About Myra Melford
Over the course of two decades and more than 30 recordings, Myra Melford has carved out a distinctive niche among creative music’s most respected pianist-composers. Her signature sound skillfully combines early influences such as classical music and the traditional blues piano styles of her native Chicago with her later immersion in the music of Eastern Europe and India and extensive musical studies with such legendary figures as Ran Blake, Jaki Byard, Don Pullen and Henry Threadgill.
Critics called her latest release, The Whole Tree Gone (Firehouse 12 Records), “a triumph” (John Sharpe, AllAboutJazz.com), “compelling from start to finish” (Jez Nelson, BBC 3′s Jazz on 3), “pleasing in nearly every way” (Will Layman, PopMatters.com), “a knockout by any standard” (Nate Chinen, New York Times) and “a high water mark in Melford’s extraordinary oeuvre” (Troy Collins, Point of Departure). When not working with that group, Be Bread, she currently co-leads a variety of ensembles, including Trio M, a duo with clarinetist Ben Goldberg and a new music and dance project, Snowy Egret. Since 2004, she has also served on the faculty of the University of California Berkeley, where she develops and teaches courses about contemporary improvised music.
Featured Discography
Trio M, The Guest House (Enja/Yellowbird, 2012)
The Promised Land
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Even Birds Have Homes (To Return To)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Myra Melford’s Be Bread, The Whole Tree Gone (Firehouse 12 Records, 2010)
Through the Same Gate
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I See a Horizon
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Images
Myra Melford by Jean-Francois Laberine (901 KB)
Trio M by Cory Warner (2.4 MB)
Trio M by Cory Warner (2.5 MB)
Trio M by Cory Warner (1.8 MB)
Upcoming Events
02/25 :: Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret @ The Jazz Gallery (New York, NY)
03/04 :: Ben Goldberg’s Orphic Machine @ The Jewish Music Festival (Berkeley, CA)
03/28:: Trio M @ GiG Performance Space (Santa Fe, NM)
03/29 :: Trio M @ Outpost Performance Space (Albuquerque, NM)
03/30 :: J.A. Deane’s Out of Context Ensemble with special guest Myra Melford @ Outpost Performance Space (Albuquerque, NM)
04/06 :: Trio M @ Firehouse 12 (New Haven, CT)
04/07 :: Trio M @ The Kitano (New York, NY)