Lester Bowie died at his home in Brooklyn this past Monday due to complications from liver cancer. Best known as the trumpeter and founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Bowie had been a mainstay of the avant-garde jazz scene for more than thirty years. Lester was born in Frederick, Maryland, October 11, 1941, before his family moved to St Louis. He began his professional career playing with R&B bands in the South and the Midwest in the 1950's. Bowie had been a proponent of "Great Black Music" and had helped create the Black Artist Group (BAG) in St Louis during the mid-sixties. After moving to Chicago, Bowie also helped establish the Association of The Advancement of Creative Music (AACM). Along with Roscoe Mitchell, Bowie formed the Art Ensemble Of Chicago in 1969 and had continued performing with that illustrious group as well as heading up his own ensembles including Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy. Bowie recorded a number of solo albums on Chicago's Delmark Record label as well as numerous albums with the Art Ensemble. For many years Bowie was married to the singer Fontella Bass who had the original hit record "Rescue Me" and often performed with the Art Ensemble and Lester's other groups. A jazz festival favorite performing in both America and Europe, Bowie cut a compelling figure and was easily recognized as he wore a white chef's coat at many of his appearances over the years. Reverent towards the music of trumpet icons like Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis, as well as a pioneer in the realm of free jazz, Bowie was a tireless promoter of the jazz idiom. He would often craft unusual jazz versions of contemporary tunes like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and old classics like "I Only Have Eyes For You." Survived by his wife Deborah and six children, Bowie was a well-loved entertainer who worked with countless musicians. He will be missed.
by Mitch Myers
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