Keshavan Maslak
Keshavan Maslak, who also performs under the stage name Kenny Millions (b. February 26, 1947, 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, where he worked with experimental musicians such as Philip Glass and Laurie Anderson, all the while composing his own music and inventing the Hum Ha Horn. From 1978 to 1981 Maslak lived in Europe, where he played in avant-garde jazz circles with groups such as Instant Composer's Pool and recorded several titles for Leo Records and Black Saint Records. 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, then moved to Florida in 1986. In 1989 he and his wife, Junko Maslak, opened up a sushi restaurant/music club, Sushi Blues Cafe. During the 1990s Kenny collaborated with Paul Bley, Katsuyuki Itakura, Umezu Kazutoki and Sergey Kuryokhin. Other credits include work with Frank "Rat Bastard" Falestra, Nondor Nevai Weasel Walter, Sam Rivers, Sunny Murray, Frank Wright, Otomo Yoshihide, Roland Kirk, Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennink, Peter Brotzmann, Rhys Chatham, Derek Bailey, Dr. John, Mick Taylor, Larry Coryell, Stan Getz and Chet Baker 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)
References
- Simon Adams, "Keshavan Maslak". Grove Jazz online.
- Chris Kelsey, Keshavan Maslak at Allmusic