Joe Bonner (April 20, 1948 – November 20, 2014) was a

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gosp ...

and

modal jazz Modal jazz is jazz that makes use of musical modes, often modulating among them to accompany the chords instead of relying on one tonal center used across the piece. Although precedents exist, modal jazz was crystallized as a theory by compose ...

pianist, influenced by

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gr ...

and

Art Tatum Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...

. He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and studied at

Virginia State College Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a public historically Black land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia. Founded on , Virginia State developed as the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of hi ...

, but indicated that he learned more about music from musicians he worked with. In the seventies he played with

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jazz ...

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives f ...

Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the most important and influential jazz trumpet ...

and

Billy Harper Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943) is an American jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.Chris KelseyBilly Harper Biography ''AllMusi ...

, among others. He died of heart disease in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

at the age of 66.

Discography

As leader

Compilation

*''Two & One'' (Steeplechase); with Johnny Dyani (bass)

As sideman

With Richard Davis * ''

Epistrophy & Now's the Time ''Epistrophy & Now's the Time'' (reissued as ''Epistrophy'') is a live album by bassist Richard Davis recorded in 1972 and released on the Muse label.Billy Harper Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943) is an American jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.Chris KelseyBilly Harper Biography ''AllMusi ...

* ''

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 ...

'' (Black Saint, 1975) With

Azar Lawrence Azar Lawrence (born November 3, 1952) is an American jazz saxophonist, known for his contributions as sideman to McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Woody Shaw. Lawrence was the tenor saxophonist Tyner used following John Coltrane ...

* ''

Bridge into the New Age ''Bridge into the New Age'' is an album by saxophonist Azar Lawrence which was recorded in 1974 and released on the Prestige label.Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of " sheets of sound", S ...

* ''

Black Unity ''Black Unity'' is a composition and album by jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, recorded and released in late 1971. The whole album consists of a single thirty-seven-minute track, which was described by critic Joe S. Harrington as "an exercise in s ...

'' (Impulse!, 1971) * ''

Live at the East ''Live at the East'' is a live album by American saxophonist and composer Pharoah Sanders released on the Impulse! label.Village of the Pharoahs ''Village of the Pharoahs'' is the eighth album by American saxophonist and composer Pharoah Sanders, released in 1973 on the Impulse! label.

'' (Impulse!, 1973) * ''

Elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

'' (Impulse!, 1973) * ''

Love in Us All ''Love in Us All'' is an album by American saxophonist and composer Pharoah Sanders released on the Impulse! label.Wisdom Through Music ''Wisdom Through Music'' is an album by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. It was recorded in New York City and Los Angeles, California, and was released in 1973 by Impulse! Records. On the album, Sanders is joined by flutist James Branch, pianist Joe B ...

'' (Impulse!, 1973) * ''

Journey to the One ''Journey to the One'' is a double album led by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders recorded in 1979 and released on the Theresa label. Reception In his review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow commented: "As usual, Sanders shifts between spiritual peace and v ...

'' (Theresa, 1980) * '' Rejoice'' (Theresa, 1981) With

* ''

Love Dance ''Love Dance'' is the fourth album led by trumpeter Woody Shaw which was recorded in 1975 and released on the Muse label.Harold Vick Harold Vick (April 3, 1936 – November 13, 1987) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. Biography Harold Vick was born on April 3, 1936 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. At the age of 13 he was given a clarinet by his uncle, Prince Rob ...

* '' Don't Look Back'' (Strata-East, 1974) With The Visitors * ''Motherland'' (Muse, 1975) With Stephanie Hancock * ''This Happy Madness'' (DaJazz, 2001)

References

External links

The Bonner Party's site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonner, Joe 1948 births 2014 deaths American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Virginia State University alumni SteepleChase Records artists Muse Records artists 20th-century American pianists Jazz musicians from Virginia 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians