Lester Bowie - born in Frederick, Maryland on October 11, 1941 - was an American
jazz trumpeter who was seen to be a pioneer of avant-garde and contemporary jazz
from the early 1970s until his death in 1999. Bowie grew up in St. Louis and
honed his craft playing in local groups performing with the likes of Little
Milton and Albert King before he moved to Chicago and was the bandleader for
soul singer Fontella Bass. In 1969 he became a founding member of the
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the Art Ensemble of
Chicago. During this period Bowie always sough...