Biography
Born on 21 November 1957 in Vincenza, Italy, Tanksley spent her childhood in Munich, Germany, where musical training began at age seven. At sixteen she traveled to Boston to pursue piano and composition studies at Berklee College Of Music, returning to Munich two years afterward. The year 1980 brought her to New York, where she worked alongside Melba Liston until 1983, the point at which she entered Billy Harper’s quintet and joined its wide-ranging tours. Her résumé further includes performances with Clifford Jordan, Cecil Payne, Bill Hardman and Erica Lindsay. She heads her own quintet and shares direction of the Erica Lindsay/Howard Johnson Quintet while maintaining a strong profile as a composer.
Albums