Milford Graves

Milford Graves was among the flashiest drummers in the free mode, known for skillful inclusion of Asian and African rhythmic ingredients in his solos. He studied Indian music extensively and learned the tabla from Wasantha Singh. He recorded with a wide range of jazz and folk musicians, including <a href="spotify:artist:0tIODqvzGUoEaK26rK4pvX">Sun Ra</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2wn2nqzITvJ1vcMRO8Wzv6">Albert Ayler</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3UXq4fckDmcPmleixlrl6i">Anthony Braxton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6TTJ0xLPPNDyv4bXyukzU4">Sam Amidon</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:18RkLKfeoUgZflWv9os25W">Miriam Makeba</a>, although he rarely released albums as a leader or solo artist. Two of his titles, Babi and Meditation Among Us, appeared in 1977, and releases for <a href="spotify:artist:3gkJ7lXtLpE4KauFHpk2vK">John Zorn</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tzadik%22">Tzadik</a> label arrived near the turn of the millennium.

Graves played congas as a child, then switched to trap drums at 17 before his tabla studies with Singh. During the '60s, he worked with <a href="spotify:artist:4WffHtWve3PVaWYJAP0O5D">Giuseppi Logan</a> and the <a href="spotify:artist:41Kfaim3CfadDu8PXRvdUP">New York Art Quartet</a>. He recorded on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22ESP%22">ESP</a> in the mid-'60s with <a href="spotify:artist:4WffHtWve3PVaWYJAP0O5D">Logan</a> and was an original member of the Jazz Composers' Orchestra Association. Graves also played with <a href="spotify:artist:1b3F5FI7TX4IWTNA4P1kWp">Hugh Masekela</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:18RkLKfeoUgZflWv9os25W">Miriam Makeba</a> in the early '60s. His appearance in the <a href="spotify:artist:4hs4QcruAuaZtBZ99qw6G2">Bill Dixon</a>-sponsored concert series the October Revolution in Jazz helped introduce Graves to a wider audience. He recorded two albums of duets with pianist <a href="spotify:artist:0zdSGWAAxDPCaU0Xa3FTQP">Don Pullen</a> at Yale in 1966. He worked regularly with <a href="spotify:artist:2wn2nqzITvJ1vcMRO8Wzv6">Albert Ayler</a> in 1967 and 1968, performing at the 1967 Newport Festival. He also played with Hugh Glover and worked in a duo with <a href="spotify:artist:47hexMV8ZbDWZ9MSwSWD50">Andrew Cyrille</a>.

During the mid-'70s, Graves participated in a series of concerts called Dialogue of the Drums with <a href="spotify:artist:47hexMV8ZbDWZ9MSwSWD50">Cyrille</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0kXAzHqzGdJH3IGyOc6Srz">Rashied Ali</a>, including several shows in Black neighborhoods. He taught at Bennington College alongside <a href="spotify:artist:4hs4QcruAuaZtBZ99qw6G2">Bill Dixon</a> in the '70s, and toured Europe and Japan. During the '80s, he played in percussion ensembles with <a href="spotify:artist:47hexMV8ZbDWZ9MSwSWD50">Cyrille</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7xwlN7fhoOwNgDmRTwYZOa">Kenny Clarke</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4ZLbNcNVwDlb8MqDahiF9e">Don Moye</a>. <a href="spotify:artist:4WhH68K75YKSAwHAqWFpi1">Philly Joe Jones</a> later replaced <a href="spotify:artist:7xwlN7fhoOwNgDmRTwYZOa">Clarke</a>. The late '90s found Graves enjoying a revival, collaborating with younger musicians, including <a href="spotify:artist:3gkJ7lXtLpE4KauFHpk2vK">John Zorn</a>, and recording albums for his <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tzadik%22">Tzadik</a> label. In 2000, the <a href="spotify:artist:41Kfaim3CfadDu8PXRvdUP">New York Art Quartet</a>'s first recording in decades, 35th Reunion, was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22DIW%22">DIW</a>. Graves later released albums with <a href="spotify:artist:5RISqKCcrhGITX2TQAPGPL">Bill Laswell</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1eE9oB7Z69NzfALiUJYKUm">Wadada Leo Smith</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:32QaUUUSNwRfshZ10Zxp58">Marshall Allen</a>, and others. He died on February 12, 2021. ~ Ron Wynn, Rovi