Henry Threadgill

[jazzy_dave]

Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist, who came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres. He studied at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago co-majoring in piano and flute, along with composition. He studied piano with Gail Quillman and composition with Stella Roberts (1899-1988). He has had a music career for over forty years as both a leader and as a composer.

Threadgill, aside from being a remarkable alto saxophone player, is one of the most imaginative of jazz composers today. He seems to be deliberately challenging the audience: Threadgill was one of the founding members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), a Chicago group that was free-form, you might say, in its philosophy and approach. Peter Watrous of the New York Times described Threadgill as "perhaps the most important jazz composer of his generation." Recent concerts in Chicago have led the local critics to speak of him as a revolutionary figure, altering the manner in which jazz itself is going.

Henry Threadgill - I Can't Wait Till I Get Home

Threadgill-Alto Sax
Fred Hopkins-bass
Fred Lacy-trombone
Rasul Saddik-trumpet
Diedre Murray-cello
Pheeroan Aklaff and Reggie Nicholson-drums

The Henry Threadgill Sextet - Gateway

Henry Threadgill Very Very Circus - Paper Toilet

Plus an interview -

And if you have an hour to spare there is this -

A Conversation with Henry Threadgill

Enjoy.