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Take Five With Kali. Z. Fasteau

By AAJ Staff
September 9, 2010
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Meet Kali. Z. Fasteau: Kali. Z. Fasteau is from a musical family, playing piano, cello, flute, and voice since early childhood in Paris and New York. Her piano teacher, for eight years, was Olga Heifetz.

She started improvising at age 14. She received post-grad degrees studying the music of Asia, Africa, 20th Century Europe and jazz. Then she traveled for more than 14 years, living in 18 countries: India (1981-83), Turkey (1976-77), Nepal, Morocco, Senegal, Congo, Italy, Holland, France, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Niger, Mali, Yugoslavia, Germany, Greece, and America, performing in many music festivals and concerts, national radio and TV, film soundtracks, and university programs.

Kali's recording and performing associates include: Donald Rafael Garrett,

Kidd Jordan

saxophone
1935 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Kidd Jordan,

Archie Shepp

saxophone, tenor
b.1937

" data-original-title="" title="">Archie Shepp,

Beaver Harris

drums
b.1936

" data-original-title="" title="">Beaver Harris,

Rashied Ali

drums
1935 - 2009

" data-original-title="" title="">Rashied Ali,

William Parker

bass
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">William Parker,

Oliver Lake

saxophone
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Oliver Lake,

Sirone

bass, acoustic
1940 - 2009

" data-original-title="" title="">Sirone,

Joseph Jarman

saxophone
1937 - 2019

" data-original-title="" title="">Joseph Jarman,

Joe McPhee

woodwinds
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe McPhee,

Hamid Drake

drums
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Hamid Drake,

Bobby Few

piano
1935 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Few,

Muhammad Ali

drums
b.1936

" data-original-title="" title="">Muhammad Ali,

Noah Howard

saxophone, alto
1943 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Noah Howard,

Sabir Mateen

saxophone, tenor
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Sabir Mateen,

Roy Campbell

trumpet
1952 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Roy Campbell and many others.

Kali. led her ensemble playing her original compositions at New York's Town Hall, Lincoln Center and Guggenheim Museum, as well as the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, Museum Theatre in Madras, India, Boston Center for the Arts, Vision Festival, Kerava Jazz Festival, JVC Festival, Harare International Arts Festival (Zimbabwe), Pisa Jazz Festival, Istanbul Jazz Festival, Livorno Jazz Festival, and hundreds of others worldwide.

Instrument(s):

Soprano sax, nai and kaval flutes, voice, viola, drum set, piano, mizmar, keyboards, cello, sanza.

Teachers and/or influences? Donald Rafael Garrett (recorded four albums with

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane (Om, Kulu Se Mama, Live in Seattle and Selflessness) was my main mentor, musical partner and first husband.

Other musicians who inspired me: John and

Alice Coltrane

piano
1937 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Alice Coltrane,

Yusef Lateef

woodwinds
1920 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Yusef Lateef,

Betty Carter

vocals
1929 - 1998

" data-original-title="" title="">Betty Carter,

Miriam Makeba

vocals
1932 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Miriam Makeba,

Nancy Wilson

vocals
1937 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Nancy Wilson,

Eric Dolphy

woodwinds
1928 - 1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Dolphy,

Albert Ayler

saxophone, tenor
1936 - 1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp,

Bobby Timmons

piano
1935 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Timmons,

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk,

Erroll Garner

piano
1921 - 1977

" data-original-title="" title="">Erroll Garner,

Aretha Franklin

vocals
1942 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Aretha Franklin,

Nina Simone

piano and vocals
1933 - 2003

" data-original-title="" title="">Nina Simone, all the soul artists, so so many greats—too many to list.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when... The revelation came to me while gazing over the Pacific Ocean and realizing that creating beautiful sounds is the greatest joy and privilege of my life.

Your sound and approach to music: "Music lives in a multidimensional sphere, encompassing all possible sounds... high and low, soft and loud, slow and fast, rough and smooth, legato and staccato. The essence of creating music is combining these yin and yang parameters of sound so as to enhance their distinctive qualities moving through time. This joining of opposites expresses the joyful unity of life." (c) Kali. Z. Fasteau

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?

Selected Discography: Kali. Z. Fasteau: Animal Grace;

Kali. Z. Fasteau/Kidd Jordan: Live at the Kerava Jazz Festival: Finland;

Kali. Z. Fasteau/Kidd Jordan: People of the Ninth: New Orleans & the Hurricane 2005;

Kali. Z. Fasteau: Making Waves;

Kali. Z. Fasteau: Oneness;

Kali. Z Fasteau: Vivid;

Kali. Z. Fasteau/Rafael Garrett: Memoirs of a Dream;

Kali. Z. Fasteau: Comraderie;

Kali. Z. Fasteau: Sensual Hearing

Kali. Z. Fasteau: Prophecy: The Whale & the Elephant Trade Notes on the State of the World;

Kali. Z. Fasteau: Worlds Beyond Words.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically? An original and unique meld of the powerful spontaneous energy of seminal free jazz with sonorities of African, Indian and Middle Eastern music. Embodying grace and energy flowing freely in live comprovisation.

Photo Credit

Courtesy of Kali. Z. Fasteau

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