Milford Graves
Milford Graves | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | August 20, 1941 Jamaica, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 12, 2021 (aged 79) |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1962-2021 |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | New York Art Quartet |
| Website | milfordgraves.com |
Milford Graves (August 20, 1941 – February 12, 2021) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, Professor Emeritus of Music, researcher/inventor, visual artist/sculptor, gardener/herbalist, and martial artist. Graves was noteworthy for his early avant-garde contributions in the 1960s with Paul Bley, Albert Ayler, and the New York Art Quartet, and is considered to be a free jazz pioneer, liberating percussion from its timekeeping role. The composer and saxophonist John Zorn referred to Graves as "basically a 20th-century shaman."