Bess Bonnier (born 26 May 1928 in
Detroit; died 6 October 2011 in
Grosse Pointe,
Michigan) was an American
jazz pianist,
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
and
music educator.
Life and work
Bonnier, who was
blind
Blind may refer to:
* The state of blindness, being unable to see
* A window blind, a covering for a window
Blind may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Blind'' (2007 film), a Dutch drama by Tamar van den Dop
* ''Blind' ...
from birth, had classical piano lessons as a child. After graduating from Southeastern High School, she studied music and English at
Wayne State University, but had to interrupt her studies to raise her three children as a single mother. In the 1960s, she earned a master's degree in English. She taught jazz piano for many years and performed at the
Detroit Institute of Arts, at the
Detroit International Jazz Festival and other local venues.
Bonnier presented a series of albums under her own name; in 1958 her debut album appeared on the Chicago label
Argo
In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sour ...
.
Her other albums include ''Suite William'' (1999), a jazz cantata with texts by
William Shakespeare, and ''Bess Bonnier and Other Jazz Birds'' (1985), in which she played with guest musicians including
Roland Hanna and
Pepper Adams.
In 1981 she performed with her longtime friends
Tommy Flanagan,
Barry Harris and Roland Hanna at the ''Detroit Piano Summit'' in a New York church.
In the 1960s she worked with the vibraphonist
Jack Brokensha
John Joseph "Jack" Brokensha (5 January 1926 – 28 October 2010) was an Australian-born American jazz vibraphonist, known for his work with the Australian Jazz Quartet and Motown Records.
Biography
Brokensha was born in Nailsworth, South Austral ...
; their collaboration is documented on the album ''Xmazz'', including their composition "Christmas Rag".
Leslie Gourse
Roberta Leslie Gourse (January 1, 1939 – December 23, 2004) was an American writer and biographer who was a prolific writer on jazz music and musicians. In 1991, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers awarded her the Deems T ...
, ''Madame Jazz: Contemporary Women Instrumentalists'', Oxford 1995, S. 215 She was also an ''
Artist in Residence'' for many years, in addition to working as a music teacher at schools in the Detroit area.
Discographic notes
*''Theme for the Tall One'' (Argo 1958)
*''Love Notes'' (Rhino, 1988) mit Paul Keller, Cary Kocher, Pete Siers
References
External links
WebpräsenzNachruf von Mark Stryker in Detroit Free Press
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnier, Bess
American jazz pianists
American women pianists
1928 births
2011 deaths
21st-century American women