Connie Crothers

 ( 1941 Births ) 

Connie Crothers (May 2, 1941 – August 13, 2016) was an American jazz improviser and pianist.

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Early life Crothers began studying classical piano at age 9 and went on to major in composition at the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley, her teachers emphasized "procedure and structure" and "compositional rigor" over emotional expression, which did not sit well with Crothers. Inspired by his recording of "C Minor Complex," one of the first examples on record of free improvisation,

(2026). 9780692543603, Beckeresque. ISBN 9780692543603

she relocated to New York City to become a student of Lennie Tristano.

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Later life and career After Tristano's death in November 1978, Crothers founded the Lennie Jazz Foundation and recorded a memorial concert album in his honor.

Eunmi Shim (1997). 9780472113460, University of Michigan Press. . ISBN 9780472113460

In 1982, she recorded an album with drummer Max Roach for New Artists Records, a label she and Roach founded. She also recorded in groups with, among others, Richard Tabnik and Cameron Brown.

Crothers died of lung cancer in Manhattan on August 13, 2016.

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Discography

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As leader/co-leader

1974	Perception	SteepleChase	Trio, with Joe Solomon (bass), Roger Mancuso (drums)
1980?	Solo	Jazz
1982	Swish	New Artists	Duo, with Max Roach (drums)
1984	Concert at Cooper Union	Orchard	Solo piano
1985	Duo Dimension	New Artists	Duo, with Richard Tabnik (alto sax)
1988	Love Energy	New Artists	Quartet, with Lenny Popkin (tenor sax), Cameron Brown (bass), Carol Tristano (drums)
1989	New York Night	Orchard	Quartet, with Lenny Popkin (tenor sax), Cameron Brown (bass), Carol Tristano (drums)
1989	In Motion	Orchard	Quartet, with Lenny Popkin (tenor sax), Cameron Brown (bass), Carol Tristano (drums)
1993	Jazz Spring	Orchard	Quartet, with Lenny Popkin (tenor sax), Cameron Brown (bass), Carol Tristano (drums)
1993–94	Deep into the Center	New Artists	Duo, with Roger Mancuso (drums)
1993–96	Music from Everyday Life	New Artists	Solo piano
1996	Session	New Artists	Quartet, with Lenny Popkin (tenor sax), Rich Califano (bass), Carol Tristano (drums)
1997?	Just for the Joy of It		with Bob Casanova
1998–99	Ontology	New Artists	Quartet, with Richard Tabnik (alto sax), Sean Smith (bass), Roger Mancuso (drums)
1999?	Notes from New York
2005	Music Is a Place	New Artists	Quartet, with Richard Tabnik (alto sax), Ratzo Harris (bass), Roger Mancuso (drums)
2005	Live at Outpost Performance Space	New Artists	Quartet, with Richard Tabnik (alto sax), Ratzo Harris (bass), Roger Mancuso (drums); in concert
2007?	Conversations	New Artists
2010?	Session at 475 Kent	Mutable Music
2011	Two	Relative Pitch	Duo, with Jemeel Moondoc (saxophone)
2011?	Live at the Freight	New Artists	Duo, with Jessica Jones (tenor sax); in concert
2011?	Spontaneous Suites for Two Pianos	RogueArt	Duo, with David Arner (piano)
2012?	Hippin'	New Artists
2014	Concert In Paris	New Artists	Solo piano
2016	Live At The Stone	Imprec	Duo, with Pauline Oliveros (accordion, electronics, voice)

Sources:

(2026). 9780141034010, Penguin Books. ISBN 9780141034010

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As sidewoman

• 1992? Lennie Tristano Memorial Concert, Tristanos Disciples
• 1999? The Way I Am, Linda Satin
• 2002? Primal Elegance, Bud Tristano

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External links

• Official website
• Jazz in the New Depression: Interview with Connie Crothers
• New York Times obituary
• NewMusicBox obituary

Categories: 1941 Births, 2016 Deaths, American Jazz Pianists, University Of California, Berkeley Alumni, American Women Jazz Pianists, Rogueart Artists, Deaths From Lung Cancer In New York, 21st-century American Women

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