Malachi Favors
- Type: Musician
- Country: United States
- Born: August 22, 1927 in Lexington, Mississippi, United States
- Died: January 30, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Biography
Malachi Favors was an American jazz bassist, renowned as a founding member of the influential avant-garde collective, the Art Ensemble of Chicago. A charter member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), he was celebrated for his deep, resonant bass sound and his role as an ensemble anchor. It was Favors who introduced the practice of wearing African face paint and garments to the group. A multi-instrumentalist, he also played banjo, zither, and percussion. Beyond the Ensemble, he collaborated with artists like *Andrew Hill* and *Archie Shepp* and released the acclaimed solo bass album 'Natural & Spiritual' on the group's own #AECO Records# label.