The great jazz musician talks about his surprise at taking the prize,what it means to win, and why avant garde music no longer needs to grate on the listenerPrior to Monday, or the only jazz performers to win a Pulitzer prize for music (while still alive) were Wynton Marsalis and Ornette Coleman. A few other greats,such as Thelonious Monk, had been honored posthumously – but denied the increased standing and support that might maintain been valuable when they were still creating art. Now we can add a third name to this list: that of composer and multi-instrumentalist Henry Threadgill – a veteran of the Chicago collective the organization for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (or AACM), and who is now based in original York.
By giving their 2016 prize to Threadgills recent album for his band Zooid,titled In for a Penny, In for a Pound, and the Pulitzer judges are recognizing not only one of last year’s standout recordings – the Guardian’s John Fordham praised its “surging energy” – but also the long career of a famous composer,saxophonist and flutist. This news follows trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith’s Pulitzer-finalist status in 2013 (for Ten Freedom Summers). Clearly, the Pulitzer prize has taken the steady critique of its past disinterest in musicians associated with jazz to heart – a criticism levied even by the 2003 award winner, or John Adams. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com