Connie Crothers, piano
P.O. Box 615, Cooper Station, New York, NY 10276-0615
- Recent Performances:
- Quartet, co-led with Lenny Popkin, tenor saxophone, featuring Carol Tristano, drums, and Cameron Brown or Rich Califano, bass; engagements at the Blue Note and Sweet Basil in New York City; tours in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Canada (Toronto and Ottawa jazz festivals); Spoleto Festival, S. Carolina
- Quartet with Richard Tabnik, alto saxophone, featuring Roger Mancuso or Carol Tristano, drums, and Calvin Hill, Sean Smith, or Ed Broderick, bass; performances in New York City; and New Jersey.
- Duet performances in New York City with Richard Tabnik, Roger Mancuso, tenor saxophonist Charley Krachy.
- Other performances:
- Co-leader of quartet with Warne Marsh, tenor saxophone, with Eddie Gomez, bass, Peter Scattaretico, drums, Village Vanguard, New York City.
- Co-leader of engagement with Max Roach, Bill T. Jones, Arnie Zane, with the Bill T. Jones-Arnie Zane Dance Company, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY.
- Solo performances include Berlin Jazztage (televised), Toronto International Jazz Festival; Jazz Middleheim in Antwerp, Belgium; New Music America Festival, Washington, D.C.; Cooper Union, New York City; Carnegie Recital Hall, New York City, (three concerts produced by Lennie Tristano, one by the Lennie Tristano Jazz Foundation).
Discography:
- PERCEPTION (Steeplechase SCS-1002, SCCD 31022; Inner City IC 2022)
- Solo and trio with Roger Mancuso, drums and Joe Solomon, bass.
- This record, released in 1974, was voted critic's choice, top ten records of 1985 in Coda following its reissue on Inner City; it was voted critic's choice for record of the month in Jazz Magazine (France) when it was reissued by Steeplechase in 1986.
- SOLO (Jazz Records JR-4)
- Solo concert, released in 1980
- SWISH (New Artists NA 1001, NA1001CD)
- Duo with Max Roach, drums; 1982
- CONCERT AT COOPER UNION (New Artists NA 1002, NA1002CD)
- DUO DIMENSION (New Artists NA1003, NA1003CD)
- Duo with Richard Tabnik; 1987
- This record was chose for inclusion in the list of the top ten records of the year in the Ottawa Citizen.
- LOVE ENERGY (New Artists NA 1005, NA1005CD)
- Connie Crothers - Lenny Popkin Quartet, Carol Tristano, drums and Cameron Brown, bass. 1990
- This was recorded live at the Blue Note, New York City. It was released in Japan in 1990 by the Americana label 28C 8008(A).
- IN MOTION (New Artists NA1013CD)
- Connie Crothers - Lenny Popkin Quartet, Carol Tristano, drums and Cameron Brown, bass, 1991.
- Recorded in Belgium by Belgian Radio and Television (BRT), this CD was voted as one of the top 50 records of the year in Jazz Magazine (France).
- JAZZ SPRING (New Artists NA1017CD)
- Connie Crothers - Lenny Popkin Quartet, Carol Tristano, drums and Cameron Brown, bass. 1993
- New Release! DEEP INTO THE CENTER (New Artists NA1020CD)
- Duo with Roger Mancuso, drums. 1994
Excerpts from Reviews
"...powerful two-handed style, percussive and explorative. Her sudden descent to a crystal-toned delicacy permits the lyrical aspects to blossom with awe-inspiring beauty. Her closing "Trilogy"is a study in mood shifts, ranging from deep foreboding to a spirited explosion of joy." CODA, Nov./Dec. 1992
"Because she has unerring fingers, unerring swing, an unerring blues sensibility, because she knows where she is going, because of her originality, the music of Connie Crothers, which transcends the distinction between personal compositions and standards, cause the listener to experience a captivating joy." JAZZ MAGAZINE, June 1986, Patrick Williams
"Her chord structures and modern outlook I find very exciting and all her piano solos are excellent. Quite fascinating and great. I am 'hooked'!" JAZZ JOURNAL, Derrick Stewart-Baxter
"Connie Crothers, a pianist who has expanded Tristano's labyrinthine complexes, is a refreshing surprise." DOWNBEAT, September 1983, Bill Shoemaker
"Ms. Crothers comes out as a very original player. The music has a very uncompromising air to it, her piano technique is very clean and never is there any signs of superfluousness. It is good to hear a player who hits every note no-nonsense straight." CADENCE, March 1981, Per Husby
"Crothers manages to set a richly blues-toned mood in her own 'Ontology'. She doesn't concern herself here with the metaphysical essence of being, but rather digs into the essence of jazz improvisation, the blues feeling." OTTAWA CITIZEN, April, 1989, Lois Moody
"Connie Crothers plays with great strength and fire, yet seems to draw her lines with lightness and a fine edge. Her rhythmic sense never wavers, even in the most 'outside', adventurous constructions." OTTAWA CITIZEN, April 1988, Lois Moody
"...a lioness on the keyboard." JAZZ NU, January, 1985, Jean Quist
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