Makanda Ken McIntyre
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Makanda Ken McIntyre | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kenneth Arthur McIntyre |
| Born | September 7, 1931 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | June 13, 2001 (aged 69) New York City |
| Genres | Jazz, avant-garde jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, teacher |
| Instrument(s) | Saxophone, multi-instrumentalist |
| Years active | 1960–2000 |
| Labels | United Artists, SteepleChase |
Makanda Ken McIntyre (born Kenneth Arthur McIntyre; also known as Ken McIntyre) (September 7, 1931 – June 13, 2001)[1] was an American jazz musician, composer and educator. In addition to his primary instrument, the alto saxophone, he played flute, bass clarinet, oboe, bassoon, double bass, drums, and piano.
Biography[edit]
McIntyre was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.[2] His father played mandolin.[3] McIntyre started his musical life on the bugle when he was eight years old, followed by piano.[3] In his teens he discovered the music of Charlie Parker and began playing saxophone at nineteen, then clarinet and flute two years later.[3] In 1953 he served in the Army and played saxophone and piano in Japan.[3]
After serving two years in the U.S. Army, he attended the Boston Conservatory[1] where he studied with Gigi Gryce, Charlie Mariano, and Andy McGhee.[3] In 1958 he received a degree in flute and composition with a master's degree the next year in composition.[3] He also received a doctorate (Ed.D.) in curriculum design from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1975.[3]
In 1960 he recorded as a leader with Eric Dolphy.[3] Beginning the next year, and for the next six years, he taught music in public schools.[3] He took oboe lessons in New York before playing with Bill Dixon, Jaki Byard, and the Jazz Composer's Orchestra.[3] Then he spent three years with pianist Cecil Taylor.[3] During the 1970s he recorded with Nat Adderley and Beaver Harris and in the 1980s with Craig Harris and Charlie Haden.[3]
In 1971, he founded the first African American Music program in America at the State University of New York College at Old Westbury, teaching for 24 years.[4] He also taught at Wesleyan University, Smith College, Central State University, Fordham University, and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.[3]
In the early 1990s, he changed his name to Makanda Ken McIntyre.[1] While performing in Zimbabwe, a stranger handed him a piece of paper with the word "Makanda" written on it; the word means "many skins" in the Ndebele language and "many heads" in Shona.[4]
McIntyre died of a heart attack in New York City, at the age of 69 on June 13, 2001.[1]
Discography[edit]
As leader[edit]
- Stone Blues (New Jazz, 1961)
- Looking Ahead (New Jazz, 1961)
- Year of the Iron Sheep (United Artists, 1962)
- Way, Way Out (United Artists, 1963)
- Hindsight (SteepleChase, 1974)
- Home (SteepleChase, 1975)
- Open Horizon (SteepleChase, 1975)
- Introducing the Vibrations (SteepleChase, 1977)
- Chasing the Sun (SteepleChase, 1979)
- Tribute (Serene, 1991)
- A New Beginning (Passin' Thru, 2001)
- In the Wind: The Woodwind Quartets (Passin' Thru, 2004) recorded in 1995 and 1996
As sideman[edit]
With Charlie Haden
- Dream Keeper (DIW, 1990)
- The Montreal Tapes: Liberation Music Orchestra (Verve, 1999)
- Live in Montreal (Image Entertainment, 2002)
With Beaver Harris
- Beautiful Africa (Soul Note, 1979)
- Negcaumongus (Cadence, 1981)
- Live at Nyon (Cadence, 1981)
- Safe (Red, 1980)
With Archie Shepp, Bill Dixon
- Quartet (FreeFactory, 2009 )
- Bill Dixon 7-tette/Archie Shepp and the New York Contemporary 5 (Savoy, 1964)
With others
- Nat Adderley, Don't Look Back (SteepleChase, 1976)
- Eric Dolphy, Fire Waltz (Prestige, 1978)
- Honi Gordon, Honi Gordon Sings (Prestige, 1962)
- Craig Harris, Aboriginal Affairs (India Navigation, 1983)
- Jazz Composer's Orchestra, Communication (Fontana, 1966)
- Michael Mantler/Carla Bley, 13 & 3/4 (1975)
- Cecil Taylor, Unit Structures (Blue Note, 1966)
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Yanow, Scott. "Ken McIntyre". AllMusic. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 268. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (2007). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press. p. 452. ISBN 978-0-19-507418-5.
- ^ a b "BIOGRAPHY - Makanda Ken McIntyre: Jazz Master, Composer, Educator". Mkmjazz.com. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
External links[edit]
| Archives at | ||||
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| How to use archival material |
- Makanda Ken McIntyre discography at JazzDiscography.com
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1931 births
- 2001 deaths
- Musicians from Boston
- Jazz musicians from Massachusetts
- Central State University faculty
- State University of New York at Old Westbury faculty
- University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Education alumni
- Wesleyan University faculty
- 20th-century American composers
- 20th-century American drummers
- 20th-century American pianists
- 20th-century double-bassists
- 20th-century American male musicians
- 20th-century American saxophonists
- African-American pianists
- American bassoonists
- American double-bassists
- American flautists
- American jazz alto saxophonists
- American jazz oboists
- American male composers
- American male drummers
- American male pianists
- American male saxophonists
- American multi-instrumentalists
- Bass clarinetists
- American male double-bassists
- American male jazz musicians
- American male oboists
- 20th-century African-American musicians
- 20th-century flautists