18 Facts About Myra Melford

Myra Melford was born on January 5,1957 and is an American avant-garde jazz pianist and composer.

Myra Melford was born in Evanston, Illinois and was raised in a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Myra Melford began taking lessons when she was in kindergarten.

Myra Melford developed a strong relationship with her teacher, Erwin Helfer, a classically trained boogie-woogie player.

Myra Melford attended blues festivals, and because of her relationship with Helfer, she was often invited backstage, where she encountered many of Chicago's most acclaimed performers.

Myra Melford described her experience as a classical piano student as "not right," and while she continued to play informally, she stopped her formal studies in high school.

Myra Melford enrolled at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where she intended to study environmental science.

Myra Melford moved to New York City in 1984, where she studied composition with saxophonist Henry Threadgill, whom she would later cite as a major influence on her perception of organic composition.

Myra Melford studied privately with pianists Jaki Byard and Don Pullen, whose percussive mannerisms she adapted.

Myra Melford formed a second five-piece, the Same River, Twice, featuring Douglas, cellist Erik Friedlander, reed player Chris Speed, and drummer Michael Sarin.

Myra Melford appeared as an improvisational collaborator on the 1996 Hatology release Eleven Ghosts, featuring duets performed with Dutch drummer Han Bennink; and Equal Interest, a 1999 Omnitone release by the trio of the same name, featuring Myra Melford with Jenkins and Joseph Jarman of the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

In 2000, Myra Melford formed Crush, a trio in which she played piano and harmonium with Kenny Wollesen on drums and Stomu Takeishi on electric bass.

Myra Melford spent several months with Sharma, focusing on raga and Hindustani classical music, and continued her studies with other musicians in Delhi and Rajistan.

Myra Melford subsequently formed an ensemble expressly to play music based on her studies in India, Myra Melford's Be Bread.

Myra Melford relocated to Berkeley, California in 2004 to accept a position as Professor of contemporary improvisational music, University of California Berkeley.

In 2006, along with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Matt Wilson, Myra Melford formed Trio M, who released their debut album, The Big Picture, on Cryptogramophone in 2007.

Myra Melford formed a new quintet, Snowy Egret, featuring bassist Takeishi, guitarist Liberty Ellman, trumpeter Ron Miles, and drummer Tyshawn Sorey in 2012.

At Berkeley, Myra Melford has developed and taught a series of courses in contemporary jazz and improvisation-based music for performers and composers in addition to lecturing on innovations in jazz since the 1960s and other topics in contemporary improvised music.