Marilyn Crispell

About

Few pianists get compared to an active volcano, but Jon Pareles of The New York Times put it that way about Marilyn Crispell, and it's hard to argue. The Philadelphia born pianist spent over a decade as a core member of Anthony Braxton's quartet, from 1983 to 1995, recording around a dozen albums with him alongside bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Gerry Hemingway. That experience fundamentally reshaped how she thinks about music: Braxton pushed her toward silence, space and breath, qualities that now define her playing as much as the fierce energy she came in with. Her catalog ranges widely, from solo work to collaborations with the likes of Reggie Workman, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith and Barry Guy. A turning point came in the early 1990s when she heard Swedish bassist Anders Jormin play and felt something open up in her approach, a softer, more lyrical side emerging alongside the intensity. Labels like ECM and Intakt have released her recordings, covering everything from Coltrane tributes to duo and trio settings that show just how much ground she covers.