What was Milford Graves’ net worth? Jazz pioneer studied human heart vibrations before tragic death at 79

The iconic free-Jazz drummer was a member of the New York Art Quartet and was reportedly one of the richest Jazz musicians in the country
UPDATED FEB 13, 2021
Milford Graves reportedly died from congestive heart failure at the age of 79 (Wikimedia Commons)
Milford Graves reportedly died from congestive heart failure at the age of 79 (Wikimedia Commons)

A pioneer of free Jazz, Milford Graves, has died at the age of 79. The news of him passing away first surfaced on Twitter after a journalist from publication NPR tweeted about the devastating news. The post read, “NPR just got confirmation that Milford Graves — drummer, professor, researcher, gardener — died today from congestive heart failure. His music and way of being was an elevation, rhythmically moving with the universe.”

The iconic free-Jazz drummer was a member of the New York Art Quartet, whose iconic first recording in 1964 featured LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka) reading his poem ‘Black Dada Nihilismus,’ as revealed by his official website. The Jamaican artist also invented a martial art form called Yara based on the movements of the Praying Mantis, African ritual dance, and Lindy Hop in 1972. The composer and saxophonist John Zorn referred to Graves as “basically a 20th-century shaman.”

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Milford Graves (blogthehum.com)


 

What was Milford Graves' net worth?

Milford Graves was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in the year 2000 and in 2015 he also received the Doris Duke Foundation Impact Award. Apart from these recognitions, Graves was also the subject of a 2018 critically acclaimed, feature-length documentary, ‘Milford Graves Full Mantis’ directed by his former student, Jake Meginsky, with Neil Young.

If we talk about his net worth, the websiteWikis Pro reveals that the late musician was valued at between $1million and $5million. If we go by the report published by the website Trend Celeb Now, it is believed that Graves was one of the richest Jazz musicians in the country.  

Milford Graves (Official Website)


 

Notable works

His notable recordings include include ‘In Concert At Yale University’ with Don Pullen in 1966, ‘Dialogue of the Drums’ with Andrew Cyrille in 1974, ‘Babi’ in 1977, ‘Meditation Among Us’ in 1977, ‘Real Deal’ with David Murray in 1992, ‘Grand Unification’ in 1998, ‘Beyond Quantum’ with Anthony Braxton and William Parker in 2008 and ‘Space/Time Redemption’ with Bill Laswell in 2014. According to his official website, Graves also studied human heart vibrations to better understand music’s healing potential.

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