Jimmy Haslip
Jimmy Haslip grew up in a rich musical environment. As a youth, he listened to Latin and salsa music around the house, including such Latin music icons as Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Machito, Ray Barretto, Celia Cruz and Eddie Palmieri, to name a few. In addition to learing various Latin dances from his parents, Jimmy learned how to play a lot of basic Latin rhythms on the different percussion instruments that they had around the house. He learned to play authentically on the claves, maracas, cowbell, bongos and the guido, which gave him that keen sense of time and rhythm that surfaces in his bass playing today.
His older brother Gabriel also played Jimmy some jazz and classical music, so he had exposure to John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Eric Dolphy, Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck on one hand, and the music of Debussy, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Mozart and Mahler on the other. Jimmy says, "This was an eye opening time for me and even though most of this music was over my head, it definitely ignited my musical curiosity. I also was listening to a lot of Pop music, like the Beatles, the Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Wilson Pickett, James Brown and lots of great Pop music on the radio. I can remember that it was a very exciting time for music!"
Jimmy began studying music in elementary school, playing the trumpet and other assorted brass instruments (including the bugle, baritone horn and tuba) from age seven to fourteen. Jimmy picked up a bass at the age of fifteen and taught himself how to play it. "Actually the very first time I saw an electric bass, was at a junior high Valentine's day dance. There was a live band playing and the bass player had an reddish/orange Hagstrom bass and a small Standel bass amp. It was then that I knew I wanted to play the electric bass! What a feeling! I'll never forget it as long as I live. It was my very first real spark of creative passion!"
While being mostly self taught on the bass, Jimmy studied with a private bass/tuba player from New York named Ron Smith. He was also very fortunate to have studied with one of jazz music’s greatest talents. "…I did manage to study with Jaco Pastorius for a few weeks in the mid seventies, when he had just joined Weather Report. That was a giant leap for me as a serious musician and it filled me with a much higher level of inspiration. I think he was a major inspiration to all bass players at that time!"
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Read more articlesApril 15, 2022
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"Migration" by Hamilton Sterling & Jimmy Haslip Released
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Jeff Bernstein
bass, electricTim Carmichael
bassClaudia Campagnol
voice / vocalsSilvio Amato
pianoShawn Glyde
drumsRafael Greco
pianoPhotos
Album Discography
Blues For Tony
From: Proto-CosmosBy Jimmy Haslip
Unzip
From: The LandscapeBy Jimmy Haslip
Red and Gold
From: ARCeology: The Music of MSM...By Jimmy Haslip
Colvin
From: TrustBy Jimmy Haslip
Parabbean Tales
From: Parabbean TalesBy Jimmy Haslip
Dancer
From: Balance Of ExtremesBy Jimmy Haslip
Tiny Circles
From: AdjustmentsBy Jimmy Haslip
Gong's Market
From: The Pyramid FactorBy Jimmy Haslip
Attract Mode
From: Memories and DreamsBy Jimmy Haslip
Drive Time
From: PowerlessBy Jimmy Haslip
Joged Kahyangen
From: Flying SpiritsBy Jimmy Haslip
Gary
From: The Missing SongBy Jimmy Haslip
Blue Roses
From: Variations Of RelevanceBy Jimmy Haslip
Control
From: ControlBy Jimmy Haslip
West Orange (feat. Steve Tavaglione)
From: ARC TrioBy Jimmy Haslip