In 1977, Marilyn Crispell was living in a communal house in Boston, studying traditional jazz with the well-known teacher Charlie Banacos. She had already graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music, which at the time taught only classical music. When she heard about a summer session in contemporary improvisation at the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, she took off.
At the end of the summer, she drove back to Boston, packed her belongings and returned to Woodstock, where she still lives.
Crispell became known in the contemporary jazz world—not a very large world, to be sure—during her long membership in the ensemble of saxophonist and composer Anthony Braxton. She also played for years in the Reggie Workman Ensemble. For the past seven years, she has performed with Joe Lovano’s Trio Tapestry, which has recorded for the ECM label.
She has been especially popular in Scandinavia, where she now plays in a trio led by drummer Michala Østergaard, whose music she characterizes as “very spacious and Scandinavian.” Crispell has recorded more than 70 albums for a variety of mostly European labels, with numerous collaborators. One recent release is Østergaard’s “The Cave.”
Last year, her contributions were recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, which named her a Lifetime Jazz Master. Although only a few years ago she had been considering retirement, she now finds herself in the busiest stretch of her career.
While preparing for another trip to Scandinavia to perform and record, Crispell is giving one of her rare local performances as part of the Piano Plus series at the Olive Free Library. The series has drawn prominent pianists, thanks to the library’s excellent piano, its sponsorship by composer George Tsontakis, and its devoted audience.
I asked Crispell if she had any tips for first-time listeners.
“Don’t try to analyze the music or figure out what is happening,” she said. “Just close your eyes and listen, and see what images come up and where the music leads you.”
“I like not knowing what I’m going to do,” she added, “but I do have things at my fingertips. The music will be mostly improvised, but there could be some of my compositions and others. When I first heard Cecil Taylor,” the avant-garde icon to whom she has been compared, “I heard only the energy. But eventually I was able to discern themes and melodies.”
Piano Plus’s concluding concert of the 2025 season, featuring Marilyn Crispell, takes place Saturday, May 10, at 4 p.m. at the Olive Free Library, Route 28A, Olivebridge. Advance tickets are available at givebutter.com/fYt89j. And there’s more information at olivefreelibrary.org.
Leslie Gerber is a contributing writer. Send correspondence to reporting@theoverlooknews.com.
