Stanley Cowell

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Stanley Cowell
Cowell playing with the Heath Brothers in Rockefeller Center, June 1977
Cowell playing with the Heath Brothers in Rockefeller Center, June 1977
Background information
Born(1941-05-05)May 5, 1941
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
DiedDecember 17, 2020(2020-12-17) (aged 79)
Dover, Delaware, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentPiano
LabelsArista, DIW, Galaxy, SteepleChase, Strata-East
Formerly ofRoland Kirk, Marion Brown, Charles Tolliver, Max Roach

Stanley Cowell (May 5, 1941 – December 17, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and co-founder of the Strata-East Records label.

Early life

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Cowell was born in Toledo, Ohio.[1] He began playing the piano around the age of four, and became interested in jazz after seeing Art Tatum, at the age of six, playing You Took Advantage of Me at his parents' house. Tatum was a family friend.[2]

After high school, Cowell studied classical piano with Emil Danenberg at Oberlin Conservatory of Music[3] He included "Emil Danenberg" in his 1973 suite "Musa: Ancestral Dreams".[4] During his time at Oberlin, he played with jazz multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk, which proved to be formative.[1] He went on to receive a graduate degree in classical piano from the University of Michigan. He moved to New York in the mid-1960s.[1]

Later life and career

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Cowell with the Heath Brothers at Sproul Plaza, University of California, Berkeley, May 1980

Cowell played with Marion Brown, Max Roach, Bobby Hutcherson, Clifford Jordan, Harold Land, Sonny Rollins and Stan Getz.[5] Cowell played with trumpeter Charles Moore and others in the Detroit Artist's Workshop Jazz Ensemble in 1965–66.

In 1971, Cowell co-founded the record label Strata-East with trumpeter Charles Tolliver. The label would become one of the most successful Black-led, independent labels of its day.[6]

During the late 1980s, Cowell was part of a regular quartet led by J.J. Johnson.[7] Cowell taught in the Music Department of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

On December 17, 2020, Cowell died at Bayhealth Hospital in Dover, Delaware, from hypovolemic shock. He was 79 years old.[8]

Discography

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As leader

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Recording date Title Label Year released Notes
1969 Blues for the Viet Cong Freedom 1969 Trio, with Steve Novosel (bass), Jimmy Hopps (drums); also released as Travellin' Man by Black Lion
1969 Brilliant Circles Freedom 1972 With Woody Shaw (trumpet, maracas), Tyrone Washington (tenor sax, flute, clarinet, maracas, tambourine), Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone), Reggie Workman (bass, electric bass), Joe Chambers (drums)
1972–06,
1972–10 		Handscapes Strata-East 1973 As The Piano Choir; with Nat Jones, Hugh Lawson, Webster Lewis, Harold Mabern, Danny Mixon and Sonelius Smith (piano, electric piano, vocals, percussion, African piano, harpsichord)
1972-11 Illusion Suite ECM 1973 Trio, with Stanley Clarke (bass), Jimmy Hopps (drums)
1973 Musa: Ancestral Streams Strata-East 1974 Solo piano, electric piano, kalimba
1974 Handscapes 2 Strata-East 1975 As The Piano Choir; with Sonelius Smith (piano, electric piano), Ron Burton, Nat Jones, Hugh Lawson, Webster Lewis and Harold Mabern (piano), Mtume, Jimmy Hopps and John Lewis (percussion)
1975 Regeneration Strata-East 1976 With Marion Brown (wooden flute), Jimmy Heath (soprano sax, flute, alto flute), John Stubblefield (zuna), Jerry Venable (guitar), Psyche Wanzandae (harmonica, flute), Bill Lee (bass), Aleke Kanonu (bass drum, vocals), Billy Higgins (drums, gembhre, percussion), Ed Blackwell (water drum, parade drum, percussion), Nadi Quamar (mama-lekimbe, percussion, Madigascan harp), Charles Fowlkes (vocals, electric bass), Glenda Barnes and Kareema (vocals)
1977 Waiting for the Moment Galaxy 1977 Solo piano, electric piano, clavinet, synthesizer, kalimba
1977 Talkin' 'bout Love Galaxy 1978 With Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums), Keith Hatchel (electric bass), Clifford Coulter (guitar), Kenneth Nash (finger cymbals, gong, congas), Julian Priester (trombone), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Charles B. Fowlkes, Jr. (vocals), Loretta Devine (vocals)
1978 Equipoise Galaxy 1979 Trio, with Cecil McBee (bass), Roy Haynes (drums)
1978–11 New World Galaxy 1981
1983–07 Such Great Friends Strata-East 1991 Quartet, with Billy Harper (tenor sax), Reggie Workman (bass), Billy Hart (drums)
1985–06 Live at Cafe Des Copains Unisson 1986 Solo piano; in concert
1987–12 We Three DIW 1989 Trio, with Buster Williams (bass), Frederick Waits (drums)
1989–07 Back to the Beautiful Concord Jazz 1989 One track solo piano; most tracks trio, with Santi Debriano (bass), Joe Chambers (drums); some tracks quartet, with Steve Coleman (alto sax, soprano sax) added
1989–07 Sienna SteepleChase 1989 Trio, with Ron McClure (bass), Keith Copeland (drums)
1990–03 Departure No. 2 SteepleChase 1990 Trio, with Bob Cranshaw (bass), Keith Copeland (drums)
1990–06 Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume Five Concord Jazz 1990 Solo piano; in concert
1990–08 Close to You Alone DIW 1990 Trio, with Cecil McBee (bass), Ronnie Burrage (drums)
1991–08 Games SteepleChase 1991 Trio, with Cheyney Thomas (bass), Wardell Thomas (drums)
1993–04 Bright Passion SteepleChase 1993 Trio, with Cheyney Thomas (bass), Wardell Thomas (drums)
1993–04 Angel Eyes SteepleChase 1994 Solo piano
1993–04 Live at Copenhagen Jazz House SteepleChase 1995 Trio, with Cheyney Thomas (bass), Wardell Thomas (drums); in concert
1993–10 Setup SteepleChase 1994 Sextet, with Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Dick Griffin (trombone), Rick Margitza (tenor sax), Peter Washington (bass), Billy Hart (drums)
1995–11 Mandara Blossoms SteepleChase 1996 With Billy Pierce (tenor sax), Jeff Halsey (bass), Ralph Peterson (drums), Karen Francis (vocals)
1996–10 Hear Me One SteepleChase 1997 With Bruce Williams (alto sax), Dwayne Burno, Keith Copeland (drums)
1999–06 Dancers in Love Venus 2000 Trio, with Tarus Mateen (bass), Nasheet Waits (drums)
2010–02 Prayer for Peace SteepleChase 2010 Trio, with Mike Richmond (bass), Victor Lewis (drums)
2011–12 It's Time SteepleChase 2012 Trio, with Tom DiCarlo (bass), Chris Brown (drums)
2011–12 Welcome to This New World SteepleChase 2013 Empathlectrik Quartet With Vic Juris (guitar), Tom DiCarlo (bass), Chris Brown (drums)
2014–03 Are You Real? SteepleChase 2014 Trio, with Jay Anderson (bass), Billy Drummond (drums)
2014–11 Juneteenth Vision Fugitive 2015 Solo piano
2015–02 Reminiscent SteepleChase 2015 Trio, with Jay Anderson (bass), Billy Drummond (drums)
2015–12 No Illusions SteepleChase 2017 Quartet, with Bruce Williams (alto sax, flute), Jay Anderson (bass), Billy Drummond (drums)
2019–10 Live at Keystone Korner Baltimore SteepleChase 2020 Quintet, with Freddie Hendrix (trumpet), Bruce Williams (alto sax), Tom DiCarlo (bass), Vince Ector (drums), Sunny Cowell (vocal); in concert

As sideman

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Collar, Matt. "Stanley Cowell". AllMusic. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  2. ^ Lester, James (1994). Too Marvelous for Words : the life and times of Art Tatum. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 140–142. ISBN 0195083652. OCLC 28063559. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  3. ^ Stanley Cowell ’62, Jazz Pianist, Composer, and Educator, Dies at 79, Oberlin College Conservatory News and Events, December 20, 2020
  4. ^ Stanley Cowell – Musa - Ancestral Streams (2018, Gatefold, Vinyl) - Discogs
  5. ^ Fairweather, Digby; Ian Carr; Brian Priestley (2004). The Rough Guide to Jazz. p. 286. ISBN 9781843532569.
  6. ^ Russonello, Giovanni (December 20, 2020). "Stanley Cowell, Jazz Pianist With a Wide Range, Dies at 79". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2020. Strata-East Records, a pioneering institution in jazz and the broader Black Arts Movement. It would release a steady run of pathbreaking music over the next decade, becoming one of the most successful Black-run labels of its time.
  7. ^ Yanow, Scott (2000). Bebop. p. 92.
  8. ^ Chinen, Nate (18 December 2020). "Stanley Cowell, Pianist, Composer and Educator with a Kaleidoscopic View of Jazz, Is Dead at 79". WBGO. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
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