Rashid Bakr (musician)

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Rashid Bakr
Jemeel Moondoc & Rashid Bakr.jpg
Jemeel Moondoc (left) with Rashid Bakr at Studio Rivbea! July 1976
Background information
Birth nameCharles Downs
BornOctober 3, 1943 (1943-10-03) (age 80)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres Free jazz
Occupation(s) Musician
Instrument(s) Drums

Rashid Bakr (born Charles Downs on October 3, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American free jazz drummer. [1]

Contents

Career

During the 1970s, he was active in the New York City loft jazz scene, performing at venues such as Rashied Ali's "Ali's Alley" and Sam Rivers' "Studio Rivbea". He was a member of Ensemble Muntu with Jemeel Moondoc, among others. [2]

In 1976, Bakr performed in a production of Adrienne Kennedy's A Rat's Mass directed by Cecil Taylor at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village of Manhattan. Musicians Jimmy Lyons, Andy Bey, Karen Borca, David S. Ware, and Raphe Malik also performed in the production. Taylor's production combined the original script with a chorus of orchestrated voices used as instruments. [3] Bakr continued to perform with Taylor into the 1980s, appearing on his albums The Eighth and Winged Serpent (Sliding Quadrants) . [4]

Bakr is a member of Other Dimensions in Music with Roy Campbell, Daniel Carter, and William Parker. [5]

Discography

As leader or co-leader

With the Flow Trio (Louis Belogenis, Joe Morris, Bakr listed as Charles Downs)

As sideman

With Billy Bang

With John Bickerton

With Arthur Doyle

With Frode Gjerstad

With Sabir Mateen

With Joe McPhee

With Jemeel Moondoc

With Ras Moshe

With Other Dimensions in Music

With William Parker

With Jamie Saft

With Glenn Spearman

With Cecil Taylor

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References

  1. "Rashid Bakr". Discogs. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  2. Sharpe, John (March 18, 2010). "Jemeel Moondoc: Muntu Recordings". All About Jazz. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  3. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Rat's Mass, A (1976)". Accessed August 8, 2018.
  4. Yanow, Scott. "Winged Serpent (Sliding Quadrants): Review". Allmusic. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  5. Kelsey, Chris. "Other Dimensions in Music: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved December 12, 2010.