Jeanne Lee

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Not to be confused with Jeanne Lee Crews or Jean Lee.
In Hamburg, 1984

Jeanne Lee (January 29, 1939[1] – October 25, 2000)[2] was an American jazz singer, poet and composer. Best known for a wide range of vocal styles she mastered, Lee collaborated with numerous distinguished composers and performers who included Gunter Hampel, Andrew Cyrille, Ran Blake, Carla Bley, Anthony Braxton, Marion Brown, Archie Shepp, Mal Waldron, Mark Whitecage and many others.

Biography

Jeanne Lee was born in New York, United States.[1] Her father, S. Alonzo Lee, was a concert and church singer whose work influenced her at an early age. She was educated at the Walden School (a private school), and subsequently at Bard College, where she studied child psychology,[2] literature and dance. During her time at Bard she created choreography for pieces by various classical and jazz composers, ranging from Johann Sebastian Bach to Arnold Schoenberg. In 1961 she graduated from Bard College with a B.A. degree.[1] That year she performed as a duo at the Apollo Theater's Amateur Night contest with pianist Ran Blake, a fellow Bard alumnus, and after winning made her first record, The Newest Sound Around.[2] The album gained considerable popularity in Europe, where Lee and Blake toured in 1963, but went unnoticed in the US.[3] At this point, Lee's major influence was Abbey Lincoln.[4]

During the mid-1960s, Lee was exploring

vibraphonist and composer Gunter Hampel, whom she eventually married.[1]
They had a son, Ruomi Lee-Hampel, and a daughter, Cavana Lee-Hampel.

In 1976, she represented the

African-American spiritual musical tradition in John Cage's Apartment House 1776, which was composed for the U.S. Bicentennial
. The experience inspired Lee to devote more attention to her composing, and create extended works. The immediate result was Prayer for Our Time, a jazz oratorio.

Lee continued to perform and make recordings until her death in 2000, recording for labels such as Birth,

ECM, Black Saint/Soul Note, OWL and Horo. She sang on a large number of albums by Gunter Hampel.[1] In her late years, she ran the Jeanne Lee Ensemble, which performed a fusion of poetry, music and dance, and collaborated and toured with pianist Mal Waldron
.

Lee was also active as educator. She received a

Amsterdam News and various educational writings, including a textbook on the history of jazz music for grades four through seven.[6]

Lee died of cancer in 2000 in Tijuana, Mexico, aged 61.[7] She was survived by her husband and children.

Discography

  • The Newest Sound Around with Ran Blake (RCA Victor, 1962) – recorded in 1961
  • Conspiracy (Earthforms, 1975) – recorded in 1974
  • Don't Freeze Yourself to Death Over There in Those Mountains (1984)
  • African Moods with Archie Shepp (Circle, 1984)
  • You Stepped Out of a Cloud with Ran Blake (Owl, 1989)
  • Natural Affinities (Owl, 1992)
  • Here and Now with David Eyges (Word of Mouth, 1994)
  • The Newest Sound You Never Heard with Ran Blake (A-Side, 2019) – recorded in 1966-67

With Andrew Cyrille

With Gunter Hampel

  • Gunter Hampel Group + Jeanne Lee (Wergo, 1969)
  • Spirits (Birth, 1971)
  • Waltz for 3 Universes in a Corridor (Birth, 1972)
  • Familie (Birth, 1972)
  • Angel (Birth, 1972)
  • Enfant Terrible (Birth, 1975)
  • Freedom of the Universe (Birth, 1979)
  • Oasis (Horo, 1979)
  • Companion (Birth, 1982)

With Mal Waldron

  • After Hours
     (Owl, 1994)
  • White Road Black Rain (Tokuma, 1995)
  • Travelin' in Soul Time (BV Haast, 1997)

With others

Selected compositions

  • In These Last Days, poem/composition (1973)
  • Prayer for Our Time, jazz oratorio (1976)
  • La Conference des oiseaux, jazz opera
  • Emergence, five-part suite

Further reading

  • Foote, Lona (May 1988). "Meet the Composer: Jeanne Lee". EAR: New Music News. 13 (3): 28–29.
  • Porter, Eric (2006). "Jeanne Lee's Voice". Critical Studies in Improvisation. 2 (1): 1–14.

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-85112-939-0
    .
  2. ^ a b c Ben Ratliff, "Jeanne Lee, 61, Jazz Singer Who Embraced Avant-Garde" (obituary), The New York Times, October 31, 2000.
  3. ^ Porter 2006, p. 2
  4. ^ Porter 2006, pp. 7–8
  5. ^ "Dave Hazelton interviewed / interviewed by Rella Lossy. | Pacifica Radio Archives". Pacificaradioarchives.org. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  6. ^ Porter 2006, p. 3
  7. ^ "Jeanne Lee, Jazz Singer Who Embraced Avant-Garde, Dies at 61". Newmusicusa.org. December 1, 2000. Retrieved September 25, 2021.

External links

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