Tag Archives: Yusef Lateef

Book cover: Rebelmusic

Jazz And Islam – A Retrospective Series (P.3/A)

The Musicians

Text by Dawoud Kringle

The following are selected biographies of American Muslim musicians.

Art Blakey (a.k.a. Abdullah ibn Buhauna) was born in 1919, and became a full time musician in his teens. He switched from piano to drums in the early 1930s. He played with Chick Webb and Sid Catlett. In 1942 he joined Mary Lou Williams, and later played with Fletcher Henderson. Between 1944-47 he played with Billy Eckstine, Dexter Gordon, Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, etc. It was around this time that he accepted Islam, and took the name (Abdullah ibn Buhauna). In 1947 he traveled to Africa to learn about Islam and his African ancestry. His practice of Islam became central to his life and music. Blakey was reported to have hosted meetings of Muslims in his home. According to one account, Yusef Lateef had accepted Islam during one of these meetings. Blakey also used to hold a prayer session with the musicians in his group The Jazz Messengers before performances. In the 1950’s he performed with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, and Clifford Brown. In 1955 Blakey, Hank Mobley, and Silver formed a cooperative group, under the name The Jazz Messengers. This project continued into the late 1980s and served as a springboard for many musicians (e.g. Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Woody Shaw, Chuck Mangione, Keith Jarrett, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, JoAnne Brakeen, Terance Blanchard, Branford Marsalis, etc).

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Book cover: Rebelmusic

Jazz and Islam – A Retrospective Series (P.2)

Continued History

Text by Dawoud Kringle

In this part of the Jazz and Islam Series, I will provide a perspective on the growth of Islam among American jazz musicians.

The Mosque of Islamic BrotherhoodMany of the earlier converts to Islam worked at raising money to bring Muslim / Sufi teachers to the USA. Talib Daoud and his wife, singer Dakota Staton (a.k.a. Aliyah Rabia) taught Islam in Philadelphia, PA. She also opened a store in New York City that sold African art and wares, and Islamic books and supplies. An Egyptian man named Sheikh Mahmoud Hassan Rabwan taught Islam and Arabic there. In the New York area a few Muslim owned venues, mostly restaurants, opened that featured musical performances. These included “The East” and “The House of Peace.” Mosques such as the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood used to hold benefit concerts, which featured performers such as Alice Coltrane, and others. Later, a performance venue opened by saxophonist, composer, bandleader, teacher, and mentor Muhammad Salahuddin (1930-2004) called “The University of the Streets” featured performances, workshops, and music instruction.

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Is Jazz Dead?…The Tragedy of Jazz, And Its Reawakening

Text by Dawoud Kringle

Photo by Helge Øverås

Photo by Helge Øverås

“Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny.” Thus spoke Frank Zappa.

According to Nielson’s 2014 Year End Report (thejazzline.com/news/2015/03/jazz-least-popular-music-genre/), jazz & classical combined accounts for 1.4% of music consumed in the US.

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Music vs Visual Arts: “Toward the Unknown” – Yusef Lateef’s Autophysiopsychic Art Work Visits New York

Photo by Dawoud Kringle

Photo by Dawoud Kringle

Venue: White Columns Gallery (NY)
Date: Saturday 8, 2014
Review by Dawoud Kringle

An overlooked element of a legendary legacy is being presented by White Columns Gallery in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan. Curated by Alhena Katsof, and overseen by Ayesha Lateef, the visual artwork of the master musician, composer, author, artist, philosopher, educator, playwright, and science fiction novelist Dr. Yusef Lateef (1920 – 2013) is being presented in New York City. The title of the exhibition, Towards the Unknown is taken from a recording Dr. Lateef made with composer and percussionist Adam Rudolph.

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Legendary Detroit jazz man Yusef Lateef dies at age 93: another jazz icon left us! Dawoud remembers him.

Yuseef Lateef is photographed at the Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival in 1999. / James L. Aho

Yuseef Lateef is photographed at the Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival in 1999. / James L. Aho

Text by Dawoud Kringle 

When I was in my teens, I would occasionally go to a record store that sold records at bargain prices. I remember a record in the jazz section that stood out: 1984, by Yusef Lateef. It just looked so cool and intense. 

Many years later, I had the opportunity to attend a few of his master classes. They were life changing experiences for me, and opened up musical possibilities I couldn’t have imagined. 

I still have the CDs he’d given me as a gift. 

I also performed at an event in Philadelphia where he was the headliner.

The last time I saw him was last Spring when Roulette presented a concert celebrating his 93rd birthday. I spoke with him briefly for the last time, and promised I’d send him a copy of my book – one of the characters in the novel was named and patterned after him. The last communication I had with him was via an email: he told me he’d received the book, and thanked me for the honorable mention.

He changed music for the better, and changed my life for the better. I salute him, and thank Allah for his life.

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