Keshavan Maslak
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Kenneth Keshavan Maslak, who also performs under the stage name Kenny Millions (born February 26, 1950, Detroit) is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, avant-garde performance artist, poet and restaurateur.
Biography
Kenneth Keshavan Maslak was born in downtown Detroit, Michigan to a family of Ukrainian immigrants who worked at the Ford Motor Company. Kenny began studying music from his grandfather at the age of five on the mandolin, and then started on the clarinet and saxophone at the age of six. He began working professionally from the age of 12. While attending Cass Technical High School, Kenny became a student of Larry Teal and Donald Sinta. After high school Maslak studied music and psychology at the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University and North Texas State University where he studied music composition with Martin Mailman in the late 1960s. Following this he played with Motown touring bands and many other jazz and R&B bands. After two years living in San Francisco and playing with Charles Moffett, Ray Anderson and David Murray, Maslak moved to New York City in 1972 and participated in the New York loft scene during the 1970s, performing his compositions frequently at Studio Rivbea, Ladies' Fort, Maslak Gallerxy, The Kitchen, Five Spot Cafe, CBGB and at the Charlotte Moorman avant-garde festivals. At The Kitchen he performed with experimental musicians such as Garrett List, Rhys Chatham, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson and associated with John Cage. During that period he developed his conceptual style of musical performance which he refers to as Multiplexmulti. Kenny also invented the Hum Ha Horn which he recorded with on some of his early LP releases. From 1978 to 1981 Maslak lived in Amsterdam, Netherlands where he played in avant-garde jazz circles with groups such as Instant Composer's Pool and recorded several titles for Leo Records, Black Saint Records and various other European labels with his trio. He also formed a punk rock-free jazz group, Loved by Millions, in which he began to use the pseudonym Kenny Millions. He returned to New York City in 1981 to 1987 then moved to Miami, Florida in 1987. In 1988 to 1989 Kenny lived in Brussels, Belgium and in Moscow, The Soviet Union. Back to Miami, Florida in 1989 he and his wife became restaurateurs and opened up Sushi Blues Cafe and then afterwards Cafe Jamm. Kenny also collaborated with Hannibal Lokumbe, Abbey Rader, Paul Bley, Katsuyuki Itakura, Kazutoki Umezu, Sergey Kuryokhin, Sam Rivers, Sunny Murray, Frank Wright, Curtis Fuller, Marty Cook, Otomo Yoshihide, Roland Kirk, Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennink, Peter Brötzmann, Derek Bailey, Dr. John, Mick Taylor, Bobby Keys, Larry Coryell, Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Eddie Kirkland, Thurston Moore, Otto von Schirach, Blowfly (musician) and Frank "Rat Bastard" Falestra at various times during his career.
Discography
- Cass Tech Symphony Band (Cass Tech Records, 1964)
- One O'clock Lab Band (North Texas State Records, 1969)
- Lower East Side Insane Shit (Hum Ha Records, 1974)
- Multiplexmulti (Hum Ha Records, 1977)
- Variations On A Coffee Machine (Kharma Records, 1977)
- Maslak 1000 (Waterland Records, 1978)
- Buddha's Hand (Circle Records (Germany), 1978)
- New York Bust Out (Hum Ha Records, 1978)
- Mayhem in Our Streets (Waterland Records, 1979)
- Humanplexity (Leo Records, 1979)
- Loved by Millions (Leo, 1980)
- Big Time (Daybreak Records, 1981)
- Blaster Master (Black Saint Records, 1981)
- Dead In Germany (Moers Music, 1982)
- Japan/Japon (DIW Records, 1983)
- Lovely (ITM Records, 1985)
- Better And Better (Leo Records, 1986)
- Get The Money Whatever It Takes (Leo Records, 1987)
- The Ass (Hum Ha Records, 1988)
- Mother Russia (Leo, 1989)
- Madmen From The Moon (Soundings Of The Planet Records, 1990)
- Not To Be A Star (Black Saint Records, 1992)
- Soul Brothers (Hum Ha Records, 1992)
- Romance In The Big City (Leo Records, 1993)
- Play Satie (Hum Ha Records, 1993)
- Harmonic Motion (Third Stream Records, 1994)
- Excuse Me Mr. Satie (Leo Records, 1994)
- Suburban Utopic (Abray Records, 1995)
- Jet Lag (Solyd Records, 1996)
- Friends Afar (Sound Wave Records, 1996)
- Dear John Cage (Long Arm Records, 1996)
- Ground Zero Plays Standards (Nani Records, 1997)
- Live At The Rip-Off Knitting Factory (Hum Ha Records, 1997)
- Kenny Millions Jams (Hum Ha Records, 1998)
- Without Kuryokhin (Long Arms Records, 1999)
- Ping Pong Birthday (Hum Ha Records, 1999)
- Back To It (Hum Ha Records, 2000)
- Live In Hollywood (Hum Ha Records, 2000)
- I Wish I Was A Bird (Hum Ha Records, 2000)
- Eat Cake (Hum Ha Records, 2000)
- Beautiful And Boring (Hum Ha Records, 2000)
- Junko's Dream (Hum Ha Records, 2000)
- Mixed Nuts (Hum Ha Records, 2000)
- No Money No Honey (Hum Ha Records, 2001)
- Brother Charles (Hum Ha Records, 2001)
- April In Japan (Hum Ha Records, 2001)
- Masking Tape Music (Hum Ha Records, 2001)
- Tokyo Is Now (Hum Ha Records, 2001)
- Screams And Whispers (Hum Ha Records, 2001)
- Blues Inside Out (Hum Ha Records, 2001)
- Live In Nasu (Hum Ha Records, 2001)
- Sun And Fun (Hum Ha Records, 2001)
- Space Between Worlds (Hum Ha Records, 2001)
- Blue Skies (Hum Ha Records, 2001)
- Jazz Fantasy (Hum Ha Records, 2002)
- When You're Smiling (Hum Ha Records, 2002)
- Let Freedom Swing (Hum Ha Records, 2002)
- Kenny Meets Tatsu (Hum Ha Records, 2002)
- Midnight In Chicago (Hum Ha Records, 2002)
- Feed The Kitty (Hum Ha Records, 2003)
- Mad Giants Of Jazz (Hum Ha Records, 2005)
- Wild Candy (Hum Ha Records, 2005)
- Groove Detroit (Hum Ha Records, 2006)
- West Side (Hum Ha Records, 2006)
- Detroit Bohemia Live (Hum Ha Records, 2007)
- Bim Huis Live 1st Set (Hum Ha Records, 2008)
- Eat Shit @ Churchill's (Hum Ha Records, 2009)
- No Mor Musik (ugEXPLODE Records, 2010)
- Millions Of Bastards (Hum Ha Records, 2010)
- Screams In Brooklyn (Hum Ha Records, 2011)
- Cum And Jizz (Florida Noise Ordinance Records, 2012)
- Weapon (MuteAnt Sounds Records, 2013)
- Yo Honkies (MuteAnt Sounds Records, 2013)
- I Died For Your Sins (Hum Ha Records, 2014)
- Elephants Fucking (Hum Ha Records, 2014)
- Making Recordings Are B.S. (Hum Ha Records, 2015)
- OMG Best Album Ever (MuteAnt Sounds Records, 2015)
- The Art Of Fuck You (Hum Ha Records, 2016)
References
- Simon Adams, "Keshavan Maslak". Grove Jazz online.
- Chris Kelsey, Keshavan Maslak at Allmusic