Jazz Articles about Lonnie Plaxico

Lonnie Plaxico: Striving for Originality, Noteriety

by R.J. DeLuke
March 13, 2004

The story of bassist Lonnie Plaxico starts out like a classic tale. Local kid makes it out of Chicago’s projects by learning to play an instrument, finding himself, and making music his life’s work. He goes on to play bass with a Who’s Who list of musicians, including a long tenure with one of rising star vocalists, the dazzling Cassandra Wilson. But nowadays, Part II of that tale smacks of cold hard reality. A sharp musician with a ...

Lonnie Plaxico: Live at the 5:01 Jazz Bar

by AAJ Staff
July 25, 2003

After a brief stint with Blue Note, Lonnie Plaxico quietly released this fine live date in 2002 on his own label, PlaxMusic. It consists of highlights of two sets he cut with his band (featuring trumpeter Alex Norris, tenorist Marcus Strickland, pianist George Colligan, and drummer Nat Townsley) earlier that year while at the 5:01 Jazz Bar in Columbus, Ohio.

The recording quality leaves something to be desired, but the disc compensates in the form of some of the most ...

Lonnie Plaxico: M

by Javier AQ Ortiz
April 12, 2002

Lonnie Plaxico’s maturity as a musician comes to the fore in his first release under the jazz banner label Blue Note as Mélange finds him putting together almost 30 years of professional musical experience in a recording that works well.

Plaxico wisely allows the supporting cast of this flecked tale to make the most of their respective roles; hence, the bass playing does not suffer from “featuritis.” With the exception of the opening tune, “Squib Cakes,” the album’s leader wrote ...

Lonnie Plaxico: Melange

by C. Andrew Hovan
September 1, 2001

He was part of the crowd surrounding Wynton Marsalis’ jazz revival in the late ‘80s, yet bassist Lonnie Plaxico has been seen in the spotlight far too little during the past decade. Yet, with a resume that includes work as a musical director for Cassandra Wilson and an inclination for the genre-bending grooves of the M-Base movement, Plaxico is in a singular position to be chameleon-like in his versatility. That may have something to with the approach and title of ...

Lonnie Plaxico: Melange

by David Adler
August 1, 2001

Lonnie Plaxico’s Blue Note debut is similar in thrust to last year’s Emergence (Savant). The emphasis is on funk, yet the frequent complexity of Plaxico’s writing harks back to his M-Base roots, especially on tunes like “Short Takes," “T.O.P.," “Patois," and the title track. Apparently the disc grew out of two different sessions — the first with Tim Ries on sax and Lew Soloff on trumpet, the second with regular band members Marcus Strickland and Jeremy Pelt in their stead. ...

Lonnie Plaxico: Melange

by Jim Santella
August 1, 2001

Experience has taught Lonnie Plaxico that a tenor saxophone and trumpet front line works best. His 6th recording as a leader combines straight-ahead, modern mainstream, and Tower Of Power funk. At 40, the bassist has paused to reflect on which jazz styles are meaningful; his session includes variety with significance. Plaxico writes out the arrangements in detail. As musical director for Cassandra Wilson's touring band, he's aware of what works. That professional relationship began in 1987. Prior to that, Plaxico ...

Lonnie Plaxico: Melange

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 2001

Lonnie Plaxico is one of those in-demand bassists, like Peter Washington or Dwayne Burno, who shows up on album after significant album, but, like most bassists, stays in the background. Attempting to gain radio play in the early 1990's, Plaxico led some of his own CD's, but fell into the smooth-jazz format in an effort to attain record-sales success. It didn't work. As Plaxico says, “I wasn't playing the music that reflects my experiences, and I still wasn't making money." ...