Amina Claudine Myers

Myers began singing as a child and played the organ and piano in church choirs in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. She also directed choirs when she was young. In the early 1960s, she graduated from Philander Smith College in Little Rock with a degree in music education and concert music. Myers, upon graduation, moved to Chicago, where she taught music and took classes at Roosevelt University. She also worked with Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt. She joined the AACM Chicago in 1966, focusing on vocal arrangements and compositions. In 1969, she recorded her first jazz album with Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre. Myers moved to New York City in 1976, where she grew her compositional skills and took it to Off-Broadway. As a pianist and organist, she continued to perform and record with Lester Bowie (African Children (1978), The Fifth Power ( 1978), The Organizer (911) and Funky T. Cool T. (911) and Muhal Richard Abrams (“Lifea Blinec (1978), Spihumonesty (799) and Duet (1981). She joined Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra in 1985. Notable collaborations include recordings with Bill Laswell and Marian McPartand, the Art Ensemble of Chicago (Art Ensemble of Chicago), Archie Shepp, David Murray and Arthur Blythe. From Wikipedia

Leave a Comment