Material Live 2004

AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS

In his profile for JAZZIZ magazine, Bob Young cited Amina Claudine Myers as "a true original." That she is. A triple-treat-artist - composer, multi-keyboardist, vocalist - Myers "meshes genres," wrote Young, into a singular "forum for her unique sounds."

Owing to her musical training and wide-ranging background, Myers moves gracefully, balancing precision with passion, form dusty-road country blues and soulful organ funk to shimmering tone poems and street-smart urban R&B. The resulting sound combines the spontaneity and intimacy of jazz with the balance and high-impact intensity of pop music. Yet, Myers knows exactly where jazz and pop coincide.

For Myers, that common ground is the bedrock tradition of, indeed her nearly lifelong involvement with, Afro-American spirituals and gospel music. Whereas most musicians weigh their ultimate success on the chart position of their latest album, Myers answers to a higher authority - her abiding faith in The Creator. Artistically, she also draws strength and inspiration from the improvisational precepts she has embraced during her long, productive membership in the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

Raised in Blackwell, Arkansas, Amina Claudine Myers' musical calling came at the age of four. At seven, she began formal piano training and, after her family moved to Dallas, Texas, she helped form a preteen gospel group and later served as a choir director and pianist in several Dallas-area churches. Upon returning to Arkansas, she co-founded the Gospel Four and the Royal Hearts, performing in high schools and church choirs. She studied European concert music at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, from which she graduated with a B.A. degree in music education. The next stop on her music journey was Chicago.

Besides teaching music for six years in Chicago's public school system, Myers joined the AACM in 1966, honing her craft as a composer and performing alongside such visionary artists as pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, percussionist Ajaramu (Jerold Donava) and reedmen Henry Threadgill and Kalaparusha (Mauric McIntyre). In 1970 she hit the road with Sonny Stitt, followed by a two and a half year hitch with the Gene Ammons Quartet. Since 1976, when she moved to New York City, she has performed with her own groups - The Amina Claudine Myers Voice Choir, Trio, Quartet and Sextet.

Myers, a fixture for many years on the international jazz circuit, has become a much-in-demand performer at blues and gospel festivals in recent years. "In these times," wrote Young in Jazziz, "when safe and sane commercialism is more the rule than the exception, "Myers stands out as a notable exception, a musician in touch with her roots and herself. Her natural music appeals equally to body and mind because it springs from the soul .

"I just try to meditate and let The Creator guide me," she has said. "Many times I don't know what is going to happen, but then it all works out. I'm just a vehicle, a vessel, and I hope I can make uplifting music that makes people feel good."

MATERIAL LIVE 2004
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		AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS In his profile for JAZZIZ magazine, Bob Young cited Amina Claudine Myers as "a true original." That she is. A triple-treat-artist - composer, multi-keyboardist, vocalist - Myers "meshes genres," wrote Young, into a singular "forum for her unique sounds." Owing to her musical training and wide-ranging background, Myers moves gracefully, balancing precision with passion, form dusty-road country blues and soulful organ funk to shimmering tone poems and street-smart urban R&B. The resulting sound combines the spontaneity and intimacy of jazz with the balance and high-impact intensity of pop music. Yet, Myers knows exactly where jazz and pop coincide. For Myers, that common ground is the bedrock tradition of, indeed her nearly lifelong involvement with, Afro-American spirituals and gospel music. Whereas most musicians weigh their ultimate success on the chart position of their latest album, Myers answers to a higher authority - her abiding faith in The Creator. Artistically, she also draws strength and inspiration from the improvisational precepts she has embraced during her long, productive membership in the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Raised in Blackwell, Arkansas, Amina Claudine Myers' musical calling came at the age of four. At seven, she began formal piano training and, after her family moved to Dallas, Texas, she helped form a preteen gospel group and later served as a choir director and pianist in several Dallas-area churches. Upon returning to Arkansas, she co-founded the Gospel Four and the Royal Hearts, performing in high schools and church choirs. She studied European concert music at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, from which she graduated with a B.A. degree in music education. The next stop on her music journey was Chicago. Besides teaching music for six years in Chicago's public school system, Myers joined the AACM in 1966, honing her craft as a composer and performing alongside such visionary artists as pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, percussionist Ajaramu (Jerold Donava) and reedmen Henry Threadgill and Kalaparusha (Mauric McIntyre). In 1970 she hit the road with Sonny Stitt, followed by a two and a half year hitch with the Gene Ammons Quartet. Since 1976, when she moved to New York City, she has performed with her own groups - The Amina Claudine Myers Voice Choir, Trio, Quartet and Sextet. Myers, a fixture for many years on the international jazz circuit, has become a much-in-demand performer at blues and gospel festivals in recent years. "In these times," wrote Young in Jazziz, "when safe and sane commercialism is more the rule than the exception, "Myers stands out as a notable exception, a musician in touch with her roots and herself. Her natural music appeals equally to body and mind because it springs from the soul . "I just try to meditate and let The Creator guide me," she has said. "Many times I don't know what is going to happen, but then it all works out. I'm just a vehicle, a vessel, and I hope I can make uplifting music that makes people feel good."