Results for "bass, acoustic"

Wilfred Roland Middlebrooks

Born: July 17, 1933

Wilfred Middlebrooks, the double bassist whose elegant, understated sound was heard in the band that backed jazz great Ella Fitzgerald and in the Paul Smith Trio, earned a reputation with musicians as an unflappable timekeeper, whose mastery of the instrument allowed him to be heard as well as felt, but not obtrusively. Wilfred's longevity with somebody of Ella's talent had a lot to do with his impeccable intonation, sensitivity and just sympathetic nature. Middlebrooks was born July 17, 1933, in Chattanooga, Tenn., into a family of musicians. By age 11, Middlebrooks was studying with the principal bassist for the Chattanooga Symphony

Jamil Sulieman Nasser

Born: June 21, 1932

Jamil Nasser (George Joyner) was born in Memphis, Tennessee on June 21, 1932. He attended Booker T Washington along with Louis Smith and Phineas Newborn. He began playing the bass 1949, he was selected to play bass with the school dance band after an impromptu audition. The Director was Phineas Newborn Jr. Jamil and Phineas recorded in Memphis in 1953 for Peacock Records. They were both drafted in to the Armed Forces in the Special Services Unit. Other members included, Wynton Kelly, Duke Pearson, and Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock from Star Trek). Upon being released in 1955, Jamil joined BB Kings band, and played the Electric Bass(a newly created instrument at that time) Phineas asked Jamil to join him in New York for his debut at the Basin Street East in 1956

Chuck Berghofer

Born: June 14, 1937

Chuck Berghofer was a part of the Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra around 1967 when Frank Zappa recorded the orchestral parts for Lumpy Gravy. Berghofer provided bass, also in 1972 with Van Dyke Parks Discover America.

Eugene Wright

Born: May 29, 1923

Eugene Wright, was an American jazz bassist, best known for his work as a member of The Dave Brubeck Quartet, in particular on the group's most famous album Time Out (1959), with pianist Brubeck, drummer Joe Morello and saxophonist Paul Desmond. Wright, nicknamed "The Senator", had played with the Lonnie Simmons group, and led his own band, the Dukes of Swing, but his big break came when he was recruited by Dave Brubeck. He had a very solid, Kansas-city style, theoretically at odds with, but in practice an important component of, Brubeck's cool, mannered jazz. Best known for his steady, concise contributions to the Dave Brubeck quartet for a decade in the '50s and '60s, Eugene Wright was a dependable, never flamboyant bassist

Rodney Whitaker

Born: February 22, 1968

Rodney Whitaker is associate professor of double bass and director of jazz studies at the Michigan State University College of Music.

Whitaker is one of the leading performers and teachers of jazz double bass in the United States. He is a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and received national recognition performing with the Terence Blanchard Quintet. Whitaker has also toured internationally as a featured performer with the Roy Hargrove Quintet. In addition, he has appeared and presented master classes at the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) conferences. Featured on more than 100 recordings - from film to compact discs - Whitaker's film score, China, directed by Jeff Wray, was released on PBS in 2002.

In 2006, he was nominated for the Juno Award, Canada's equivalent to the Grammy, for his work on “Let Me Tell You About My Day,” produced by Alma Records

Rob Wasserman

Born: April 1, 1952

A very versatile bassist, Rob Wasserman has gained fame for his trilogy of recording projects accurately titled Solo, Duets, and Trios. Wasserman began playing the violin when he was 12, not switching to bass until he was already 20. Within a year he was studying at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and playing with drummer Charles Moffett. The classical training he had received on violin, plus owning a very open mind have both frequently come in handy throughout his career. Wasserman picked up early experience working with Dan Hicks, Maria Muldaur, Van Morrison, and Oingo Boingo. In 1983, he recorded Solo for Rounder which received very strong reviews

Wilbur Ware

Born: September 8, 1923

One of bop's most advanced and influential bassists, Wilbur Ware was a superb rhythmic anchor with an unerring sense of swing. Where many post-Jimmy Blanton bassists concentrated on legato melodic phrasing, Ware wasn't afraid to shift the rhythmic emphasis by varying his note lengths and leaving empty space between his phrases; he also stuck mostly to the lowest register of his instrument, laying a thick foundation. Even if Ware wasn't quite the soloist Blanton was, he had an expert understanding of harmony that allowed him to support some of bop's most sophisticated players. Ware was born in Chicago in 1923, and played banjo, drums, and violin before picking up the bass as a teenager

John Voigt

Musician (bass, spoken word, performance art). Occasional performances with Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Keith Jarrett, Bill T. Jones, Captain Kangaroo, Tuli Kupferberg (Fuggs), Jemeel Moondoc, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), and in Broadway musicals. Music educational and biographical essays published in leading reference books and journals. Appearances on nationwide television and radio. Taught privately—and at The Boston Conservatory, Berklee, Massachusetts College of Art, Northeastern University, and Boston Arts Academy. Served on the Board of Overseers at the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University. Twelve recordings, one video released.

Leroy Vinnegar

Born: July 13, 1928

Leroy Vinnegar - acoustic double bass (1928 - 1999) Regarded as the ‘Master of the Walking Bass,’ Leroy Vinnegar was a mainstay on jazz recording sessions from 1952 on where he was on over 600 dates. His signature walking bass was the foundation for his impeccable sense of swing, which has gone on to influence several generations of players. Vinnegar was born into a musically inclined family in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 13, 1928. His earliest musical education came from the radio, on which he listened religiously to the great bands of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. His two sisters played piano, and young Leroy thought that might be his instrument as well

Larry Ridley

Born: September 3, 1937