Biography
Glenna Powrie, a New York-based electric keyboardist and acoustic pianist, has chosen to channel most of her energy into fusion, jazz-funk, and crossover jazz instead of straight-ahead contexts. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Canadian musician relocated to New York City in 1985 to advance her career as a performer and composer. Many jazz artists who arrive from elsewhere accept sideman roles in hard bop or post-bop units and perform Tin Pan Alley standards to gain entry, even when their ultimate aim is original material or fusion and avant-garde directions; Powrie refused to restrict herself to the bop-and-standards path. Committed to original work, she declined the purist outlook of the “Young Lions” who modeled themselves after Wynton Marsalis. Her keyboard approach, which merges jazz with rock, funk, and pop, reflects the influence of fusion figures such as Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Joe Zawinul, while her writing draws from Corea’s Return to Forever, Weather Report—the ensemble Zawinul co-led with saxophonist Wayne Shorter in the 1970s and 1980s—the Yellowjackets, and the Brecker Brothers. After settling in New York in 1985 she worked with drummer Jack DeJohnette in his band Special Edition. Another key collaborator was saxophonist Greg Osby, who produced her debut album, Asha. She signed with Muse in 1989 and recorded Asha, released the next year. Although the New York label specialized in straight-ahead bop and post-bop, Asha is a fusion recording that features producer Osby on alto and soprano sax, Kevin Eubanks on electric guitar, Tracy Wormworth or Darryl Jones on electric bass, Eugene Jackson on drums, and Mino Cinelu on percussion. Powrie used only electric keyboards and synthesizers on the album and composed every track herself. Her agreement with Muse covered just that one release, so no further Powrie albums appeared during the 1990s. When 2000 arrived she remained a one-album artist whose sole recording had gone out of print after several years. She nonetheless stayed active on the New York scene and continued performing and composing into the early 2000s.
Albums