Some Musical High Points
What do I feel have been some of the "high points" of my musical career?
- Playing three nights in a trio format with master drummer Tony Williams - with Wyatt "Bull" Reuther on bass - at Bajones in San Francisco, around 1979.
- Playing 'gigs' over a four-month period with Eddie Harris. The bassist was Larry Gales, Monk's bassist.
- Getting to play numerous concerts with Big Nick Nicholas ( the great saxophonist to whom John Coltrane paid tribute by his tune "Big Nick".)
- Playing for several weeks with Airto and Flora Purim, at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco, around 1979.
- Getting to play in the "horn line" (I was playing the melodica) between Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson, at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco, around 1978.
- Playing and rehearsing and learning from and being friends with "Philly Joe" Jones, and playing in his band for months, soon after I arrived in Philadelphia.
- Playing organ in Damita Jo's band for four weeks at a club in Florida, in 1976.
- Playing with Gary Burton and Joe Morello at a clinic for Michael's Music Store in Baltimore, sometime in 1972 or '73.
- Playing "These Foolish Things" and other ballads at 4am with Dexter Gordon (1979).
- My partner Elaine and I living in Copenhagen for a few months with Dexter's ex-wife Fenja and her brother Michael, around 1977.
- Being chosen to play the 2004 Art Tatum Jazz festival at the Kennedy Center in Wash., DC.
- Being chosen as the opening act for the 2005 Mary Lou Williams Jazz festival at the Kennedy Center in Wash., DC.
- Being friends and playing with Eddie Marshall
- Being on the bill for the 2006 Mary Lou Williams Jazz festival at the Kennedy Center in Wash., DC.
- Receiving the Fellowship Grant from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 1995 for composition.
- Being a three time recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
- Writing "Billy's Theme" for Dr Billy Taylor, then being asked to record it (Billy's Theme), then meeting him, playing it for him, and getting him to play part of it with me onstage for the first time he had played after his stroke… at the Kennedy Center in Wash., DC.
- Having received three Grammy Nominations in the years from 2001 through 2010.
- Playing a piano duet with John Lewis in Tokyo, Japan.
- Meeting, opening for, and playing a few tunes with Sarah Vaughan at the Sacramento Community Center in Sacramento, in 1978 or '79.
- Opening for pianist Bill Evans on six different occasions: once at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, twice at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco, and three times at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco. This was around 1980.
- Bill Evan's comment on my playing upon first hearing me play solo at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco: "Where the f%$# did YOU come from?"
- Dave Brubeck saying that I was one of the "greatest pianists he had ever heard."
- Playing "'Round Midnight" with Illinois Jacquette at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco, around 1980.
- Playing two whole weeks in a duo format with Stan Getz at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco, around 1979.
- Being one of the few women to play the prestigious 100 Gold Finger Tour by Fujitsu, covering 17 cities in19 days in Japan and South Korea, and playing opposite pianists including John Lewis, Ray Bryant, George Cables, Benny Green, Cyrus Chestnut, Brad Meldhau, Eric Reed, Kenny Barron, and Junior Mance.
- My years-long friendship with bassist Leroy Vinnegar, who also played on three of my CDs.
- Being given the opportunity to open for and/or play with the great Keystone Korner bands. This was the gift that Todd Barkan gave me, and it changed my music and my life.
- Spending a week playing duos with Joanne Brackeen.
- Spending a week playing opposite Mary Lou Williams.
- Playing opposite McCoy Tyner and Bobby Huthcerson for a week at Jazz Alley in Seattle, around 1997.
- Playing duos with Roger Kellaway, Red Mitchell, Joe Pass, and Charlie Haden.
- Playing and recording with Charlie Rouse on his last CD (Epistrophy).
- Rehearsing, playing, and conversing with the great drummer Tony Williams at his house in CA. He was one of the sweetest and most gifted human beings I've ever known.
- Did I mention playing and being friends with Leroy Vinnegar, for whom I wrote the tune in the video above, called The Sheikh?
- Oh yes... surviving the cage-fusion spine operation a few months ago. In a year I should start to feel human again.
- I played with
- Philly Joe Jones
- Tony Williams
- Eddie Harris
- Stan Getz
- Leroy Vinnegar
- Big Nick Nicholaus
- Airto
- Flora Purim
- Charlie Rouse
- John Abercrombie
- Charlie Haden
- Larry Gales
- Red Mitchell
- Bobby Hutherson
- Nancy King
- Ethel Ennis
- Domita Jo
- Herbie Lewis
- Dave Young
- Reggie Workman
- Bobby McFerrin
- Bill Evans
- Dexter Gordon
- McCoy Tyner
- Randy Weston
- George Cables
- John Lewis
- Ray Bryant
- Benny Green
- Joanne Brackeen
- Oscar Peterson
- Kenny Barron
- Junior Mance
- Bob Cranshaw
- Grady Tate
- Sarah Vaughn
- Marion McPartland
- Pharoah Sanders
- Art Blakey
- Marvin Smitty Smith
- Steve Allen
- Mary Lou Williams
- Billy Higgins
- Victor Lewis
- Ray Drummond
- Mel Brown
- Dave Captein
- Jeff Johnson
- Red Mitchell
- Leroy Vinnegar
- Dave Friesen
- Jeff Ballard
- Eddie Marshall
- Jay Clayton
- Gary Bartz
- Lex Humphries
- Eddie Moore
- Gaylord Birch
- Glenn Moore
- Patty Waters
- John Bishop
- Doug Miller
- Aiko Shimada
- Ron McClure
- Mike Clark
I played with or toured with ...
Was I lucky? Yes. But I also worked very very hard, and continue to. I have 3 new CDs coming out in 2013, and I'll let you know about them if you sign up (instructions below). And ALL free customers get a free CD with whatever they buy. Gotta buy something though!
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This site is dedicated to John Coltrane, Glenn Gould, Elvin Jones, Mary Lou Williams, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Philly Joe Jones, Tony Williams, and all who have devoted their lives and their souls to Music. "I want to be a force for good. I know there are bad forces here that bring suffering to others and misery to the world, but I want to be the force which is truly good." - John Coltrane
