of Wisconsin , where he earned a bachelor's degree in music education in 1958. He then began working as a professional musician in Chicago, including in 1961 Eddie Harris ' hit single Exodus . In the next two decades he was mainly active in music education, from 1966 at Lindblom High School on the South Side of Chicago; He also took part in recordings of Bunky Green , Eddie Harris ( Exodus to Jazz ), Buddy DeFranco (1977) and Vernel Fournier , toured with Red Holloway , Joe Henderson , Wynton Marsalis , Frank Catalano , and performed with artists such as Sammy Davis Jr. , Quincy Jones , Roberta Flack and Minnie Riperton . In 1990 he became a member of Elvin Jones ' formation Jazz Machine .

After his retirement as a music educator, he went on numerous tours with the group and took part in their Enja album Going Home (1992). He has also worked with Steve Grossman ( Time to Smile , 1993), Edward Petersen (1994), Clark Terry ( Top and Bottom Brass , 1998) and Von Freeman ( 75th Birthday Celebration , 1998); He also released a number of albums under his own name, including a tribute album for Wynton Kelly and jazz interpretations of Christian songs such as Down by the Riverside , My God Is So High and Wade in the Water ( Jazz Spirit , Vols. 1 & 2). In 2000 he joined with Marian McPartland in the NPR telecast Piano Jazz on; the album was released under the title Ain't Misbehavin ': Live at the Jazz Showcase on Concord Jazz . Pickens died in December 2017 while preparing for a concert at Lincoln Center in New York .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Maureen O'Donnell: pianist Willie Pickens, a fixture on Chicago's jazz scene, has died. In: Chicago Sun-Times . December 13, 2017, accessed December 13, 2017 .
  2. ^ Homepage of Willie Pickens. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009 ; accessed on December 13, 2017 (English).
  3. ↑ See Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide of Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .
personal data
SURNAME Pickens, Willie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz pianist and music educator
DATE OF BIRTH April 18, 1931
DATE OF DEATH December 13, 2017
Place of death New York City