Happy Birthday, JoAnne Brackeen

Hardbopjazz · July 29, 2020

82 today. All the best to find pianist and the only women to be a Jazz Messengers.

danasgoodstuff · July 29, 2020

That's quite an accomplishment, being a Jazz Messenger. Do you know if she's still active?

Kevin Bresnahan · July 29, 2020

I saw her play in late October of 2017 at Scullers in Boston and she was still playing great. She was a late sub for George Cables in Javon Jackson's band. Eddie Gomez and Jimmy Cobb rounded out the rhythm section. As you can imagine, it was a great show.

Justin V · July 29, 2020

I hope that she had a good birthday. I saw half of her set in Detroit a few years ago. She had Rudresh Mahanthappa, Ugonna Okegwo and Matt Wilson with her. :tup

Milestones · July 29, 2020

I find it odd (and disappointing) that apparently there have been no Joanne Brackeen records in the past 20 years. If there are any, they must be severely under the radar.

Rooster_Ties · July 29, 2020

24 minutes ago, Milestones said:

I find it odd (and disappointing) that apparently there have been no Joanne Brackeen records in the past 20 years.

That, and quite a number of her key albums have never been on CD either.

mikeweil · July 29, 2020

My best wishes for her. 82 years! I'm getting older .......

Saw her in Joe Henderson's quartet decades ago. She was always great when I heard her on records. Her last as a leader, a solo piano album, dates from 1999!

sidewinder · July 29, 2020

I saw her at what was the Montreal Bistro/Cafe des Copains in Toronto about 30 years ago. A superb performance.

Hardbopjazz · July 29, 2020

18 hours ago, danasgoodstuff said:

That's quite an accomplishment, being a Jazz Messenger. Do you know if she's still active?

She is. I saw her in the autumn of 2019.

9 hours ago, Milestones said:

I find it odd (and disappointing) that apparently there have been no Joanne Brackeen records in the past 20 years. If there are any, they must be severely under the radar.

Last year I saw her live, her road manager jokingly said when I asked does she have any new recordings coming out, do I know any record companies looking to record her.

Edited July 29, 2020 by Hardbopjazz

HutchFan · July 30, 2020

14 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

That, and quite a number of her key albums have never been on CD either.

Yeah. Some of her best records!!!

... In any case, Happy Birthday to a fantastic pianist -- and many happy returns.

Edited July 30, 2020 by HutchFan

Gheorghe · July 30, 2020

7 hours ago, mikeweil said:

My best wishes for her. 82 years! I'm getting older .......

Saw her in Joe Henderson's quartet decades ago. She was always great when I heard her on records. Her last as a leader, a solo piano album, dates from 1999!

Same here !

I also saw here in Joe Henderson´s quartet in Vienna in late 1978. I don´t remember who was on bass and drums, but it was a great concert. Not Long after, or during here tenure with Joe Henderson there was an interview with her in "Jazz Podium".

I remember that she may have been slightly influenced by McCoy Tyner.

JSngry · July 31, 2020

Ancient Dynasty with Joe, that's the one for me.

Rooster_Ties · July 31, 2020

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Ancient Dynasty with Joe, that's the one for me.

Amen! Keyed In with the same trio (sans Joe) from a year before is damn good too. I’d love to have both on CD (but I do at least have both on LP).

Hardbopjazz · August 1, 2020

JoAnne Brackeen. I took this a few years ago. She did a duo concert with Ravi Coltrane.

MomsMobley · October 3, 2023

this is a "pretty good" band with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette. on Antilles.

felser · October 3, 2023

I'm a big fan of her music, have kept every leader date CD of hers I've ever come across. One of the few Maybeck Hall CD's I've kept.

Gheorghe · October 4, 2023

I can´t say I heard her often. But she was the big surprise for me and many others when she played with Joe Henderson Quartet 45 years ago here in Vienna. She was a fantastic pianist.
Later I think I saw her once again in a strange setting with Joe Farrell as leader, where Chet Baker was booked as co-leader and was "great" in not showing up at all. During that set with Farrell, which was fine, but in no way compareable to Henderson, Joanne Brackeen also did some duo work with Bassist Clint Houston or I think that was his name. But piano-bass duo just isn´t my thing so I don´t remember much about it. No horns, no drums, that´s a bit hard for me.....