Leroy Jenkins (March 11, 1932 – February 24, 2007) was an American composer and violinist/violist.

Early life

Jenkins was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, United States. As a youth, he lived with his sister, his mother, two aunts, his grandmother, and, on occasions, a boarder, in a three-bedroom apartment. Jenkins was immersed in music from an early age, and recalled listening to

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

, and singers such as

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

and

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...

. When Jenkins was around eight years old, one of his aunts brought home a boyfriend who played the violin. After hearing him play a difficult Hungarian dance, Jenkins begged his mother for a violin, and was given a red, half-size

Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curr ...

violin that cost twenty-five dollars. He began taking lessons, and was soon heard at St. Luke's Baptist Church, where he was frequently accompanied on piano by Ruth Jones, later known as

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

. Jenkins eventually joined the church choir and orchestra, and performed on the violin at church banquets, teas, and social events. As a teenager, Jenkins entered DuSable High School, where he switched to clarinet and alto saxophone due to the fact that the school did not have an orchestra, limiting his opportunities to play the violin. During this time, he came under the influence of bandleader "Captain" Walter Dyett. After graduating, Jenkins attended

Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the Un ...

, where he resumed study of the violin. In 1961, he graduated with a degree in music education, then moved to

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama ...

, where he taught music in the public school system for four years.

Career

In the mid-1960s, Jenkins moved back to Chicago, and took a job in the public school system. At one point, he attended an AACM event featuring music by

Roscoe Mitchell Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figures ...

, performed by

Maurice McIntyre Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre (March 24, 1936 – November 9, 2013) ...

, Charles Clark, Malachi Favors,

Alvin Fielder Alvin Leroy Fielder Jr (November 23, 1935 – January 5, 2019) was an American jazz drummer. He was a charter member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Black Arts Music Society, Improvisational Arts band, and wa ...

, and Thurman Barker. Jenkins recalled being both confused and excited, and was thrilled to be included in a collective improvisation after taking out his violin. He began participating in AACM rehearsals led by

Muhal Richard Abrams Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...

, recalling: "it was something different, something where I could really be violinistic... I discovered that I would be able to play more of my instrument and I wouldn't have to worry about the cliches... I found out that I could really soar, I found out how I could ''really'' play." Jenkins would rehearse and perform with the group for roughly four years, and made his recording debut in 1967 on Abrams's ''

Levels and Degrees of Light ''Levels and Degrees of Light'' is the debut album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Delmark label in 1968 and features performances of three of Abrams' compositions by Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Charles Clark, Gord ...

''. During this time, Jenkins began playing in a trio format with fellow AACM members Anthony Braxton and Leo Smith, recording the album '' 3 Compositions of New Jazz'' in 1968. (Abrams also appears on the album.) In 1969, the trio moved to Paris, where they began playing with drummer

Steve McCall Stephen Harold McCall (born 15 October 1960) is an English retired footballer who now works as a Scout for Carlisle United. A defensive midfielder during his playing days, McCall built a reputation as a cultured midfield player, with immacul ...

, who had moved to Europe several years prior, in a group that became known as the

Creative Construction Company Creative Construction Company was an American jazz ensemble active briefly in the early 1970s. The ensemble recorded two albums for Muse Records and was composed of six noted improvisationalists: Wadada Leo Smith, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins (j ...

. While in Paris, Jenkins had to opportunity to perform with a wide range of musicians, including

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

and Philly Joe Jones, with whom he recorded, Alan Silva, on whose album '' Luna Surface'' he appeared, and

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Coll ...

, who at one point organized a joint Paris concert featuring the Creative Construction Company, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and Coleman's own group. That same year, Jenkins participated in the recording of Braxton's album '' B-Xo/N-0-1-47a'' for

BYG Actuel BYG Records was a French record label known for the Actuel series specializing in free jazz. However, the label released a handful of non-jazz recordings by artists such as Musica Elettronica Viva, Freedom and Gong. History BYG Records was found ...

. In 1970, Jenkins left Paris, later stating that he didn't feel comfortable with the fact that he didn't speak French, and moved to New York City. Upon his arrival, he reconnected with Coleman and moved into Coleman's Artists House loft, where he lived for several months. He recalled: "We stayed downstairs... It was cold down there, where we slept. Ornette gave us a mattress but he didn't realize how cold it was." Coleman served as Jenkins's mentor, introducing him to the many musicians who frequented his loft. Meanwhile, Jenkins continued performing and rehearsing with the Creative Construction Company, culminating in a concert at

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

's "

Peace Church Peace churches are Christian churches, groups or communities advocating Christian pacifism or Biblical nonresistance. The term historic peace churches refers specifically only to three church groups among pacifist churches: * Church of the Brethr ...

" on May 19, 1970. The concert, which also featured Muhal Richard Abrams and bassist Richard Davis, was recorded thanks to Coleman, who arranged for an engineer to be present, and was released by Muse Records in two volumes. Following the May concert, Braxton joined

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...

's group, which became known as

Circle A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is cons ...

. Jenkins went on to form the Revolutionary Ensemble with bassist Sirone and percussionist

Jerome Cooper Jerome Douglas Cooper (December 14, 1946 – May 6, 2015) was an American free jazz musician. In addition to trap drums, Cooper played balafon, chirimia and various electronic instruments, and referred to himself as a "multi-dimensional drummer," ...

, a group that would last roughly six years. During the early and mid-1970s, he also performed and recorded with

Alice Coltrane Alice Coltrane (' McLeod; August 27, 1937January 12, 2007), also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda, was an American jazz musician and composer, and in her later years a swamini. An accomplished pianist and one of the few har ...

, Don Cherry,

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936) is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera '' Escalator over the Hill'' ...

, Grachan Moncur III, Rahsaan Roland Kirk,

Paul Motian Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer. Motian played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties. He first came to prominence in the ...

, Dewey Redman, and Archie Shepp. In 1974, the

Jazz Composer's Orchestra The Jazz Composer's Orchestra was an American jazz group, founded by Carla Bley and Michael Mantler in 1965, to perform orchestral avant-garde jazz. Its origins lay in the Jazz Composers Guild, an organization founded by Bill Dixon which grew ou ...

commissioned Jenkins to compose a large-scale work, resulting in the album '' For Players Only''. In 1975, he recorded ''

Swift Are the Winds of Life ''Swift Are the Winds of Life'' is an album by drummer Rashied Ali and violinist / composer Leroy Jenkins. It was recorded in September 1975 at Studio 77 in New York City, and was released by Survival Records in 1976. The album was reissued by Kn ...

'', an album of duets with drummer Rashied Ali. These albums would be followed by over a dozen releases under his name over the next thirty years. During the late 1970s, Jenkins performed and recorded with pianist/composer

Anthony Davis Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward and center positions. Davis is an eight-time ...

and drummer

Andrew Cyrille Andrew Charles Cyrille (born November 10, 1939) is an American avant-garde jazz drummer. Throughout his career, he has performed both as a leader and a sideman in the bands of Walt Dickerson and Cecil Taylor, among others. AllMusic biographer ...

, and in the early 1980s, he formed a band called Sting, with two violins, two guitars, electric bass, and drums. During this time, in addition to placing in reader and critic polls in

Jazz Magazine ''Jazz Magazine'' is a French magazine dedicated to jazz. The magazine was created in 1950 by Nicole and Eddie Barclay and Jacques Souplet. Frank Ténot - who had left ''Jazz Hot'' to join ''Jazz Magazine'' - and Daniel Filipacchi Daniel Fil ...

and

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Ch ...

, he began receiving greater recognition as a composer, garnering commissions and grants from the

New York State Council on the Arts The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell MacNeil Mitc ...

, the

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...

, and the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, and performances from groups like the

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...

, the

Brooklyn Philharmonic There have been several organisations referred to as the Brooklyn Philharmonic. The most recent one was the now-defunct Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, an American orchestra based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in existence ...

, the New Music Consort, the

Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (PNME) is an American ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the group was established by composer David Stock in 1976. It has premiered over ...

, and the

Cleveland Chamber Symphony The Cleveland Chamber Symphony is an American chamber orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music, and has presented over 200 performance premieres. History The Cleveland Chamber Symp ...

, among others. In the late 1980s, Jenkins toured and recorded with

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in complex ...

, and received a commission from

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large oeuvre of works is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Stravinsky, Italian music, Arabic music and jazz, as well as ...

, artistic director of the Munich Biennial New Music Theatre Festival, enabling him to compose ''Mother of Three Sons'', a dance-

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

based on African mythology, in collaboration with choreographer/director Bill T. Jones and librettist Ann T. Greene. The work was premiered in Munich in 1990, and was also performed by the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

(US premiere, 1991) and the

Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is an American opera company located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1955 by German-born impresario Walter Herbert and three local Houstonians,Giesberg, Robert I., Carl Cunningham, and Alan Rich. ''Houston Grand Opera at ...

(1992). The 1990s and 2000s saw a continuation of Jenkins's success as a composer. New works included ''Fresh Faust'', a jazz-

rap opera A rap opera or hip hopera is a musical work in hip hop style with operatic form. The terms have been used to describe both dramatic works and concept albums, and ''hip hopera'' has also been used for works drawing more heavily on contemporary R&B ...

, written for Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art; ''The Negro Burial Ground'', a

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning o ...

presented by

The Kitchen The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary avant-garde performance and experimental art institution located at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was foun ...

and workshopped at UMass Amherst; the opera ''The Three Willies'', presented at the

Painted Bride Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in man ...

in Philadelphia and at the Kitchen; and ''Coincidents'' an opera with librettist Mary Griffin, performed at

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

in New York. He also participated in a reunion of the Revolutionary Ensemble, and performed and recorded with the group Equal Interest, which featured Jenkins on violin, Joseph Jarman on woodwinds, and Myra Melford on piano. He collaborated and toured with various choreographers, and formed a world-music improvisation ensemble. In 2004, he was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the art ...

. Jenkins also held residencies at a number of American universities, including

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

Carnegie Mellon Carnegie may refer to: People *Carnegie (surname), including a list of people with the name *Clan Carnegie, a lowland Scottish clan Institutions Named for Andrew Carnegie * Carnegie Building (Troy, New York), on the campus of Rensselaer Polyte ...

, Williams,

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model ...

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, and Oberlin.

Death

Jenkins died from lung cancer on February 24, 2007, in New York City, at the age of 74. At the time of his death he was working on two new operas: ''Bronzeville'', a history of South Side Chicago, and ''Minor Triad'', a music drama about

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplish ...

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

, and

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* '' For Players Only'' (JCOA Records, 1975, LP) * ''

'' (Survival, 1976, LP) * '' Solo Concert'' (India Navigation, 1977, LP) * '' Lifelong Ambitions'' (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1981, LP; 1993, CD) * ''

The Legend of Ai Glatson ''The Legend of Ai Glatson'' is an album by American jazz violinist Leroy Jenkins recorded in 1978 for the Italian Black Saint label.

'' (Black Saint, 1978, LP; 1993, CD) * ''

Space Minds, New Worlds, Survival of America ''Space Minds, New Worlds, Survival of America'' is an album by violinist and composer Leroy Jenkins. It was recorded in August and September 1978, and was released on LP by Tomato Records in 1979. On the album, Jenkins is joined by George Lewis ...

'' (Tomato, 1979, LP; 1989, CD) * ''

Mixed Quintet ''Mixed Quintet'' is an album by American jazz violinist Leroy Jenkins recorded in 1979 for the Italian Black Saint label.

'' (Black Saint, 1983, LP; 1997, CD) *
Straight Ahead/Free at Last
' (Red Record, 1980, LP) * ''

Urban Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

'' (Black Saint, 1984, LP; 1997, CD) * ''

Leroy Jenkins Live! ''Leroy Jenkins Live!'' is a live album by violinist / composer Leroy Jenkins. It was recorded in March 1992 at P.S. 122 in New York City, and was released by Black Saint in 1993. On the album, Jenkins is joined by guitarist Brandon Ross, synthes ...

'' (Black Saint, 1993, CD) * '' Themes & Improvisations on the Blues'' (CRI eXchange, 1994, CD) with

Soldier String Quartet The Soldier String Quartet was a string quartet, founded by composer and violinist Dave Soldier, that specialized in performing a fusion of classical and popular music. The quartet proved a training ground for many subsequent experimental classical ...

Henry Threadgill Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He h ...

Marty Ehrlich Marty Ehrlich (born May 31, 1955) is a multi-instrumentalist (saxophones, clarinets, flutes) and is considered one of the leading figures in avant-garde jazz. Biography Though born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the portion of Ehrlich's youth spent in ...

* '' Out of the Mist'' (Ocean, 1997, CD) with Joseph Jarman * ''

Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

'' (Lovely Music, 1998, CD) * ''

Equal Interest ''Equal Interest'' is an album by Equal Interest, a collaborative project by saxophonist Joseph Jarman, pianist Myra Melford and violinist Leroy Jenkins, which was recorded in 1999 and released on the OmniTone label.

'' (Omnitone Records, 1999, CD) as Equal Interest: with Joseph Jarman and Myra Melford * ''

The Art of Improvisation ''The Art of Improvisation'' is a live album by violinist / composer Leroy Jenkins. It was recorded in October 2004 at an AACM concert in New York City, and was released by Mutable Music in 2005. On the album, Jenkins is joined by the members of ...

'' (Mutable Music, 2005, CD) with Driftwood With the Revolutionary Ensemble * ''

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

'' (ESP-Disk, 1972) * '' Manhattan Cycles'' (India Navigation, 1973) * '' The Psyche'' (RE Records, 1975) * '' The Peoples Republic'' (A&M/Horizon, 1976) * '' Revolutionary Ensemble'' (Enja, 1977) * '' And Now...'' (Pi Recordings, 2004) * '' Beyond the Boundary of Time'' (Mutable Music, 2008) * ''

Counterparts Counterpart or Counterparts may refer to: Entertainment and literature * "Counterparts" (short story), by James Joyce * Counterparts, former name for the Reel Pride LGBT film festival * ''Counterparts'' (film), a 2007 German drama * ''Counterp ...

'' (Mutable Music, 2012)

With others

With

* ''

'' ( Delmark, 1968) * ''

Mama and Daddy ''Mama and Daddy'' is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams. It was released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1980 and features performances of four of Abrams' compositions by a big band. Reception The AllMusic review calls the album "a first-rate ...

'' (Black Saint, 1980) With

*'' Escalator over the Hill'' (JCOA Records/ECM, 1971, 3LPs) With

Joe Bonner Joe Bonner (April 20, 1948 – November 20, 2014) was a hard bop and modal jazz pianist, influenced by McCoy Tyner and Art Tatum. He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and studied at Virginia State College, but indicated that he lear ...

*'' Angel Eyes'' (Muse, 1976) With Anthony Braxton * '' 3 Compositions of New Jazz'' (Delmark, 1968, LP; Delmark, 1991, CD) * ''

Silence Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the ce ...

'' (

Freedom Records Freedom Records was a jazz record label headed by Shel Safran and founded by Alan Bates as a division of Black Lion Records. Individual recordings were distributed via Polydor Records and Transatlantic Records during the early 1970s before the ...

, 1975, LP) * ''

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chica ...

'' ( BYG Actuel, 1969, LP) * '' This Time...'' (BYG Actuel, 1970, LP) * '' New York, Fall 1974'' ( Arista, 1975, LP) With

Thomas Buckner Thomas Buckner (born 1941) is an American baritone vocalist specializing in the performance of contemporary classical music and improvised music. In his work, he utilizes a wide range of extended (non-traditional) vocal techniques. Buckner als ...

*
Sign of the Times
' (

Lovely Music Lovely Music (full name: Lovely Music Ltd.) is an American record label devoted to new American music. Based in New York City, the label was founded in 1978 by Mimi Johnson, an outgrowth of her nonprofit production company Performing Artservices In ...

, 1994, CD) With Don Cherry * '' Relativity Suite'' (JCOA Records, 1973, LP) With

* ''

Universal Consciousness ''Universal Consciousness'' is the fifth solo album by Alice Coltrane. It was recorded from April to June, 1971, in New York City and at the John Coltrane Home, Coltrane home studios in Dix Hills, New York, and was released later that year by Impul ...

'' (

Impulse! Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...

, 1971) * ''

World Galaxy ''World Galaxy'' is the sixth solo album by Alice Coltrane. It was recorded in November 1971 in New York City, and was released in 1972 by Impulse! Records. On the album, Coltrane appears on piano, organ, harp, tamboura, and percussion, and is join ...

'' (Impulse!, 1972) With

* '' Creative Construction Company'' (

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

, 1970

975 Year 975 ( CMLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor John I raids Mesopotamia and invades Syria, using ...

* '' Creative Construction Company Vol. II'' (Muse, 1970

976 Year 976 ( CMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * January 10 – Emperor John I Tzimiskes dies at Constantinople, after re ...

With

*
Of Blues and Dreams
' (Sackville 3032, 1979) With James Emery * ''Artlife'' (Lumina Records, 1982, LP) With

Carl Hancock Rux Carl Hancock Rux () is an American poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, recording artist, journalist, curator and conceptual installation artist working in text, dance, ritualized performance, audio, video, and photography. Described in the NY T ...

* '' Apothecary Rx'' (Giant Step, 2004) * ''Good Bread Alley'' (

Thirsty Ear Thirsty Ear Recordings is an American independent record label. It was founded in the late 1970s as a marketing company for the then-unnamed alternative music field, and expanded to issue its own records in 1990. Thirsty Ear came to prominence ...

, 2006) With Rahsaan Roland Kirk * ''

Rahsaan Rahsaan ''Rahsaan Rahsaan'' is a live album by jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk featuring performances recorded at the Village Vanguard in May 1970. It was originally released on the Atlantic label in 1970 and features performances by Kirk ...

'' (Atlantic, 1970) With George E. Lewis * ''Shadowgraph'' (Black Saint, 1978, LP; 1998, CD) With Grachan Moncur III * ''Echoes of a Prayer'' (JCOA Records, 1974, LP) With

* '' Conception Vessel'' ( ECM, 1973) With

Mtume Mtume (pronounced ''em-tu-may'') was an American funk and soul group that rose to prominence during the early 1980s and had several R&B hits during its career. Its founder, former percussionist James Mtume, previously played and toured with M ...

* ''Allkebu-Lan (Land of the Blacks) at the East'' (Strata East, 1972, 2LPs) With Dewey Redman * '' Coincide'' (Impulse!, 1974) With Jeffrey Schanzer * ''Vistas'' (Music Vistas, 1987, LP) With

* '' Archie Shepp & Philly Joe Jones'' (

Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its inves ...

, 1975, LP) * '' Pitchin Can'' (American Records, 1970, LP) * ''

Things Have Got to Change ''Things Have Got to Change'' is an album by avant-garde jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp released in 1971 on the Impulse! label. The album features a performance by Shepp with a large ensemble and vocal choir. The album "solidified the saxophonist ...

'' (

Impulse Records Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positi ...

, 1971, LP) * '' Attica Blues'' (Impulse, 1972, LP) * ''

Black Gipsy ''Black Gipsy'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp recorded in Europe in 1969 for the America label. The album was also issued by the Prestige label under the title ''Black Gypsy''. Reception The Allmusic review by Sean Westergaard s ...

'' (

Prestige Records Prestige Records is a jazz record company and label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock in New York City which issued recordings in the mainstream, bop, and cool jazz idioms. The company recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz music ...

, 1977, LP) * '' The Cry of My People'' (Impulse, 1973, LP) With Alan Silva *'' Luna Surface'' (BYG, 1969) With

* '' Live in Bologna,'
Leo Records
(1988, 2 LPs; 1988, CD) * ''

Live in Vienna ''Live in Vienna, 1980'' is a live collaborative album by German electronic music outfit Cluster and percussionist Joshi Farnbauer. It is the first of four live albums recorded by Cluster, and their only work with Farnbauer. The album was rel ...

,'' (Leo Records, 1988, 2 LPs-Limited edition; 1991, CD) With

* ''

Too Much Sugar for a Dime ''Too Much Sugar for a Dime'' is an album by Henry Threadgill, released in 1993 on the Axiom label. It has been described as: "a mad, glorious romp which explores some very dark timbres and tonalities and yet remains witty, fresh and consistent ...

'' (Axiom, 1993, CD)

Grants

* Fromm Music Foundation, Harvard University, commission, 2003 *

, ''Nyasaland,'' 2002; ''Jenkins Squared,'' 2000 *

Meet the Composer New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media progra ...

, ''Color Eugoloid'' for the Relâche Ensemble, 2002; ''Three Willies,'' 1996 *
The Aaron Copland Fund for Music
''Coincidents,'' 2002 *

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

, ''Three Willies,'' 2001 * Animating Democracy,

Americans for the Arts Americans for the Arts is a nonprofit organization whose primary focus is advancing the arts in the United States. With offices in Washington, D.C., and New York City, with more than 50 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to rep ...

(funded by the Ford Foundation and the NEA), ''Three Willies,'' 2001 *
Mutable Music
brass quartet and voice piece, 1998; trio and voice piece, 1991 *

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...

, ''The Negros Burial Ground,'' 1996; ''Fresh Faust,'' 1992 * Mary Flagler Cary Trust, ''The Negros Burial Ground,'' 1995 *

, music fellowship, 1992, 1986 * Munich Biennial New Music Theatre Festival, ''The Mother of Three Sons,'' 1990 *

, special projects grant, 1990, 1988, 1984 *

, jazz composition fellowship, 1987, 1979, 1973 * Creative Arts Program, service grant, 1974

Awards

* The

ASCAP Foundation The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

Rudolf Nissim Prize, ''Concerto for Improvised Violin and Orchestra,'' 2006 * Nominated for

United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...

Fellowships, 2006 *

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative abi ...

, 2004 * The New York Dance and Performance

Bessie Awards The New York Dance and Performance Awards, also known as the Bessie Awards, are awarded annually for exceptional achievement by independent dance artists presenting their work in New York City. The broad categories of the awards are: choreography, ...

, ''The Mother of Three Sons,'' 1992 * ''

Downbeat Magazine ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' International Critics’ and Readers’ Poll, awardee, 1987, 1972 * ''

'' Poll for violin, awardee, 1979 * ''

'' Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, awardee, 1974

Teaching

* Artist in Residence,

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

, Valencia, CA, 2002 spring * Composer in Residence, Other Minds Festival, San Francisco, CA, 2000 * Artist in Residence, Harvestworks, New York, NY, 2000 * Master Artist in Residence,

Atlantic Center for the Arts Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) is a nonprofit, interdisciplinary artists’ community and arts education facility providing artists an opportunity to work and collaborate with contemporary artists in the fields of composing, visual, liter ...

, New Smyrna Beach, FL 1993 * Artist in Residence, Atlanta Virtuosi, Atlanta, GA, 1991 * Composer in Residence,

Oberlin Conservatory The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory in Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the second oldest conservatory and oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States. It is one of ...

, Oberlin, OH, 1975 and 1990 * Visiting Professor,

Carnegie-Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, Pittsburgh, PA, 1989 spring

Professional memberships

* Board of Directors,

Meet The Composer New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media progra ...

(founding member) *

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians 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 devot ...

(AACM) *

SESAC SESAC is a for-profit performance-rights organization in the United States. Founded in 1930 as the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, it is the second-oldest performance-rights organization in the United States.

Education

, Tallahassee, Florida – B. A. in Music Education (full music scholarship) *

American Conservatory of Music The American Conservatory of Music (ACM) was a major American school of music founded in Chicago in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt (1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It developed the Conservato ...

, Chicago, Illinois * DuSable High School, Captain Walter Dyett, Chicago, Illinois

References

External links

Turning Corners: The Life and Music of Leroy Jenkins by Carl E. Baugher

AACM: Leroy Jenkins

Other Minds: Leroy Jenkins

Dialogue
between 'Blue' Gene Tyranny and Leroy Jenkins *
Eternal Planet (Dedicated To Leroy Jenkins)
'' composed by William Parker and featured on Billy Bang's ''Medicine Buddha'' (NoBusiness Records, 2014, CD) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Leroy African-American jazz composers African-American jazz musicians American jazz violinists American male violinists American jazz violists Avant-garde jazz musicians 1932 births 2007 deaths Jazz musicians from Illinois Musicians from Chicago Deaths from lung cancer India Navigation artists Red Records artists Pi Recordings artists Black Saint/Soul Note artists 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American composers American male jazz composers American jazz composers 20th-century American male musicians Creative Construction Company members Revolutionary Ensemble members 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people 20th-century violists