Marilyn Crispell

Marilyn Crispell is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music where she studied classical piano and composition. She discovered jazz through the music of John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor and other contemporary jazz players and composers. For ten years she was a member of the Anthony Braxton Quartet and the Reggie Workman Ensemble. She has been a member of the Barry Guy New Orchestra and a frequent guest with his London Jazz Composers Orchestra. Besides working as a soloist and leader of her own groups, Crispell has performed and recorded with many of the great players on the American and European jazz scene. John Pareles of The New York Times writes, "Hearing Marilyn Crispell play solo piano is like monitoring an active volcano. She is one of a very few pianists who rise to the challenge of free jazz."