Henry Butler

at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, in January 2007 Butler was born in New Orleans, and was blinded by glaucoma in infancy. Butler was mentored at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by clarinetist and educator Alvin Batiste. Butler later earned a master's degree in music at Michigan State University in 1974 In the wake of Katrina's damage, Butler left New Orleans and moved to Boulder, Colorado, then Denver. He spoke of the Colorado period as "a trying exile". Butler's photographs were shown in galleries in New Orleans. Butler died of cancer in New York City on July 2, 2018, at the age of 69. ==Praise==

Butler was known for his technique and his ability to play in many styles of music. In 1987, music critic Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that Butler "revels in fluency and facility, splashing chords all over the keyboard and streaking through solos with machine-gun articulation". In 1998, critic Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune described Butler as "an enormous intellect matched by unusual physical strength". ==Discography==

As leader • ''Fivin' Around'' (MCA, 1986) • The Village (MCA, 1987) • Orleans Inspiration (Windham Hill, 1990) • Blues & More (Windham Hill, 1992) • For All Seasons (Atlantic, 1996) • Blues After Sunset (Black Top, 1998) • Vu-Du Menz with Corey Harris (Alligator, 2000) • The Game Has Just Begun (Basin Street, 2002) • Homeland (Basin Street, 2004) • Pianola Live (Basin Street, 2008) • ''Viper's Drag'' with Steven Bernstein (Impulse!, 2014) ==References==