Double Bass Jimmy Blanton's bass

[davechamb]

I am a big fan of Jimmy Blanton and am trying to trace the bass that he was using when he was playing in the Ellington band. I read in a sleeve note somewhere that it was handed down to his nephew Wendell Marshall. I wondered if anybody might have any information on the whereabouts of this bass or at least know how I might be able to trace the surviving relatives of Jimmy Blanton or Wendell Marshall.

Anything you can say to point me in the right direction would be extremely welcome.

 

[chief bogan]

Richard Davis teaches at the University of Wisconsin. I believe he moved to Wisconsin because in addition to the bass he loves riding horses, something easier to do in Wisconsin than in Manhattan. If I recall, one of his older albums has a picture of him on a horse. You can track down some info at the website: Invalid Link Removed. I'd be interested to find out the fate of Blanton's bass.

 

[Pete Bainbridge]

From an article in the New York Times about an upcoming auction of jazz memorabilia, published today:

"The University of Wisconsin owns the bass
that belonged to the great Ellington bassist Jimmy Blanton and occasionally lets students play it."

 

[Andy Allen]

From an article in the New York Times about an upcoming auction of jazz memorabilia, published today:

"The University of Wisconsin owns the bass
that belonged to the great Ellington bassist Jimmy Blanton and occasionally lets students play it."

But just to clear up potential confusion, Jimmy Blanton's bass is *not* one of those items that are up for auction. The NYT article just used it as an example of Jazz memorabilia currently in collections owned by institutions.

The full article is online here: Invalid Link Removed

you may need to register (free) with the NYT to view it.