Connie Crothers

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

Connie Crothers
Connie Crothers at a gallery on the Lower East Side, New York City, 2015
Background information
Born	(1941-05-02)May 2, 1941 Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Died	(2016-08-13)August 13, 2016 (aged 75) New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Avant-garde jazz, free jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, educator
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1972–2016
Labels	SteepleChase, New Artists
Formerly of	Lennie Tristano, Richard Tabnik
Website	www.conniecrothers.net

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.^[1] Inspired by his recording of "C Minor Complex," one of the first examples on record of free improvisation,^[2] she relocated to New York City to become a student of Lennie Tristano.^[3][4]

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.^[4][5]

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.^[4][6]

Crothers died of lung cancer in Manhattan on August 13, 2016.^[7][4]

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Year recorded	Title	Label	Notes
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:^[8][9]

As sidewoman

• 1992? Lennie Tristano Memorial Concert, Tristanos Disciples
• 1999? The Way I Am, Linda Satin
• 2002? Primal Elegance, Bud Tristano^[10]