# Stanley Cowell

Stanley Cowell (May 5, 1941 – December 17, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and co-founder of the Strata-East Records label.

## Early life

Cowell was born in Toledo, Ohio. He began playing the piano around the age of four, and became interested in jazz after seeing Art Tatum at the age of six. Tatum was a family friend.
After high school, Cowell studied classical piano with Emil Danenberg at Oberlin Conservatory of Music He included "Emil Danenberg" in his 1973 suite "Musa: Ancestral Dreams". During his time at Oberlin, he played with jazz multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk, which proved to be formative. He went on to receive a graduate degree in classical piano from the University of Michigan. He moved to New York in the mid-1960s.

## Later life and career

Cowell played with Marion Brown, Max Roach, Bobby Hutcherson, Clifford Jordan, Harold Land, Sonny Rollins and Stan Getz. Cowell played with trumpeter Charles Moore and others in the Detroit Artist's Workshop Jazz Ensemble in 1965–66.
In 1971, Cowell co-founded the record label Strata-East with trumpeter Charles Tolliver. The label would become one of the most successful Black-led, independent labels of its day.
During the late 1980s, Cowell was part of a regular quartet led by J.J. Johnson. Cowell taught in the Music Department of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
On December 17, 2020, Cowell died at Bayhealth Hospital in Dover, Delaware, from hypovolemic shock. He was 79 years old.

## Discography
### As leader

| Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes |
| 1969 | Blues for the Viet Cong | Freedom | Trio, with Steve Novosel (bass), Jimmy Hopps (drums); also released as Travellin' Man by Black Lion |
| 1969 | Brilliant Circles | Freedom | With Woody Shaw (trumpet, maracas), Tyrone Washington (tenor sax, flute, clarinet, maracas, tambourine), Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone), Reggie Workman (bass, electric bass), Joe Chambers (drums) |
| 1972 | Illusion Suite | ECM | Trio, with Stanley Clarke (bass), Jimmy Hopps (drums) |
| 1972 | Handscapes | Strata-East | As The Piano Choir; with Nat Jones, Hugh Lawson, Webster Lewis, Harold Mabern, Danny Mixon and Sonelius Smith (piano, electric piano, vocals, percussion, African piano, harpsichord) |
| 1973 | Musa: Ancestral Streams | Strata-East | Solo piano, electric piano, kalimba |
| 1974 | Handscapes 2 | Strata-East | As The Piano Choir; with Sonelius Smith (piano, electric piano), Ron Burton, Nat Jones, Hugh Lawson, Webster Lewis and Harold Mabern (piano), Mtume, Jimmy Hopps and John Lewis (percussion) |
| 1975 | Regeneration | Strata-East | With Marion Brown (wooden flute), Jimmy Heath (soprano sax, flute, alto flute), John Stubblefield (zuna), Jerry Venable (guitar), Psyche Wanzandae (harmonica, flute), Bill Lee (bass), Aleke Kanonu (bass drum, vocals), Billy Higgins (drums, gembhre, percussion), Ed Blackwell (water drum, parade drum, percussion), Nadi Quamar (mama-lekimbe, percussion, Madigascan harp), Charles Fowlkes (vocals, electric bass), Glenda Barnes and Kareema (vocals) |
| 1977 | Waiting for the Moment | Galaxy | Solo piano, electric piano, clavinet, synthesizer, kalimba |
| 1978? | Talkin' 'bout Love | Galaxy | |
| 1978 | Equipoise | Galaxy | Trio, with Cecil McBee (bass), Roy Haynes (drums) |
| 1981 | New World | Galaxy | |
| 1983 | Such Great Friends | Strata-East | Quartet, with Billy Harper (tenor sax), Reggie Workman (bass), Billy Hart (drums) |
| 1985? | Live at Cafe Des Copains | Unisson | |
| 1987 | We Three | DIW | Trio, with Buster Williams (bass), Frederick Waits (drums) |
| 1989 | Back to the Beautiful | Concord Jazz | One track solo piano; most tracks trio, with Santi Debriano (bass), Joe Chambers (drums); some tracks quartet, with Steve Coleman (alto sax, soprano sax) added |
| 1989 | Sienna | SteepleChase | Trio, with Ron McClure (bass), Keith Copeland (drums) |
| 1990 | Close to You Alone | DIW | Trio, with Cecil McBee (bass), Ronnie Burrage (drums) |
| 1990 | Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume Five | Concord Jazz | Solo piano |
| 1990 | Departure No. 2 | SteepleChase | Trio, with Bob Cranshaw (bass), Keith Copeland (drums) |
| 1991 | Games | SteepleChase | Trio, with Cheyney Thomas (bass), Wardell Thomas (drums) |
| 1993 | Bright Passion | SteepleChase | Trio, with Cheyney Thomas (bass), Wardell Thomas (drums) |
| 1993 | Angel Eyes | SteepleChase | Solo piano |
| 1993 | Live at Copenhagen Jazz House | SteepleChase | Trio, with Cheyney Thomas (bass), Wardell Thomas (drums); in concert |
| 1993 | Setup | SteepleChase | Sextet, with Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Dick Griffin (trombone), Rick Margitza (tenor sax), Peter Washington (bass), Billy Hart (drums) |
| 1995 | Mandara Blossoms | SteepleChase | With Billy Pierce (tenor sax), Jeff Halsey (bass), Ralph Peterson (drums), Karen Francis (vocals) |
| 1996 | Hear Me One | SteepleChase | With Bruce Williams (alto sax), Dwayne Burno, Keith Copeland (drums) |
| 1999 | Dancers in Love | Venus | Trio, with Tarus Mateen (bass), Nasheet Waits (drums) |
| 2007 | Death Is the Communion | 3D | |
| 2010 | Prayer for Peace | SteepleChase | With Mike Richmond, Sunny Cowell, Victor Lewis |
| 2012 | It's Time | SteepleChase | Trio, with Tom DiCarlo (bass), Chris Brown (drums) |
| 2013 | Welcome to This New World | SteepleChase | With Vic Juris (guitar), Tom DiCarlo (bass), Chris Brown (drums) |
| 2014 | Are You Real? | SteepleChase | Trio, with Jay Anderson (bass), Billy Drummond (drums) |
| 2015 | Reminiscent | SteepleChase | Trio, with Jay Anderson (bass), Billy Drummond (drums) |
| 2015 | Juneteenth | Vision Fugitive | Solo piano |
| 2017 | No Illusions | SteepleChase | Quartet, with Bruce Williams (alto sax, flute), Jay Anderson (bass), Billy Drummond (drums) |
| 2020 | At Keystone Korner, Baltimore | SteepleChase | Quintet, with Freddie Hendrix (trumpet), Bruce Williams (alto sax), Tom DiCarlo (bass), Vince Ector (drums), Sunny Cowell (vocal) |