1942 Excited by brother playing piano with friends and listening to bebop records. Starts taking piano lessons.
1951-54 Attends Dusable high school under Captain Walter Henri Dyett. Starts playing euphonium and trombone. Writes a blues for concert band.
1953 Plays gigs with Charles Davis, Muhal Richard Abrams. Sits in with Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley. Plays in house band at Club DeLisa.
1953-56 Works with Sun Ra in Chicago and records several Priester originals.
1956-57 Tours Europe with Lionel Hampton.
1957-58 Tours US with Dinah Washington and writes for band.
1958 Moves to NY. Works in shipping at Riverside Records (Philly Joe Jones, Chet Baker). Records with Philly Joe on Blues for Dracula (Nat Adderley, Johnny Griffin, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Garrison)
1959 Joins Max Roach in Pittsburgh (Stanley and Tommy Turrentine).
1960 Records Keep Swinging (Jimmy Heath, Tommy Flanagan, Sam Jones, Elvin Jones) and Spiritsville (Walter Benton, Charles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Sam Jones, Art Taylor). Records Freedom Now Suite (Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, Booker Little, Walter Benton, Colman Hawkins, Jimmy Schenk).
1961 Julian leaves Max after fight at Pep’s Showboat in Philadelphia. Records in large ensemble on John Coltrane’s Africa Brass.
1962 Joins Slide Hampton with Lloyd Price.
1963 Joins Ray Charles. Writes arrangements for Ray and Lloyd.
1964 Rejoins Max. Fights with Max on Abbey’s birthday and leaves band.
1965 Returns to Chicago for divorce. Performs with Muhal Richard Abrams and poet David Moore.
1965-76 Records as sideman on Atlantic, Blue Note, and other labels.
1968 Joins Art Blakey (Billy Harper, Bill Hardman, Ronnie Mathews, Lawrence Evans). Leaves after pay conflict.
1968-70 Works in pit orchestra at Schubert Theater for Promises, Promises.
1969 Subs at recording session with Duke Ellington. Tours Europe with Thad Jones/Mel Lewis.
1970 Resigns from Shubert gig to tour Far East with Ellington. Records New Orleans Suite. Starts band with Gary Bartz, Cecil McBee, Ronnie Matthews.
1970-73 Tours with Mwandishi (Herbie Hancock, Bennie Maupin, Eddie Henderson, Buster Williams, Billy Hart).
1973 Moves to San Francisco.
1974 Records Love, Love (Hadley Caliman, Ron McClure, Eric Gravatt, Bill Conners, Patrick Gleeson).
1976 Marries Jaymi Goodenough (Nashira).
1977 Adebayo born. Records Polarization (Ron Stallings, Ray Obiedo, Curtis Clark, Heshima Mark Williams, Augusta Lee Collins).
1979 Records Strike Up the Band with Red Garland (George Coleman, Ron Carter, Ben Riley). Joins Cornish (Jerry Grannelli, Gary Peacock, Jay Clayton).
1979-85 Writes for Composers and Improvisors Orchestra with Jim Knapp.
1982 Atuanya born.
1982-87 Tours with Dave Holland.
1988 King County Arts Commission grant to record Quartett (Jerry Grannelli, Gary Peacock, Jay Clayton).
1990 Records with Sam Rivers
1995 Diagnosis of liver disease. Gets transplants in 1995, 2000, and 2013.
2002 Records in Deep End Dance with Priester’s Cue (Dawn Clement, Byron Vannoy, Geoff Harper).
2011 Retires from Cornish which awards Honorary Doctorate
2021 Artist in residence at Seattle Jazz Fellowship
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