Ambrose Akinmusire Explained

Ambrose Akinmusire
Birth Date:May 1, 1982
Birth Place:Oakland, California, U.S.
Genre:Jazz
Occupation:Composer, musician
Instrument:Trumpet
Years Active:2007 – present
Label:Blue Note/Capitol/Universal

Ambrose Akinmusire (born May 1, 1982) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and trumpeter.[1] [2]

Biography

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Akinmusire was a member of the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble, where he caught the attention of saxophonist Steve Coleman who was visiting the school to lead a workshop.[3] Coleman hired him as a member of his Five Elements band for a European tour.[4] Akinmusire was also a member of the Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation Jazz Orchestra.

Akinmusire studied at the Manhattan School of Music before returning to the West Coast to take a master's degree at the University of Southern California and attend the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles.

In 2007, Akinmusire won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition and the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition, two of the most prestigious jazz competitions in the world.[5] [6] The same year he released his debut recording Prelude... to Cora on the Fresh Sound New Talent label. He moved back to New York City and began performing with Vijay Iyer, Aaron Parks, Esperanza Spalding, and Jason Moran, taking part in Moran's innovative multimedia concert event In My Mind: Monk At Town Hall, 1957. It was also during this time that he caught the attention of Bruce Lundvall, then President of Blue Note Records.[7]

Akinmusire made his debut on the Blue Note label in 2011 with the album When the Heart Emerges Glistening, featuring his quintet of tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III, pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Harish Raghavan, and drummer Justin Brown.[8] Akinmusire's third album, entitled The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint, was released in 2014.[9] His album Origami Harvest was included in The New York Times Best Jazz of 2018.[10] [11] His sixth studio album On the Tender Spot of every Calloused Moment, again with his quartet of longtime bandmates – Sam Harris (piano), Harish Raghavan (bass), and Justin Brown (drums), was released in spring 2020[12] and received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.[13]

Akinmusire is featured on the last track of Kendrick Lamar's 2015 release To Pimp a Butterfly.

He has received awards including the 2014 North Sea Jazz Festival's Paul Acket Award[14] and both the Doris Duke Artist and Doris Duke Impact Awards;[15] recognition in the DownBeat Critics Poll has included Jazz Artist of the Year (2011) and winning the trumpet category every year from 2013 to 2020.[16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

Selected discography

As leader

YearTitleLabelPersonnel
2008Prelude... to CoraFresh SoundAmbrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Aaron Parks (piano), Chris Dingman, Walter Smith III (tenor saxophone), Joe Sanders (bass), Justin Brown (drums), Logan Richardson (alto saxophone), Junko Watanabe (vocals)[22]
2011When the Heart Emerges Glistening Blue Note/EMI RecordsAmbrose Akinmusire (trumpet, celeste, voice), Smith (tenor saxophone), Gerald Clayton (piano), Jason Moran (Rhodes), Harish Raghavan (bass), Justin Brown (drums)[23]
2014The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint Blue Note/Capitol/Universal RecordsAkinmusire (trumpet, percussion), Walter Smith III (tenor saxophone), Harish Raghavan (bass), Justin Brown (drums), Sam Harris (mellotron, piano), Charles Altura (guitar), Theo Bleckmann (vocals), Cold Specks (vocals), Becca Stevens (vocals), Elena Pinderhughes (flute) and OSSO String Quartet: Maria Im (violin), Brooke Quiggins Saulnier (violin), Kallie Ciechomski (viola), Maria Jeffers (cello)[24]
2017 (2CDs) Blue Note/Capitol/Universal RecordsAmbrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Sam Harris (piano), Harish Raghavan (bass), Justin Brown (drums)[25]
2018Origami HarvestBlue Note/Capitol/Universal RecordsAmbrose Akinmusire (trumpet, synthesizer, voice), Kool A.D. (vocals), LmbrJck_t (vocals), Sam Harris (piano, keyboards), Michael Aaberg (keyboards), Marcus Gilmore (drums), Olivia De Prato (violin), Lauren Cauley Kalal (violin), Victor Lowrie Tafoya (viola), Mariel Roberts (cello), Walter Smith III (tenor saxophone)[26]
2020On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused MomentBlue NoteAmbrose Akinmusire (trumpet, Rhodes), Sam Harris (piano), Harish Raghavan (bass), Justin Brown (drums)
2023Beauty Is EnoughOrigami Harvest Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet)
Owl SongNonesuch RecordsAmbrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Bill Frisell (guitar), Herlin Riley (drums)

As sideman

YearArtistTitleLabel
2001Steve ColemanResistance Is FutileLabel Bleu
2002Aaron ParksShadowsKeynoteRecords
2003Vijay Iyer & Mike LaddIn What Language?Pi Recordings
2006Casually IntroducingNew Talent Spain
2007Alan PasquaAnti Social ClubCryptogramophon
2007Sara GazarekReturn to YouNative Language
2007New Constellations: Live in Vienna (Live) Accurate Records
2008John EscreetConsequencesPosi-Tone
2008Esperanza Heads Up
2008Danny GrissettFormCriss Cross Jazz
2009House Without a Door lbjazz
2009Emergence EmArcy
2010Don't Fight the Inevitable Mythology Records
2010Walter Smith IIIIIICriss Cross Jazz
2010David BinneyBarefooted TownCriss Cross Jazz
2011Graylen Epicenter Mythology Records
2011Nights on Earth Horizontal Jazz
2011Chris DingmanWaking DreamsBetween Worlds
2012Mette JuulMoon on my Shoulder
2012Sound Travels Golden Beams/eOne
2013Dayna StephensThat Nepenthentic Place Sunnyside
2013Life Forum Concord
2013A Rise in the Road Mack Avenue
2015Marcus MillerAfrodeeziaBlue Note
2016Wolfgang MuthspielRising GraceECM
2017Blue Note All-StarsOur Point of ViewBlue Note
2018Camilla BattagliaEMIT: Rotator TenetDodicilune
2018Allison Miller & Carmen StaafScience FairSunnyside
2018Roscoe Mitchell QuartetCome and See What There Is to SeeThe Lab
2018Laila BialiLaila BialiACT
2018Raymond AngryOneJMI
2018Mary HalvorsonCode GirlFirehouse 12
2018Wolfgang MuthspielWhere the River GoesECM
2019Brad MehldauFinding GabrielNonesuch
2023Dhafer YoussefStreet Of MinaretsBeat Back Edition
2023Billy ChildsThe Winds Of ChangeMack Avenue

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chinen . Nate . For a Team Player, the Solo Moments Are Secondary . The New York Times . 24 April 2021 . 1 April 2011.
  2. Web site: Chinen . Nate . Ambrose Akinmusire's New Album Is A Circle In Time, Right Back To His First Jazz Show . NPR . 24 April 2021 . 8 May 2020.
  3. Web site: Spinelli . Adrian . Ambrose Akinmusire Soundtracks Black Resistance from Oakland to the World . KQED . 24 April 2021 . 5 October 2020.
  4. Web site: Woodard . Josef . Ambrose Akinmusire: Life Beyond Ego . DownBeat . 24 April 2021 . 26–31 . April 2014.
  5. Web site: Competition - Past Winners and Judges . Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz . 30 July 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130422191820/http://www.monkinstitute.org/competition/pastwinnersandjudges.php . 22 April 2013 .
  6. Web site: Eisensmith. Kevin. The 2007 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition. International Trumpet Guild. 30 July 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140420210657/http://www.trumpetguild.org/resources/conferencereport2007.html. 2014-04-20. dead.
  7. Web site: Ambrose Akinmusire . Stanford Jazz Workshop . 15 January 2016 . 24 April 2021.
  8. Ambrose Akinmusire, "When the Heart Emerges Glistening". Billboard. 2019-09-21.
  9. Web site: First Listen: Ambrose Akinmusire, 'the imagined savior is far easier to paint'. NPR.org. en. 2019-09-21.
  10. Web site: Russonello . Giovanni . Ambrose Akinmusire's Trumpet Takes a Back Seat to His Pen on 'Origami Harvest' . The New York Times . 24 April 2021 . 10 October 2018.
  11. Web site: Russonello . Giovanni . Best Jazz of 2018 . The New York Times . 24 April 2021 . 6 December 2018.
  12. Web site: Akinmusire Biography . bluenote.com . 2020-05-23.
  13. Web site: GRAMMY Award Results for Ambrose Akinmusire . Recording Academy . 22 April 2021 . 24 April 2021.
  14. Web site: Ambrose Akinmusire Winner Paul Acket Award. North Sea Jazz Festival. 8 May 2014.
  15. Web site: 2015 Doris Duke Artists Awards . Doris Duke Charitable Foundation . 24 April 2021.
  16. Web site: 62nd Annual Critics Poll . DownBeat . 24 April 2021 . August 2014.
  17. Web site: 63rd Annual Critics Poll . DownBeat . 24 April 2021 . August 2015.
  18. Web site: 64th Annual DownBeat International Critics Poll . DownBeat . 24 April 2021 . August 2016.
  19. Web site: DownBeat Announces Winners of the 2018 Int'l Critics Poll . DownBeat . 24 April 2021 . 25 June 2018.
  20. Web site: Salvant Tops 2019 DownBeat Critics Poll . DownBeat . 24 April 2021 . 24 June 2019.
  21. Web site: Terri Lyne Carrington Tops 2020 DownBeat Critics Poll . DownBeat . 24 April 2021 . 6 July 2020.
  22. Web site: Turner . Mark F. . Ambrose Akinmusire: Prelude: To Cora . All About Jazz . 25 April 2021 . 14 May 2008.
  23. Web site: Fordham . John . Ambrose Akinmusire: When the Heart Emerges Glistening - review . The Guardian . 25 April 2021 . 28 April 2011.
  24. Web site: Jarenwattananon . Patrick . First Listen: Ambrose Akinmusire, 'the imagined savior is far easier to paint' . NPR . 25 April 2021 . 2 March 2014.
  25. Web site: Alkyer . Frank . Ambrose Akinmusire: A Rift In Decorum: Live At The Village Vanguard . DownBeat . 25 April 2021 . June 2017.
  26. Web site: Considine . J.D. . Ambrose Akinmusire: Origami Harvest. DownBeat . 25 April 2021 . November 2018.