8 Bold Souls is an American jazz ensemble, led by reedist Edward Wilkerson.
The group was founded in 1985 by Wilkerson, also associated with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. They began at Chicago Filmmakers, a performance spot in Chicago, where they played on Thursdays. The performances were dubbed "New Music for 8 Bold Souls", and the group eventually adopted the shortened name for performances elsewhere. 8 Bold Souls were active intermittently through the 1990s, recording for Arabesque Records, and in 1999 released an album on Thrill Jockey, [1] following it with performances at the Chicago Symphony Center and at festivals. [2]
Mwata Bowden is among the musicians to play in the group. Other members include trumpeter Robert Griffin, trombonist Isaiah Jackson, original tubist Aaron Dodd and tubist Gerald Powell, cellist Naomi Millender, original bassist Richard Jess Brown, Jr. (also known as Jess Brown and R. Jess Brown, Jr.), bassist Harrison Bankhead, original percussionist Steve McCall and percussionist Dushun Mosley. [3]
Aaron Dodd died on June 17, 2010, due to complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In addition to his time with 8 Bold Souls, Dodd worked with Leroy Hutson, The Pharaohs and he recorded for Motown Records with Donny Hathaway. [4]
Naomi Millender died in 2018. Harrison Bankhead died in 2023.
Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1990. The band incorporates krautrock, dub, minimal music, electronica and jazz into their music, a combination sometimes termed "post-rock". Tortoise have been consistently credited for the rise of the post-rock movement in the 1990s.
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. The AACM is devoted "to nurturing, performing, and recording serious, original music," according to its charter. It supports and encourages jazz performers, composers and educators. Although founded in the jazz tradition, the group's outreach and influence has, according to Larry Blumenfeld, "touched nearly all corners of modern music."
Hamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist.
Fred Anderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who was based in Chicago, Illinois. Anderson's playing was rooted in the swing music and hard bop idioms, but he also incorporated innovations from free jazz. Anderson was also noted for having mentored numerous young musicians. Critic Ben Ratliff called him "a father figure of experimental jazz in Chicago". Writer John Corbett referred to him as "scene caretaker, underground booster, indefatigable cultural worker, quiet force for good." In 2001, author John Litweiler called Anderson "the finest tenor saxophonist in free jazz/underground jazz/outside jazz today."
Edward L. Wilkerson Jr. is an internationally recognized American jazz composer, arranger, musician, and educator based in Chicago. As founder and director of the cutting-edge octet 8 Bold Souls, and the 25-member performance ensemble Shadow Vignettes, Wilkerson has toured festivals and concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and the Middle East. "Defender", a large-scale piece for Shadow Vignettes, was commissioned by the Lila Wallace/Reader's Digest Fund and featured in the 10th Anniversary of New Music America, a presentation of BAM's Next Wave Festival.
Chicago Underground is an avant-garde jazz ensemble formed in Chicago in 1997 based around the core duo of cornetist Rob Mazurek and drummer/percussionist Chad Taylor. They have recorded and performed as the Chicago Underground Duo, Trio, Quartet or Orchestra depending on how many additional musicians are included. The ensemble which has released numerous recordings on the Thrill Jockey and Delmark labels.
Nicole Mitchell is an American jazz flautist and composer who teaches jazz at the University of Virginia. She is a former chairwoman of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
Douglas McCombs is an American musician who plays bass and guitar with the instrumental rock band Tortoise and leads the instrumental band Brokeback. He is also the longtime bassist for the rock band Eleventh Dream Day. In 1997, he formed Pullman with Bundy K. Brown, Chris Brokaw, and Curtis Harvey, with whom he released two albums. In May 2018, McCombs replaced Eric Claridge as the touring bassist with Chicago jazz-pop outfit The Sea and Cake.
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1960.
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1943.
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1932.
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1939.
Harrison Napoleon Bankhead III was an American jazz double-bassist.
8 Bold Souls is the debut album by the jazz group of the same name. It was recorded in 1986 in Chicago, and was released in 1987 by Sessoms Records. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Edward Wilkerson, saxophonist Mwata Bowden, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah S. Jackson, Jr., tubist Aaron Dodd, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Richard Jess Brown, Jr., and drummer Dushun Mosley.
Sideshow is the second album by the jazz group 8 Bold Souls. It was recorded in November 1991 in Chicago, and was released in 1992 by Arabesque Records. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Edward Wilkerson, saxophonist Mwata Bowden, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah Jackson, tubist Aaron Dodd, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Dushun Mosley.
Ant Farm is the third album by the jazz group 8 Bold Souls. It was recorded in July and August 1994 in Chicago and was released later that year by Arabesque Records. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Edward Wilkerson, saxophonist Mwata Bowden, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah Jackson, tubist Aaron Dodd, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Dushun Mosley.
Last Option is the fourth album by the jazz group 8 Bold Souls. It was recorded in August 1999 in Chicago, and was released in 2000 by Thrill Jockey. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Edward Wilkerson, saxophonist Mwata Bowden, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah Jackson, tubist Gerald Powell, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Dushun Mosley.
Morning Sun/Harvest Moon is the debut album by American jazz double-bassist Harrison Bankhead. It was recorded in April 2010 in Chicago, and was released in 2011 by Engine Studios. On the album, Bankhead is joined by saxophonists Mars Williams and Edward Wilkerson, violinist James Sanders, percussionist Ernie Adams, and drummer Avreeayl Ra.
Velvet Blue is the second album by American jazz double-bassist Harrison Bankhead. It was recorded in March 2013 in Amherst, Massachusetts, and was released later that year by Engine Studios. On the album, Bankhead is joined by saxophonists Mars Williams and Edward Wilkerson, and drummer Avreeayl Ra.
Frequency is the debut album by Chicago-based collective jazz quartet Frequency, featuring saxophonist Edward Wilkerson, flutist Nicole Mitchell, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and percussionist Avreeayl Ra. It was recorded at Riverside Studio in Chicago, and was released in 2006 by Thrill Jockey. The album includes compositions by all four musicians, along with group improvisations.