Oscar Pettiford
Encyclopedia
Oscar Pettiford was an American
jazz
double bassist, cellist and composer known particularly for his pioneering work in bebop
.
; his mother was Choctaw
and his father was half Cherokee
and half African American
. Like many people with African American and Native American ancestry, his Native heritage was not generally known except to a few close friends, such as David Amram
.
He grew up playing in the family band in which he sang and danced before switching to piano at the age of 12 then to double bass when he was 14. He is quoted as say he did not like the way people were playing the bass so he developed his own way of doing it. Despite being admired by the likes of Milt Hinton
at the age of 14, he gave up in 1941 as he did not believe he could make a living. Five months later, he once again met Milt, who persuaded him to return to music.
In 1942 he joined the Charlie Barnet
band and in 1943 gained wider public attention after recording with Coleman Hawkins
on his "The Man I Love." He also recorded with Earl Hines
and Ben Webster
around this time. He and Dizzy Gillespie
led a bop group in 1943. In 1945 Pettiford went with Hawkins to California, where he appeared in The Crimson Canary, a mystery movie known for its jazz soundtrack, which also featured Josh White
. He then worked with Duke Ellington
from 1945 to 1948 and for Woody Herman
in 1949 before working mainly as a leader in the 1950s.
As a leader he inadvertently discovered Cannonball Adderley
. After one of his musicians had tricked him into letting Adderley, an unknown music teacher, onto the stand, he had Adderley solo on a demanding piece, on which Adderley performed impressively.
Pettiford is considered the pioneer of the cello as a solo instrument in jazz music. He first played the cello as a practical joke on his band leader [Woody Herman] when he walked off stage during his solo spot and came back, unexpectedly with a cello and played on that. In 1949, after suffering a broken arm, Pettiford found it impossible to play his bass, so he experimented with a cello a friend had lent him. Tuning it in fourths, like a double bass, but one octave higher, Pettiford found it possible to perform during his rehabilitation (during which time his arm was in a sling) and made his first recordings with the instrument in 1950. The cello thus became his secondary instrument, and he continued to perform and record with it throughout the remainder of his career. He died in Copenhagen
, Denmark
, from a virus closely related to Polio.
He recorded extensively during the 1950s for the Debut
, Bethlehem
and ABC Paramount
labels among others, and for European companies after he moved to Copenhagen
in 1958. Along with his contemporary, Charles Mingus
, Pettiford stands out as one of the most-recorded bass-playing bandleader/composers in jazz.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
double bassist, cellist and composer known particularly for his pioneering work in bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
.
Biography
Pettiford was born at Okmulgee, OklahomaOkmulgee, Oklahoma
Okmulgee is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 12,321 a loss of 5.4 percent since the 2000 census figure of 13,022. It has been the capital of the Muscogee Nation since the United States Civil War. Okmulgee means "boiling waters" in the Creek...
; his mother was Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
and his father was half Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
and half African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
. Like many people with African American and Native American ancestry, his Native heritage was not generally known except to a few close friends, such as David Amram
David Amram
David Amram is an American composer, musician, conductor, and writer. As a classical composer and performer, his integration of jazz , ethnic and folk music has led him to work with the likes of Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Willie Nelson, Langston...
.
He grew up playing in the family band in which he sang and danced before switching to piano at the age of 12 then to double bass when he was 14. He is quoted as say he did not like the way people were playing the bass so he developed his own way of doing it. Despite being admired by the likes of Milt Hinton
Milt Hinton
Milton John "Milt" Hinton , "the dean of jazz bass players," was an American jazz double bassist and photographer. He was nicknamed "The Judge".-Biography:...
at the age of 14, he gave up in 1941 as he did not believe he could make a living. Five months later, he once again met Milt, who persuaded him to return to music.
In 1942 he joined the Charlie Barnet
Charlie Barnet
Charles Daly Barnet was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.His major recordings were "Skyliner", "Cherokee", "The Wrong Idea", "Scotch and Soda", "In a Mizz", and "Southland Shuffle".-Early life:...
band and in 1943 gained wider public attention after recording with Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
on his "The Man I Love." He also recorded with Earl Hines
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist. Hines was one of the most influential figures in the development of modern jazz piano and, according to one source, is "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".-Early...
and Ben Webster
Ben Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
around this time. He and Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
led a bop group in 1943. In 1945 Pettiford went with Hawkins to California, where he appeared in The Crimson Canary, a mystery movie known for its jazz soundtrack, which also featured Josh White
Josh White
Joshua Daniel White , better known as Josh White, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names "Pinewood Tom" and "Tippy Barton" in the 1930s....
. He then worked with Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
from 1945 to 1948 and for Woody Herman
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
in 1949 before working mainly as a leader in the 1950s.
As a leader he inadvertently discovered Cannonball Adderley
Julian Cannonball Adderley
Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley was a jazz alto saxophonist of the hard-bop era of the 1950s and 1960s....
. After one of his musicians had tricked him into letting Adderley, an unknown music teacher, onto the stand, he had Adderley solo on a demanding piece, on which Adderley performed impressively.
Pettiford is considered the pioneer of the cello as a solo instrument in jazz music. He first played the cello as a practical joke on his band leader [Woody Herman] when he walked off stage during his solo spot and came back, unexpectedly with a cello and played on that. In 1949, after suffering a broken arm, Pettiford found it impossible to play his bass, so he experimented with a cello a friend had lent him. Tuning it in fourths, like a double bass, but one octave higher, Pettiford found it possible to perform during his rehabilitation (during which time his arm was in a sling) and made his first recordings with the instrument in 1950. The cello thus became his secondary instrument, and he continued to perform and record with it throughout the remainder of his career. He died in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, from a virus closely related to Polio.
He recorded extensively during the 1950s for the Debut
Debut Records
Debut Records was a United States jazz record label, which was founded in 1952 by bassist Charles Mingus, his then-wife Celia and drummer Max Roach.This short-lived label was an attempt to avoid the compromises of working for major companies...
, Bethlehem
Bethlehem Records
Bethlehem Records was a record label based in New York and Hollywood founded by Gus Wildi in 1953. It was bought by King Records in the early 1960s....
and ABC Paramount
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
labels among others, and for European companies after he moved to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in 1958. Along with his contemporary, Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
, Pettiford stands out as one of the most-recorded bass-playing bandleader/composers in jazz.
Discography
As leader
- Bass Hits (Topaz, 1943–46)
- Discoveries (1952)
- The New Oscar Pettiford Sextet (Debut, 1953) with Charles Mingus, Julius WatkinsJulius WatkinsJulius Watkins was an American jazz musician, and one of the first jazz French horn players. He won the Down Beat critics poll in 1960 and 1961 for "miscellaneous instrument" with French horn named as the instrument....
, Walter Bishop jr., Percy Bridge - First Bass (1953)
- Oscar Pettiford Sextet (Vogue, 1954) with Kai WindingKai WindingKai Chresten Winding was a popular Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is well known for a successful collaboration with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson.-Biography:...
, Al CohnAl CohnAl Cohn was an American jazz saxophonist and arranger and composer.-Biography:Alvin Gilbert Cohn was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was initially known in the 1940s for playing in Woody Herman's Second Herd as one of the Four Brothers, along with Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, and Serge Chaloff...
, Tal FarlowTal FarlowTalmage Holt Farlow was an American jazz guitarist. Nicknamed the "Octopus", Farlow's extremely large hands spread over the fretboard as if they were tentacles. He is considered one of the all-time great jazz guitarists. Michael G...
, Henri RenaudHenri RenaudHenri Renaud was a French jazz pianist and record company executive.His styles reflected the decades when he was musically active: he played in the Swing, Bebop and Cool styles. He developed renown internationally when he served as an ensemble-organizing point-man for visiting jazz performers...
, Max RoachMax RoachMaxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history... - Basically Duke (1954)
- Another One (1955)
- O.P. Big Band: Deep Passion (GRP, 1956–57) with Tommy FlanaganTommy FlanaganThomas Lee Flanagan was an American jazz pianist born in Detroit, Michigan, particularly remembered for his work with Ella Fitzgerald...
, David AmramDavid AmramDavid Amram is an American composer, musician, conductor, and writer. As a classical composer and performer, his integration of jazz , ethnic and folk music has led him to work with the likes of Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Willie Nelson, Langston...
, Julius WatkinsJulius WatkinsJulius Watkins was an American jazz musician, and one of the first jazz French horn players. He won the Down Beat critics poll in 1960 and 1961 for "miscellaneous instrument" with French horn named as the instrument....
, David Kurtzer, Jerome RichardsonJerome RichardsonJerome Richardson was an American jazz musician, tenor saxophonist, and flute player, who also played alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet and piccolo...
, Osie JohnsonOsie JohnsonJames "Osie" Johnson was a jazz drummer.He first worked with Sabby Lewis and then, after service in the United States Navy freelanced for a time in Chicago...
, Gigi GryceGigi GryceGigi Gryce was an American saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, educator, and big band bandleader.His performing career was relatively short and, in comparison to other musicians of his...
, Lucky ThompsonLucky ThompsonEli "Lucky" Thompson was a United States jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist...
, Art FarmerArt FarmerArthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
, Danny BankDanny BankDaniel Bernard "Danny" Bank was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and flautist. He is credited on some releases as Danny Banks....
, Jimmy ClevelandJimmy ClevelandJimmy Cleveland was an American jazz trombone born in Wartrace, Tennessee.Cleveland worked with many well-known jazz musicians, including Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Quincy Jones, Lucky Thompson, Gigi Gryce, Oscar Peterson, Oscar Pettiford and James Brown...
, Ernie RoyalErnie RoyalErnest Andrew Royal was a jazz trumpeter.His older brother was clarinetist and alto saxophonist Marshal Royal, with whom he appears on the classic Ray Charles big band recording The Genius of Ray Charles .He began in Los Angeles as a member of Les Hite's Orchestra in 1937...
, Janet Putnam u.a. - Winner's CircleWinner's Circle-Track listing:#"Lazy Afternoon"#"Not So Sleepy"#"Seabreeze"#"Love and the Weather"#"She Didn't Say Yes"#"If I'm Lucky "#"At Home with the Blues"#"Turtle Walk"-Personnel:Recorded October 1957 in Hackensack, NJ....
(PrestigePrestige RecordsPrestige Records was a jazz record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock. The company was located at 203 South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musicians of the day, sometimes issuing them under the names of several...
, 1957) with John ColtraneJohn ColtraneJohn William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz... - The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi, Vol. 1 (1956) & Vol. 2 (1957) with Tommy FlanaganTommy FlanaganThomas Lee Flanagan was an American jazz pianist born in Detroit, Michigan, particularly remembered for his work with Ella Fitzgerald...
, David AmramDavid AmramDavid Amram is an American composer, musician, conductor, and writer. As a classical composer and performer, his integration of jazz , ethnic and folk music has led him to work with the likes of Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Willie Nelson, Langston...
, Ed London, Art FarmerArt FarmerArthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
, Gigi GryceGigi GryceGigi Gryce was an American saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, educator, and big band bandleader.His performing career was relatively short and, in comparison to other musicians of his...
, Betty Glamamm, Jimmy ClevelandJimmy ClevelandJimmy Cleveland was an American jazz trombone born in Wartrace, Tennessee.Cleveland worked with many well-known jazz musicians, including Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Quincy Jones, Lucky Thompson, Gigi Gryce, Oscar Peterson, Oscar Pettiford and James Brown...
, Osie JohnsonOsie JohnsonJames "Osie" Johnson was a jazz drummer.He first worked with Sabby Lewis and then, after service in the United States Navy freelanced for a time in Chicago...
, Danny BankDanny BankDaniel Bernard "Danny" Bank was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and flautist. He is credited on some releases as Danny Banks....
, Jerome RichardsonJerome RichardsonJerome Richardson was an American jazz musician, tenor saxophonist, and flute player, who also played alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet and piccolo...
, Lucky ThompsonLucky ThompsonEli "Lucky" Thompson was a United States jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist...
, Ernie RoyalErnie RoyalErnest Andrew Royal was a jazz trumpeter.His older brother was clarinetist and alto saxophonist Marshal Royal, with whom he appears on the classic Ray Charles big band recording The Genius of Ray Charles .He began in Los Angeles as a member of Les Hite's Orchestra in 1937...
. - Vienna Blues – The Complete Session (Black Lion, 1959) with Hans Koller, Attila ZollerAttila ZollerAttila Cornelius Zoller was a Hungarian born Jazz guitarist. He won Deutscher Filmpreis for Beste Filmmusik in Germany for the film Das Brot der frühen Jahre in 1962.-Biography:...
, Jimmy Pratt - Montmartre Blues (Black Lion, 1959–60)
- The Complete Essen Jazz Festival Concert, (Black Lion, 1960) with Coleman HawkinsColeman HawkinsColeman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
, Bud PowellBud PowellEarl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American Jazz pianist. Powell has been described as one of "the two most significant pianists of the style of modern jazz that came to be known as bop", the other being his friend and contemporary Thelonious Monk...
, Kenny ClarkeKenny ClarkeKenny Clarke , born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed "Klook" and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming... - My Little Cello (America Records, 1960)
As sideman
- The Birdlanders: Vol. 2 (OJC, 1954) with Kai Winding, Al Cohn, Tal Farlow Duke Jordan, Max Roach, Denzil Best
- Sid Catlett; 1944-1946 (Classics)
- Chris Connor & John Lewis Quartet: Chris Connor (Atlantic)
- Miles Davis: The Musings of Miles (Prestige)
- Miles Davis: Miles Davis Volume 1Miles Davis Volume 1Miles Davis Volume 1 is an album which compiles tracks recorded by Miles Davis for Blue Note Records on 9 May 1952 and 6 March 1954. The music has been issued in a variety of formats over the years - the track listing below is that of the 2001 CD reissue containing all the music recorded at the...
/Miles Davis Volume 2Miles Davis Volume 2Miles Davis Volume 2 is an album which compiles tracks recorded for Blue Note Records on 20 April 1953 by Miles Davis. Tracks 1-6 were originally released on a 10" LP as BLP 5022, the track listing below is that of the 2001 reissue containing all the music recorded at the session...
(Blue Note, 1952–54) - Kenny Dorham: Jazz ContrastsJazz ContrastsJazz Contrasts is an album by American jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham featuring performances recorded in 1957 and released on the Riverside label...
(OJC, 1957) Afro-CubanAfro-Cuban (album)Afro-Cuban is an album by American jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham. The first release of the album dates back to 1955 on 10" Vinyl, featuring only four tracks and having a different cover artwork. Two years later, Blue Note decided to add three tracks and issue an LP...
(Blue Note, 1955) - Duke Ellington: Carnegie Hall Concert January 1946 (Prestige)
- Duke Ellington: Carnegie Hall Concert December 1947 (Prestige) bzw. 1947-1948 (Classics), 1949-1950 (Classics), Great Times! (OJC, 1950) (enthält Perdido, Blues for Blanton)
- Tal Farlow; Jazz Masters 41 (Verve 1955-58) bzw. Finest Hour (Verve, 1955–58)
- Leonard Feather: 1937-1945 (Classics,1952–56)
- Dizzy Gillespie: 1945 (Classics)
- Urbie Green: East Coast Series Vol. 6 (Bethlehem, 1956)
- Jimmy Hamilton & The New York Jazz Quintet (Fresh Sound Rec.)
- Coleman Hawkins: Rainbow Mist (Delmark, 1944), The Hawk Flies High (OJC, 1957)
- Ernie Henry: Last Chorus (OJC, 1956–57)
- Woody Herman: Keeper Of the Flame (Capitol, 1948–49)
- Johnny Hodges: Caravan (Prestige, 1947–51)
- Helen Humes;: 1927-1945 (Classics)
- Lee Konitz / Warne Marsh Quintet (Atlantic, 1955)
- Helen Merrill: with Clifford Brown & Gil Evans (Emarcy, 1954–56)
- Thelonious Monk: The Unique, Brilliant Corners, Plays the Music Of Duke Ellington (Riverside/OJC)
- Phineas Newborn: Here Is Phineas (Koch, 19569)
- Leo Parker: Prestige First Sessions: Volume 1 (Prestige, 1950)
- Max Roach: Deeds, Not Words (OJC, 1958)
- Sonny Rollins: Freedom Suite (1958) auf The Essentuial S.R. on Riverside (1956–58)
- Charle Rouse: Jazz Modes (Biograph, 1956)
- Billy Strayhorn: Great Times! (OJC, 1950)
- Art Tatum: The Art Of Tatum (ASV, 32-44)
- Lucky Thompson: Accent On Tenor Sax (FSR, 1954)
- Lucky Thompson: Tricotism (Impulse, 1956)
- George Wallington: The George Wallington Trios (OJC, 1952–53)