Thurman Barker (born January 8, 1948,

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 Roc ...

, United States) is an American

jazz drummer Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion (predominantly the drum kit, which includes a variety of drums and cymbals) in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz fusion and 1980s-era Latin jazz. The techniques an ...

. Barker's first professional experience was at age sixteen with Mighty Joe Young. Barker took his bachelor's at

Empire State College Empire State College (SUNY Empire or ESC) is a public university headquartered in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Empire State College is a multi-site institution offering associate, b ...

, then studied at the

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 ...

under Harold Jones and at

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a Private school, private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois, Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Frankli ...

. He next served as an accompanist for

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 ...

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden Gl ...

, and

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown (music style), Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player ...

. He was house percussionist at the Shubert Theater in Chicago for ten years. In 1968, he joined

Joseph Jarman Joseph Jarman (September 14, 1937 – January 9, 2019) was an American jazz musician, composer, poet, and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He was one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and a member of the ...

's first ensemble, and soon after became a member of the AACM in its early days. Aside from Jarman, he played in the late 1960s and 1970s with

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 ...

Pheeroan akLaff Pheeroan akLaff (born Paul Maddox January 27, 1955) is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He began playing in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan and Ann Arbor, with R & B keyboardist Travis Biggs, funk keyboardist Nimrod “The Grinder� ...

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 ...

Billy Bang Billy Bang (September 20, 1947 – April 11, 2011), born William Vincent Walker, was an American free jazz violinist and composer. Biography Bang's family moved to New York City's Bronx neighborhood while he was still an infant, and as a ...

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 ...

, and

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

. He recorded and toured again with Braxton in 1978-80 and with Sam Rivers in 1979–80. In 1985 he played in a trio with Jarman and Rivers, and in 1987 he played

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbr ...

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 ...

. In the 1990s, Barker concentrated more on composition. His 1994 work ''Dialogue'' was premiered at the

Merkin Concert Hall Merkin Hall is a 449-seat concert hall in Manhattan, New York City. The hall, named in honor of Hermann and Ursula Merkin, is part of the Kaufman Music Center, a complex that includes the Lucy Moses School, a community arts school, and the Sp ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, and he composed ''Expansions'' (1999) for the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra. Since 1993 he has taught at

Bard College Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District—a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 18 ...

, where he is currently Professor of Music. In 1999, he was guest lecturer at Smolny University in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Discography

As leader

* ''The Way I Hear It'' (Uptee, 1999) * ''Voyage'' (Uptee, 1999) * ''Time factor'' (Uptee, 2001) * ''Strike Force'' (Uptee, 2004) * ''Rediscovered'' (Uptee, 2009)

As sideman

With

* '' Levels and Degrees of Light'' (Delmark, 1967) * ''

Young at Heart/Wise in Time ''Young at Heart/Wise in Time'' is an album by pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams released by the Delmark label in 1970 that featured an LP side-length solo piano composition and Abrams accompanied by Leo Smith, Henry Threadgill, Lester Lash ...

'' (Delmark, 1969) With

* '' The Fire from Within'' (Soul Note, 1984) * ''

Live at Carlos 1 ''Live at Carlos 1'' is a live album by the American jazz violinist Billy Bang recorded in 1986 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.

'' (Soul Note, 1986) With

* '' Seven Compositions 1978'' (Moers Music, 1979) * '' Creative Orchestra (Köln) 1978'' (hatART, 1978, released 1995) * ''

Performance (Quartet) 1979 ''Performance (Quartet) 1979'' is a live album by American composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton recorded in Switzerland in 1979 and released on the hatART label.

'' (hatART) With

* '' Song For'' (Delmark, 1966) * '' As If It Were the Seasons'' (Delmark, 1968) With Sam Rivers * ''

Waves Waves most often refers to: * Waves, oscillations accompanied by a transfer of energy that travel through space or mass. *Wind waves, surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water. Waves may also refer to: Music *Waves (band ...

'' (Tomato, 1978) * '' Contrasts'' (ECM, 1979) With

* '' Live In Bologna'' (Leo, 1978) * '' Live In Vienna'' (Leo, 1978) * ''

Olu Iwa ''Olu Iwa'' is a live album by Cecil Taylor recorded in Berlin, Germany on April 12, 1986 and released on the Soul Note label. The album features a concert performance by Taylor with Thurman Barker, William Parker and Steve McCall with Earl McInt ...

'' (Soul Note, 1986) other appearances : *

: ''Fits Like A Glove'' (

Gramavision Gramavision Records is an American record label founded in 1979. Since 1994 it has been a subsidiary of Rykodisc. The label's music is largely jazz, blues and folk oriented but has touched on many other styles and genres. In 1979, Jonathan F.P ...

, 19839 *

Art Ensemble Of Chicago The Art Ensemble of Chicago is an avant-garde jazz group that grew out of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians ( AACM) in the late 1960s. The ensemble integrates many jazz styles and plays many instruments, including "little ...

: ''Art Ensemble 1967-68'' (Nessa) *

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, ...

: '' Outer and Interactions'' (About Time, 1988) * Leroy Jenkins : '' Themes & Improvisations on the Blues'' (CRI, 1992) * John Lindberg: '' Dimension 5'' (Black Saint, 1981) *

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

: '' Humility in the Light of the Creator'' (Delmark, 1969) *

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 ...

: ''Roscoe Mitchell'' (Chief, 1978) *

Butch Morris Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings. ...

: ''Testament - A Conduction Collection'' (New World, 1988–95) *

Amina Claudine Myers Amina Claudine Myers (born March 21, 1942) is an American jazz pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, and arranger. Biography Born in Blackwell, Arkansas, "Myers was brought up largely by her great-aunt, a schoolteacher, and her great-uncle, a ...

: '' The Circle of Time'' (Black Saint, 1983) *

Wadada Leo Smith Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith (born December 18, 1941) is an American trumpeter and composer, working primarily in the fields of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation. He was one of three finalists for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for '' Ten Fr ...

: ''

Human Rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

'' (Kabell, 1986)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Thurman 1948 births Living people American jazz drummers Musicians from Chicago Bard College faculty 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians NoBusiness Records artists