Articles by Christopher Slone

Relentless Groove: The Life of Jymie Merritt

by Christopher Slone
June 27, 2009

Over the past fifty years there have been many stalwarts who've directed the course of jazz, but none is more deserving of tribute than Jymie Merritt. Although he has been unjustly under-recognized, his muscular bass playing has anchored many of this music's most prestigious ensembles, and in the process, he has helped to shape the genre as it has evolved.Born in Philadelphia in 1926, Jymie began his musical journey playing the tenor saxophone while a teenager. However, this ...