Whether composing major commissioned works for the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra the Brooklyn Philharmonic; creating chamber pieces for the Arditti and Flux String Quartets, the World Sax Quartet, and the San Francisco Contemporary Players; arranging for pop diva Bjork, rocker Lou Reed and rap group A Tribe Called Quest; collaborating with poet Ntozake Shange, choreographers Ron Brown and Marlies Yearby, Native American vocalist Mary Redhouse, Korean kumongo player Jin Hi Kim, Chinese bamboo flute player Shuni Tsou; performing with MacArthur Award recipients Anna Devere Smith (actress/author) and Patricia Williams (writer/law professor/political commentator); sharing the stage with hip-hop artist Mos Def and pop star Me'shell Ndegeocello; or leading his own Organ Quartet, Steel Quartet, Big Band and cooperative ensembles the World Saxophone Quartet and Trio 3; renaissance man Oliver Lake views it all as parts of the same whole.
Lake attributes much of his diverse array of musical styles and disciplines to his experience with the Black Artists Group (BAG), the legendary multi-disciplined and innovative St. Louis collective he co-founded with poets Ajule Rutlin, and musicians Julius Hemphill and Floyd La Flore over 35 years ago. As a co-founder of the internationally acclaimed World Saxophone Quartet with Hemphill, Hamiet Bluiett and David Murray, Oliver continues to work with a variety of groups, and collaborates with several notable choreographers, poets and a veritable Who's Who of the progressive jazz scene of the late 20th century, performing all over the U.S., Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Africa and Australia.
Always a strong proponent of artist self-empowerment and independence, Lake founded Passin' Thru, Inc. in 1988, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to fostering, promoting and advancing the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of jazz, new music and other disciplines in relation to music.
A recipient of the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, Oliver Lake is also one of the most frequently commissioned composers in the history of the eminently respected organization Meet the Composer. Other commissions have been received from the Library of Congress, the Rockefeller Foundation ASCAP, the International Association for Jazz Education, Composers Forum, the McKim Foundation, the Mary Flagler Cary Trust and the Lila Wallace Arts Partners Program. Additionally, artist groups who have commissioned works from Lake are the Wheeling Symphony, New York New Music Ensemble, and Pulse Percussion Ensemble of New York. Oliver is often specially cited for his numerous endeavors with female artists and performers, to the extent of being called "The Feminist Composer" in an arts course taught at Wesleyan University. Oliver has received the Jazz Impact award from the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium in April of 2006 and the 2006 Mellon Jazz Living Legacy Award at the Kennedy Center in October of 2006 .
In addition to his musical endeavors, Oliver is also an accomplished poet, painter and performance artist. He has published a book of poetry entitled Life Dance, has exhibited and sold a number of his unique painted-sticks, and has toured the country with his one-man performance piece, Matador of 1st and 1st. For six years, Oliver has collaborated with the City of Asylum project in Pittsburgh, a program designed to offer furnished housing, a living stipend and transitional help for authors living in exile. Beginning in 2010, he was commissioned to personally design one of the homes used in the project, using his original artwork and designs.
Currently, Oliver is celebrating the second recorded release of his Organ Quartet, entitled Plan, and continues to exhibit his artwork, take part in workshops, and tour with his Organ Quartet, Big Band, the WSQ, Duo with DJ Jahi Sundance, Trio 3, as a guest artist with Tarbaby and as a solo performer.
