Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

January 5, 1957 in Evanston, IL

Genre

:

Avant-Garde

 

Myra Melford is a renowned American pianist, composer, and bandleader who has made significant contributions to the world of contemporary jazz and classical music. Born on September 5, 1957, in Evanston, Illinois, Melford grew up in a musical family and started playing the piano at a young age. Her mother was a classical pianist, and her father was a jazz enthusiast who introduced her to the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Thelonious Monk. Melford's early musical education was primarily focused on classical music, and she studied piano with various teachers throughout her childhood. However, she was also drawn to jazz and began exploring the genre in her teenage years. She attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in classical piano performance in 1979. After completing her undergraduate studies, Melford moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she became involved in the city's vibrant jazz scene. She began performing with local musicians and quickly gained a reputation as a talented and innovative pianist. In 1984, she formed her first band, the Myra Melford Trio, which featured bassist Lindsey Horner and drummer Reggie Nicholson. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Melford continued to perform and record with various groups, including the collective trio Equal Interest, which she formed with saxophonist Joseph Jarman and percussionist Famoudou Don Moye. She also collaborated with other notable musicians, such as saxophonist Marty Ehrlich, trumpeter Dave Douglas, and bassist Mark Dresser. In 1992, Melford released her debut album as a bandleader, "Jump!" on the Enemy Records label. The album featured her trio with Horner and Nicholson and received critical acclaim for its adventurous and eclectic approach to jazz. Melford's subsequent albums, including "Above Blue" (1994), "Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws" (1996), and "The Same River, Twice" (1996), further established her as a leading figure in the contemporary jazz scene. In addition to her work as a performer and bandleader, Melford is also a respected composer and educator. She has received numerous commissions to create new works for various ensembles, including the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the AACM Orchestra, and the Jazz Composers Orchestra. She has also taught at several universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Michigan. Melford's music is characterized by its eclectic blend of jazz, classical, and world music influences, as well as its emphasis on improvisation and experimentation. She has been praised for her innovative use of extended techniques on the piano, such as prepared piano and inside-piano techniques, which involve plucking or striking the strings inside the instrument. Over the course of her career, Melford has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to the world of jazz and classical music. In 2013, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in music composition, which allowed her to create a new work for her ensemble Snowy Egret. She has also been recognized with grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Melford's performances and recordings have been widely praised by critics and audiences alike.

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