American musician
Samuel Aaron Bell (April 24, 1921 – July 28, 2003) was an American
jazz double-bassist.
Career
Bell was born in
Muskogee, Oklahoma , on April 24, 1921. He played piano as a child and learned to play
brass instruments in high school. He attended
Xavier University , where he began playing
double bass , and graduated in 1942. He served in a
Navy band during
World War II , completing his service in 1946.
Bell was a member of
Andy Kirk 's band in 1946 but left to enroll in graduate school at
New York University in 1947. After completing his master's degree, he joined
Lucky Millinder 's band and gigged with
Teddy Wilson . He later received a doctorate in education from
Teachers College at Columbia University .
In the 1950s, Bell appeared on
Billie Holiday 's album
Lady Sings the Blues , and played with
Lester Young ,
Stan Kenton ,
Johnny Hodges ,
Cab Calloway ,
Carmen McRae , and
Dick Haymes . In 1960, he left Haymes' band after being offered a position in
Duke Ellington 's orchestra opposite drummer
Sam Woodyard . He left Ellington's orchestra in 1962, and went on to play with
Dizzy Gillespie before taking a series jobs on
Broadway as a
pit musician . He and Ellington collaborated again in 1967 on
a tribute album dedicated to
Billy Strayhorn .
Bell was a resident artist at
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City from 1969 to 1972. At La MaMa, he wrote music for
Ed Bullins ' one-act plays, produced as Short Bullins in 1972,
[1] and for William Mackey's Family Meeting.
[2] His music for Bullins' plays toured with the Jarboro Company, named after
Caterina Jarboro and directed by Hugh Gittens, on their 1972 Italy tour. During this tour, the company performed Bullins' one-acts and
Richard Wesley 's Black Terror in
Milan and
Venice .
[3]
Bell gave a performance of his original compositions, including the pieces he wrote for those plays, on March 19, 1972, as part of the Music at La MaMa concert series.
[4] He also wrote the music for the Cotton Club Gala , which was originally produced at La MaMa in 1975
[5] and was revived and directed by
Ellen Stewart in 1985.
[6]
He taught at
Essex County College in
Newark, New Jersey from 1970 until 1990. In the 1970s, he toured with
Norris Turney ,
Harold Ashby , and
Cat Anderson . In the 1980s, he returned to the piano. Bell retired from active performance in 1989 and died in 2003, at the age of 82, in the
Bronx .
[7]
Discography
As leader
After the Party's Over (RCA Victor, 1958)
Music from 77 Sunset Strip (Lion, 1959)
Richard Rodgers' Victory at Sea in Jazz (Lion, 1959)
Music from Peter Gunn (Lion, 1959)
As sideman
With
Buck Clayton
With
Cy Coleman
Cool Coleman (Westminster, 1958)
Flower Drum Song (Westminster, 1958)
Why Try to Change Me Now (Westminster, 1959)
With
Duke Ellington
Hot Summer Dance (Red Baron, 1960 [1991])
The Nutcracker Suite (Columbia, 1960)
Swinging Suites by Edward E. and Edward G. (Columbia, 1961)
Piano in the Foreground (Columbia, 1961)
First Time! The Count Meets the Duke (Columbia, 1961)
Paris Blues (Columbia, 1961)
Midnight in Paris (Columbia, 1962)
Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (Impulse!, 1963)
Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (Impulse!, 1963)
...And His Mother Called Him Bill (RCA, 1968)
With
Earl Hines
With
Johnny Hodges
With
Friedrich Gulda
Friedrich Gulda at Birdland (RCA Victor, 1957)
A Man of Letters (Decca, 1957)
With
Sonny Stitt
With
Charles Thompson
Sir Charles Thompson and His Band Starring Coleman Hawkins (Vanguard, 1954)
Sir Charles Thompson Trio (Vanguard, 1955)
Rockin' Rhythm (Columbia, 1961)
Sir Charles Thompson Sextet and Band (Vanguard, 1973)
With others
Mose Allison ,
Takes to the Hills (Epic, 1961)
Harold Ashby ,
Tenor Stuff (Metronome, 1961)
Mae Barnes , Mae Barnes (Vanguard, 1959)
Vic Dickenson , Slidin' Swing (Jazztone 1957)
Don Elliott , Doubles in Brass (Vanguard, 1955)
Johnny Griffin ,
Soul Groove (
Atlantic , 1963)
Urbie Green , Old Time Modern (Vanguard, 1973)
Billie Holiday ,
Lady Sings the Blues (Clef, 1956)
Junior Mance , The Good Life (Tuba, 1965)
Carmen McRae ,
Birds of a Feather (
Decca , 1958)
Sam Most , Sam Most Sextet (Vanguard, 1955)
Seldon Powell , Seldon Powell Sextet Featuring Jimmy Cleveland (Sonet, 1956)
Jimmy Rushing , If This Ain't the Blues (Vanguard, 1958)
Charlie Shavers , Horn O' Plenty (Bethlehem, 1954)
Lou Stein , Eight for Kicks Four for Laughs (Jubilee, 1956)
Buddy Tate ,
Swinging Like Tate (Felsted, 1958)
Norris Turney , I Let a Song (Black and Blue, 1978)
Randy Weston ,
Highlife (
Colpix , 1963)
Joe Williams ,
A Night at Count Basie's (
Vanguard , 1956)
Lester Young , Pres Is Blue (Charlie Parker 1963)
References
External links
Studio albums
Harlem Jazz, 1930
Ellingtonia, Vol. One
Ellingtonia, Vol. Two
Braggin' in Brass: The Immortal 1938 Year
The Blanton–Webster Band
Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band
Smoke Rings
Liberian Suite
Great Times!
Masterpieces by Ellington
Ellington Uptown
The Duke Plays Ellington
Ellington '55
Dance to the Duke!
Ellington Showcase
Historically Speaking
Duke Ellington Presents...
The Complete Porgy and Bess
A Drum Is a Woman
Studio Sessions, Chicago 1956
Such Sweet Thunder
Studio Sessions 1957 & 1962
Ellington Indigos
Black, Brown and Beige
Duke Ellington at the Bal Masque
The Cosmic Scene
Happy Reunion
Jazz Party
Anatomy of a Murder
Festival Session
Blues in Orbit
The Nutcracker Suite
Piano in the Background
Swinging Suites by Edward E. and Edward G.
Unknown Session
Piano in the Foreground
Paris Blues
Featuring Paul Gonsalves
Midnight in Paris
Studio Sessions, New York 1962
Afro-Bossa
The Symphonic Ellington
Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session
Studio Sessions New York 1963
My People
Ellington '65
Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins
Ellington '66
Concert in the Virgin Islands
The Popular Duke Ellington
Far East Suite
The Jaywalker
Studio Sessions, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, San Francisco, Chicago, New York
...And His Mother Called Him Bill
Second Sacred Concert
Studio Sessions New York, 1968
Latin American Suite
The Pianist
New Orleans Suite
Orchestral Works
The Suites, New York 1968 & 1970
The Intimacy of the Blues
The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
Studio Sessions New York & Chicago, 1965, 1966 & 1971
The Intimate Ellington
The Ellington Suites
This One's for Blanton!
Up in Duke's Workshop
Duke's Big 4
Mood Ellington
Live albums Collaborations Compositions by Billy Strayhorn by Juan Tizol
Orchestra members Related
International National Artists Other