Bennie Maupin

Bennie Maupin
Maupin in 2012
Background information
Born	(1940-08-29) August 29, 1940 (age 84) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Jazz jazz fusion
Occupations	Musician composer
Instruments	Bass clarinet saxophone flute
Years active	1950s–present
Labels	Columbia ECM Mercury Cryptogramophone
Formerly of	The Headhunters Almanac

Bennie Maupin, 30th Detroit International Jazz Festival

Bennie Maupin (born August 29, 1940) ^[1] is an American jazz multireedist who performs on various saxophones, flute, and bass clarinet. ^[2]

Biography

Maupin was born in Detroit, Michigan. ^[1] He is known for his participation in Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi sextet and Headhunters band, and for performing on Miles Davis's seminal fusion record, Bitches Brew . ^[1] Maupin has collaborated with Horace Silver, Roy Haynes, McCoy Tyner, Lee Morgan, Marion Brown, and many others. ^[3] He is noted for having a harmonically-advanced, "out" improvisation style, while having a different sense of melodic direction than other "out" jazz musicians such as Eric Dolphy.

Maupin was a member of Almanac, a group with Cecil McBee (bass), Mike Nock (piano) and Eddie Marshall (drums). ^[4]

Maupin (far right) with the Headhunters in 1974

Maupin lost his home, instruments, and other belongings in the Eaton Fire in January 2025. ^[5]

Discography

Source: ^[6]

As leader/co-leader

• The Jewel in the Lotus (ECM, 1974)
• Slow Traffic to the Right (Mercury, 1977)
• Moonscapes (Mercury, 1978)
• Driving While Black with Patrick Gleeson (Intuition, 1998)
• Penumbra (Cryptogramophone, 2006)
• Early Reflections (Cryptogramophone, 2008)
• Symphonic Tone Poem for Brother Yusef with Adam Rudolph (Strut, 2022)

With Almanac (Maupin, Mike Nock, Cecil McBee, Eddie Marshall)

• Almanac (Improvising Artists, 1977) – recorded in 1967

As sideman

With John Beasley

• Positootly! (Resonance, 2009)

With Marion Brown

• Marion Brown Quartet (ESP-Disk, 1966)
• Juba-Lee (Fontana, 1967)
• Afternoon of a Georgia Faun (ECM, 1970)

With George Cables

• Shared Secrets (MuseFX, 2001)

With Mike Clark

• Actual Proof (Platform Recordings, 2000)

With Miles Davis

• Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970)
• Jack Johnson (Columbia, 1971)
• On the Corner (Columbia, 1972)
• Big Fun (Columbia, 1974)

With Chick Corea

• Is (Solid State, 1969)
• Sundance (Groove Merchant, 1972) - recorded in 1969
• The Complete "Is" Sessions (Blue Note, 2002) - compilation

With Jack DeJohnette

• The DeJohnette Complex (Milestone, 1969) - recorded in 1968
• Have You Heard? (Milestone, 1970)

With Patrick Gleeson and Jim Lang

• Jazz Criminal (Electronic Musical Industries, 2007)

With Herbie Hancock

• Mwandishi (Warner Bros., 1971)
• Crossings (Warner Bros., 1972)
• Sextant (Columbia, 1973)
• Head Hunters (Columbia, 1973)
• Thrust (Columbia, 1974)
• Flood (CBS/Sony, 1975)
• Man-Child (Columbia, 1975)
• Secrets (Columbia, 1976)
• VSOP (Columbia, 1976)
• Sunlight (Columbia, 1978)
• Directstep (CBS/Sony, 1979)
• Feets, Don't Fail Me Now (Columbia, 1979)
• Mr. Hands (Columbia, 1980)
• Dis Is da Drum (Mercury, 1994)

With The Headhunters

• Survival of the Fittest (Arista, 1975)
• Straight from the Gate (Arista, 1977)
• Return of the Headhunters (Verve, 1998)

With Eddie Henderson

• Realization (Capricorn, 1973)
• Inside Out (Capricorn, 1974)
• Sunburst (Blue Note, 1975)
• Mahal (Capitol, 1978)

With Andrew Hill

• One for One (Blue Note, 1975) – recorded in 1970

With Freddie Hubbard

• High Blues Pressure (Atlantic, 1968)

With Lee Morgan

• Caramba! (Blue Note, 1968)
• Live at the Lighthouse (Blue Note, 1970)
• Taru (Blue Note, 1980) – recorded in 1968

With Darek Oleszkiewicz

• Like a Dream (Cryptogramophone, 2004)

With the Jimmy Owens-Kenny Barron Quintet

• You Had Better Listen (Atlantic, 1967)

With Woody Shaw

• Blackstone Legacy (Contemporary, 1970)
• Song of Songs (Contemporary, 1972)

With Horace Silver

• Serenade to a Soul Sister (Blue Note, 1968)
• You Gotta Take a Little Love (Blue Note, 1969)

With Lonnie Smith

• Turning Point (Blue Note, 1969)

With Jarosław Śmietana

• A Story of Polish Jazz (JSR, 2004)

With McCoy Tyner

• Tender Moments (Blue Note, 1968)
• Together (Milestone, 1978)

With Lenny White

• Big City (Nemperor, 1977)

With Meat Beat Manifesto

• Actual Sounds + Voices (Nothing, 1998)

References

1. Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 1644/5. ISBN   0-85112-939-0.
2. "Bennie Maupin Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic . Retrieved September 28, 2021.
3. Gluck, Bob (August 15, 2012). You'll Know When You Get There. University of Chicago Press. p. 8. ISBN   9780226300047 . Retrieved February 5, 2025.
4. Lord, Tom (1992). The Jazz Discography. the University of Virginia: Lord Music Reference. p. 296. ISBN   9781881993223 . Retrieved February 5, 2025.
5. "Exclusive | Six Californians describe terrifying moments they lost everything to LA wildfires: 'Like being in a war zone'".
6. "Bennie Maupin discography". JazzLists. Retrieved March 7, 2022.