Milford Graves

Milford Graves (born August 20, 1941 in Queens, New York) is an American jazz drummer and percussionist, most noteworthy for his early avant-garde contributions in the early 1960s with Paul Bley and the New York Art Quartet. He is considered to be a free jazz pioneer, liberating the percussion from its timekeeping role.

Graves has worked as a sideman and session musician with a variety of established jazz musicians throughout his career, including Don Pullen, Eddie Gomez, Andrew Cyrille, Rashied Ali, Kenny Clarke, Don Moye, Philly Joe Jones, John Zorn and Albert Ayler. He has invested his time in research within the field of healing through music. Graves accepted a job in 1973 as an instructor at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont.

As leader

 * 1965: Percussion Ensemble (ESP Disk)
 * 1977: Meditation Among Us (Kitty)
 * 1977: Babi (IPS)
 * 1998: Grand Unification (Tzadik)
 * 2000: ''Stories' (Tzadik)

As sideman
with Montego Joe
 * Arriba! (Prestige)
 * Wild & Warm (Prestige)

with Giuseppi Logan
 * Giuseppi Logan Quartet (ESP Disk)
 * More Giuseppi Logan (ESP Disk)

with Paul Bley
 * Barrage (ESP Disk)

with New York Art Quartet
 * New York Art Quartet (ESP Disk)
 * Mohawk (Fontana)
 * 35th Reunion (DIW)

with the Jazz Composer's Orchestra
 * Communication (Fontana)

with Miriam Makeba
 * Makeba Sings! (RCA)

with Lowell Davidson
 * The Lowell Davidson Trio (ESP Disk)

with Don Pullen
 * At Yale University (PG)
 * Nommo (SRP)

with Albert Ayler
 * Holy Ghost: Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962–70) (Revenant)
 * Love Cry (Impulse!)

with Sonny Sharrock
 * Black Woman (Vortex)

with Andrew Cyrille
 * Dialogue Of The Drums (IPS)

with Various Artists
 * New American Music Volume 1-New York Section/Composers of the 1970's (Folkways)

with Sun Ra
 * Untitled Recordings (Transparency)

with Kenny Clarke/Andrew Cyrille/Famoudou Don Moye
 * Pieces of Time (Soul Note)

with David Murray
 * Real Deal (DIW)

with John Zorn
 * 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 2 (Tzadik)

with Anthony Braxton & William Parker
 * Beyond Quantum (Tzadik, 2008)