Bill Lee

Aaron Cohn · #1 01-07-2008, 03:02 AM

I've been listening to Johnny Griffin's record Change of Pace, with a lineup of Julius Watkins on French horn, Larry Gales and Bill Lee on basses, and Ben Riley on drums. The record makes very nice use of the 2 basses, with lots of bowed harmony lines and arco/pizz double-stop comping etc. Both bassists sound great. I had never really checked out Bill Lee but it's clear from this record that he's quite an impressive player. Anyone know of any other records he plays on that are worth checking out? Most of the information I've been able to find about him deals with his being Spike Lee's dad and with his work on the scores for his son's films.

milomo · #2 01-07-2008, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron Cohn

I've been listening to Johnny Griffin's record Change of Pace, with a lineup of Julius Watkins on French horn, Larry Gales and Bill Lee on basses, and Ben Riley on drums. The record makes very nice use of the 2 basses, with lots of bowed harmony lines and arco/pizz double-stop comping etc. Both bassists sound great. I had never really checked out Bill Lee but it's clear from this record that he's quite an impressive player. Anyone know of any other records he plays on that are worth checking out? Most of the information I've been able to find about him deals with his being Spike Lee's dad and with his work on the scores for his son's films.

Getting information about Bill's life and career can be pretty difficult, but i'll tell you what I know. Besides the movie music, I know Bill for two things. First is, he created the New York Bass Violin Choir, for which he wrote most if not all the music. Members at one time or another were Ron Carter, Sam Jones, Richard Davis, Lisle Atkinson among others, and somewhere out there there's a picture of the band from a Newport Festival in the '70's. The other thing is that Max Roach recorded some of his music, two tunes on the "Deeds, Not Words" C.D., including the title cut, and the tune "Prelude" on at least one other disc. For an excellent example of his playing and writing, check THIS out. It's a fantastic record that not only has some great bass playing from Bill (he's on about half the record - Sam Jones is on the rest), but it also features several of his greatest tunes, the most memorable of which is "John Coltrane". This is one of Clifford's best sessions ever, and Bill's playing and writing are right at the heart of it. I was lucky enough to work with Bill once, about three years ago in an octet that he directed and played in and wrote all the music for, and it was a tremendous experience.

There's a more detailed bio HERE (scroll down). And check out his sister CONSUELA LEE, she's incredible too!

Aaron Cohn · #3 01-07-2008, 09:23 PM

Thanks for the info--I'll have to check that Clifford Jordan record out. I've looked around a little more, and it looks like he's played on some of Richard Davis's albums. I'll see if I can track any of those down as well.

damonsmith · #4 01-07-2008, 11:39 PM

I am downloading "Change of Pace" now, sounds like an interesting record.

milomo · #5 01-09-2008, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milomo

somewhere out there there's a picture of the band from a Newport Festival in the '70's.

Here it is (from 1971). That's Bill on the left in the white pants, with Lisle Atkinson, Richard Davis, Ron Carter and I think Mickey Bass on the end.

damonsmith · #6 01-10-2008, 01:08 AM

That Johnny Griffin Album is really something, thanks for pointing that out, Aaron!

Aaron Cohn · #7 07-25-2008, 04:35 PM

Just found this from nytimes.com today.

Also, if you google "new york bass violin choir" there are goodies to be found. I have mixed feelings about this sort of thing, but since I don't imagine this record is very likely to make its way back into print I was grateful for the chance to hear it.

I got my hands on the Clifford Jordan record Milomo mentions above--it's a nice record.

Phil Smith · #8 07-28-2008, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milomo

Here it is (from 1971). That's Bill on the left in the white pants, with Lisle Atkinson, Richard Davis, Ron Carter and I think Mickey Bass on the end.

The person on the far right is Michael Flemming. Who you can't see is Sam Jones and Milt Hinton.

damonsmith · #9 07-29-2008, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron Cohn

Just found this from nytimes.com today.

Also, if you google "new york bass violin choir" there are goodies to be found. I have mixed feelings about this sort of thing, but since I don't imagine this record is very likely to make its way back into print I was grateful for the chance to hear it.

I got my hands on the Clifford Jordan record Milomo mentions above--it's a nice record.

Yeah, it is nice to hear the bass choir. I am not so into them using a drummer, though. The "World Bass Violin Ensemble" did too, as well as Barre Phillips with his bass quartet on "For All It Is".