A "zooid" is a cell that can move independently within a larger organism — making it the ideal moniker for Henry Threadgill's fascinating quintet.
Three years ago, Threadgill became only the third jazz composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Zooid's "In for a Penny, In for a Pound," a 79-minute suite that includes a concerto-like piece for each of his bandmates.
This weekend the group will provide the capstone performance for "Celebrating Henry," a mini-festival at Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. It starts Friday, with two dozen local artists marking Threadgill's 75th birthday by interpreting works from throughout his career. Zooid will perform Saturday along with the jazz power trio Harriet Tubman, comprising alumni from his previous bands.
That is a formidable list. The Chicago-born, New York-based saxophonist has beguiled audiences since the 1970s, when his trio, Air, would cruise from beautifully ethereal "free jazz" into wonderfully deconstructed ragtime music.
The '80s were devoted to his seven-piece Sextett, which deployed a cellist as a locus point between various brass and percussion instruments. In the '90s, he gave us Very Very Circus, appropriately topped off by a pair of tubas.
Around the turn of the century, Threadgill devised a new method of composing that asked musicians to improvise within blocks of three notes assigned to each member, creating spontaneous melodic changes and counterpoints to layered rhythms that he set forth. Zooid workshopped the concept for an entire year before performing and recording.
During a recent phone conversation from his New York home, Threadgill was as effervescent, engaged and generous with his time as one might only hope from someone frequently called a genius. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: How has Zooid evolved over the nearly 20 years it's been together?