Denis Charles
Denis Alphonso Charles[1] (December 4, 1933[2] – March 26, 1998)[3] was a jazz drummer.
Biography
Charles was born in St. Croix, Virgin Islands,[2] and first played bongos at age seven with local ensembles in the Virgin Islands. In 1945, he moved to New York, and gigged frequently around town.[2] In 1954, he began working with Cecil Taylor, and the pair collaborated until 1958.[2] Following this he played with Steve Lacy, Gil Evans, and Jimmy Giuffre. He befriended Ed Blackwell, and the two influenced each other.
He recorded with Sonny Rollins on a calypso-tinged set, and then returned to time with Lacy, with whom he played until 1964.[2] He worked with Archie Shepp and Don Cherry in 1967,[2] but heroin addiction saw him leave the record industry until 1971.[2] In the 1970s and 1980s, he played regularly on the New York jazz scene with Frank Lowe, David Murray, Charles Tyler, Billy Bang, and others,[2] and also played funk, rock, and traditional Caribbean music. He released three discs as a leader between 1989 and 1992, and died of pneumonia in his sleep in New York in 1998.[4]
Charles died four days after a five-week European tour with the Borgmann/Morris/Charles (BMC) Trio, with Wilber Morris and Thomas Borgmann. His last concert with this trio took place at the Berlin's Willy-Brandt-Haus. With the BMC Trio he recorded some albums in his last two years. A fifth CD was released after he died: The Last Concert - Dankeschön, Silkheart Records, 1999.
In 2002, Veronique Doumbe released a film documentary, Denis A. Charles: An Interrupted Conversation, about the life of Charles.[5]
Discography
As leader
- 1989: Queen Mary (Silkheart)
- 1991: Captain of the Deep (Eremite)
- 1992: A Scream for Charles Tyler (Adda)
As sideman
With Cecil Taylor
- 1956: Jazz Advance (Transition)
- 1958: At Newport (Verve)
- 1959: Looking Ahead! (Contemporary)
- 1959: Love for Sale (United Artists)
- 1959: In Transition (Blue Note)
- 1960: The World of Cecil Taylor (Candid)
- 1960: Air (Candid)
- 1961: Cell Walk for Celeste (Candid)
- 1961: Jumpin' Punkins (Candid)
- 1961: New York City R&B (Candid) with Buell Neidlinger
With Steve Lacy
With Gil Evans
- 1959: Great Jazz Standards (World Pacific)
With Sonny Rollins
- 1962: What's New? (RCA Victor)
With Archie Shepp
- 1967: The Magic of Ju-Ju (Impulse!)
With Peter Kuhn
- 1979: Livin' Right (Big City)
- 1981: The Kill (Soul Note)
With Billy Bang
- 1981: Rainbow Gladiator (Soul Note)
- 1982: Invitation (Soul Note)
- 1982: Bangception, Willisau 1982
- 1988: Valve No. 10 (Soul Note)
With Jemeel Moondoc
- 1981: Konstanze's Delight (Soul Note)
- 1981: We Don't (Eremite, issued 2003)
- 1986: Nostalgia in Times Square (Soul Note)
With Wilber Morris and Charles Tyler
- 1981: Collective Improvisations (Bleu Regard, 1994)
With The Jazz Doctors (Rafael Garrett, Frank Lowe, Billy Bang)
- 1983: Intensive Care (Cadillac)
With Rob Brown
- 1990: Breath Rhyme (Silkheart)
With William Parker
- 1980: Through Acceptance of the Mystery Peace (Centering)
- 1995: In Order to Survive (Black Saint)
With John Blum (pianist)
- 1998: Astrogeny (Eremite, 2005)
With Raphe Malik
- 1999: ConSequences (Eremite)
With Sirone
- 2005: Live (Atavistic)
References
- ^ "Dennis Charles | SecondHandSongs". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 83. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
- ^ Ratliff, Ben (12 April 1998). "Denis Charles, 64, Drummer Who Gave Jazz Caribbean Lilt". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "Denis Charles | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "Denis Charles". Ndolofilms.com. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
External links
- Audio Recordings of WCUW Jazz Festivals - Jazz History Database