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Stanley Cowell

Stanley Cowell can best be described as an intellectual pianist. From his early classical roots to collaborations with premier jazz artists to his creative solo career, Cowell’s music has been defined by integrity and taste. With an agile left hand and a relentlessly imaginative approach to standards and his own compositions, his solo concerts are events to be savored.

Stanley Cowell, was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1941. He studied piano there with Mary Belle Shealy and Elmer Gertz, and pipe organ with J. Harold Harder. By the age of fifteen, he was a featured soloist with the Toledo Youth Orchestra in Kabelevsky's Piano Concerto No. 3, a church organist/choir director, and a budding jazz pianist.

Cowell's formal training in music has been quite extensive: a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan. He also has additional undergraduate study at the Mozarteum Akademie, Salzburg, Austria, and graduate study at Wichita State University and the University of Southern California. While at U.S.C., 1963-64, he performed Gershwin's Concerto in F with the Burbank Symphony Orchestra, and played jazz in the Los Angeles area with Curtis Amy's and Ray Crawford's bands.

After completing his Masters at Michigan in 1966, Cowell headed for New York City where he worked for such musical artists as Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Herbie Mann, Miles Davis, Stan Getz and the Bobby Hutcherson-Harold Land groups. For several years he was part of Charles Tolliver's Music Inc., with whom he formed the innovative musician-owned record company, Strata-East, in 1971.

Cowell organized the Piano Choir in 1972, a group of seven esteemed New York-based keyboardists, and he became a founding member of the Collective Black Artists, Inc., a non-profit company devoted to bringing African-American music and musicians to the public. He served as conductor of the CBA Ensemble, 1973-1974.

In 1974, he served as a musical director of George Wein's New York Jazz Repertory Company at Carnegie Hall, along with Gil Evans, Dr. Billy Taylor and Sy Oliver. During the Seventies, Cowell established his reputation as a versatile and sensitive pianist/composer, performing and recording with Sonny Rollins, Clifford Jordan, Oliver Nelson, Donald Byrd, Roy Haynes, Richard Davis, Art Pepper, Jimmy Heath and many more great musical artists. From the period 1974-1984 he toured, recorded and conducted workshops throughout the Americas, Europe and Japan as the featured pianist with the Heath Brothers (Percy, Jimmy and Albert). He was a recipient of a Meet The Composer/Rockefeller Foundation/AT&T Jazz Program grant for 1990-1991, for the creation of "Piano Concerto No. 1" (in honor of Art Tatum), which was premiered by the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, January 17, 18, 1992.

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Album Review

Clifford Jordan: Drink Plenty Water and Walk Slow

Read "Drink Plenty Water and Walk Slow" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Clifford Jordan, the iconic American jazz tenor saxophonist, has left an indelible mark on the world of jazz. Known for his dynamic playing style and innovative compositions, his album Drink Plenty Water and Walk Slow is a testament to his unparalleled musical prowess. The original album was recorded in 1974 for Strata-East as an LP but did not make it to the catalogue during this period. However, his wife, Sandy Jordan, unearthed this gem, which was remastered for presentation in ...

4
Album Review

Clifford Jordan: Drink Plenty Water

Read "Drink Plenty Water" reviewed by Dave Linn


In August 1974, Clifford Jordan entered the studio for what was to be the follow-up to his acclaimed 2-LP set, Glass Bead Games (1973) for his third album on the Strata-East label. Sadly, the label folded in 1975, and the album was never released. Now, 49 years later, Drink Plenty Water, has finally seen the light of day. It is a time capsule of that collaborative era when jazz stretched its boundaries. It features an all-star roster with a front ...

4
Radio & Podcasts

Stanley Cowell, Gary Windo, Andrew Cyrille and More

Read "Stanley Cowell, Gary Windo, Andrew Cyrille and More" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


This show features several musicians who have passed on, such as Stanley Cowell and Gary Windo, as well as many who are still alive and performing such as Billy Mintz and Andrew Cyrille. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Zack Lober “Force Majeure" from No Filt3er (Zennez) 00:52 George Russell “Blues In Orbit" from Complete Albums Collection 1956-1964 (Enlightenment) ...

4
Album Review

Various Artists: John Sinclair Presents Detroit Artists Workshop

Read "John Sinclair Presents Detroit Artists Workshop" reviewed by Chris May


Valuable as both a curated chronicle of jazz history and as high-grade music, John Sinclair Presents Detroit Artists Workshop: Community, Jazz And Art In The Motor City 1965—1981 comprises around 70 minutes of live recordings by some of Detroit's finest sons along with an informative 24-page booklet. Among the musicians are trumpeters Donald Byrd and Charles Moore, reeds player Bennie Maupin and, resident in the city in the mid 1960s, pianist Stanley Cowell. The backstory: The Artists ...

13
Album Review

Marion Brown: Why Not? Porto Novo! Revisited

Read "Why Not? Porto Novo! Revisited" reviewed by Chris May


Alto saxophonist Marion Brown was part of the band on John Coltrane's Ascension (Impulse, 1965), though you would not guess it from Why Not (ESP, 1968). Like fellow Ascension alumnus, tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders' contemporaneous Tauhid (Impulse, 1967), Brown's album inhabited an intensely melodic section of the 1960s' New Thing. As were Sanders' own-name releases from 1967 onwards, Brown's work was deeply lyrical and embraced South Asian, Maghrebi and West African instruments and constructs. As bandleaders, the two ...

2
Album Review

Stanley Cowell: It's Time

Read "It's Time" reviewed by Greg Simmons


The durable piano trio, with bass and drums accompaniment, is one of the most frequently employed and time-tested combos in jazz. The competition is fierce to say anything new or noteworthy, with plenty of attempts that yield mixed results. So it's a great pleasure to hear Stanley Cowell's It's Time: a finely crafted collection of mostly originals that is at once sophisticated, both aggressive and pensive, and simply fascinating to listen to.It's Time uses melody, rhythm, and space ...

359
Album Review

Clifford Jordan: Glass Bead Games

Read "Glass Bead Games" reviewed by Robert Iannapollo


Perennially underrated saxophonist Clifford Jordan recorded two of his best albums for the Strata East label and Glass Bead Games is arguably his greatest recording and one of the great albums of the 1970s. Everything is right about this date; Jordan never sounded so good, his tone rich and full, his improvisatory ideas taking the models of Coltrane and Rollins and giving them his own twist. Recorded on a “stormy Monday, October 29, 1973," it was originally issued as a ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Stanley Cowell's birthday today!

Stanley Cowell can best be described as an intellectual pianist. From his early classical roots to collaborations with premier jazz artists to his creative solo career, Cowell’s music has been defined by integrity and taste. With an agile left hand and a relentlessly imaginative approach to standards and his own compositions, his solo concerts are events to be savored. Stanley Cowell, was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1941. He studied piano ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Stanley Cowell's birthday today!

Stanley Cowell can best be described as an intellectual pianist. From his early classical roots to collaborations with premier jazz artists to his creative solo career, Cowell’s music has been defined by integrity and taste. With an agile left hand and a relentlessly imaginative approach to standards and his own compositions, his solo concerts are events to be savored. Stanley Cowell, was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1941. He studied piano ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Stanley Cowell's birthday today!

Stanley Cowell can best be described as an intellectual pianist. From his early classical roots to collaborations with premier jazz artists to his creative solo career, Cowell’s music has been defined by integrity and taste. With an agile left hand and a relentlessly imaginative approach to standards and his own compositions, his solo concerts are events to be savored. Stanley Cowell, was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1941. He studied piano ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Stanley Cowell's birthday today!

Stanley Cowell can best be described as an intellectual pianist. From his early classical roots to collaborations with premier jazz artists to his creative solo career, Cowell’s music has been defined by integrity and taste. With an agile left hand and a relentlessly imaginative approach to standards and his own compositions, his solo concerts are events to be savored. Stanley Cowell, was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1941. He studied piano ...

Recording

Stanley Cowell: Games

Stanley Cowell: Games

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

There are no bad Stanley Cowell albums. All of the pianist's leadership recordings are resplendent works of dazzling art. I don't say this about all jazz artists, since most have their moments of greatness and their misfires. Not so Cowell. Like McCoy Tyner, Cowell is percussive, robust, soulful and plays with a lovely lyricism enveloped by rich, stormy textures. And yet, when was the last time you heard someone raving about Cowell? This is unfortunate, since he should be acknowledged ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Stanley Cowell's birthday today!

Stanley Cowell can best be described as an intellectual pianist. From his early classical roots to collaborations with premier jazz artists to his creative solo career, Cowell’s music has been defined by integrity and taste. With an agile left hand and a relentlessly imaginative approach to standards and his own compositions, his solo concerts are events to be savored. Stanley Cowell, was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1941... Read more.

Place ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Stanley Cowell's birthday today!

Stanley Cowell can best be described as an intellectual pianist. From his early classical roots to collaborations with premier jazz artists to his creative solo career, Cowell’s music has been defined by integrity and taste. With an agile left hand and a relentlessly imaginative approach to standards and his own compositions, his solo concerts are events to be savored. Stanley Cowell, was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1941... Read more.

Place ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Stanley Cowell's birthday today!

Stanley Cowell can best be described as an intellectual pianist. From his early classical roots to collaborations with premier jazz artists to his creative solo career, Cowell’s music has been defined by integrity and taste. With an agile left hand and a relentlessly imaginative approach to standards and his own compositions, his solo concerts are events to be savored. Stanley Cowell, was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1941... Read more.

Place ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Stanley Cowell's birthday today!

Stanley Cowell can best be described as an intellectual pianist. From his early classical roots to collaborations with premier jazz artists to his creative solo career, Cowell’s music has been defined by integrity and taste. With an agile left hand and a relentlessly imaginative approach to standards and his own compositions, his solo concerts are events to be savored. Stanley Cowell, was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1941... Read more.

Place ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Jazz Musician of the Day: Stanley Cowell

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Stanley Cowell's birthday today! Stanley Cowell can best be described as an intellectual pianist. From his early classical roots to collaborations with premier jazz artists to his creative solo career, Cowell’s music has been defined by integrity and taste. With an agile left hand and a relentlessly imaginative approach to standards and his own compositions, his solo concerts are events to be savored. Stanley Cowell, was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1941... Read more. Place ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Drink Plenty Water

Harvest Song Records
2023

buy

Drink Plenty Water...

Harvest Song Records
2023

buy

John Sinclair...

Strut / Art Yard
2022

buy

It's Time

SteepleChase Records
2013

buy

New World

Epic
2008

buy

Videos

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