Ken McIntyre

by Scott Yanow
A versatile player with a thoughtful style who can play quite freely, Ken McIntyre has never been a major name in jazz despite his talents. After serving in the military and graduating from the Boston Conservatory, he arrived in New York in 1960 and made a strong impression. He recorded two albums for New Jazz that year, including one on which he held his own against Eric Dolphy. McIntyre also led two now-scarce records for United Artists during 1962-1963 (including one titled Way Way Out) but became involved in education, teaching in public schools starting in 1961. He continued playing on a part-time basis (recording with Cecil Taylor in 1966). McIntyre led five albums for SteepleChase during 1974-1978, including his definitive set Hindsight (which finds him spotlighting each of his five horns in a quartet). He also recorded with Craig Harris in 1983 and put together an Eric Dolphy tribute set for Serene in 1991, but Ken McIntyre never gained the recognition he deserved. In the early 90s, he adopted the first name of Makanda and in June 2001, he released his first recording in years, entitled A New Beginning. Multi-instumentalist and music educator Dr. Makanda Ken McIntyre passed away at the age of 69 as a result of a heart attack on Wednesday, June 13, 2001, at his home in Harlem, NY .