William Melvin Mitchell (November 3, 1926 – April 18, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.[1][2]
Career
Mitchell was born in
Kansas City,
Missouri, United States.[3] He and his family moved to Detroit, where he received early music education at Cass Tech. He was known for his close association with trumpeter
Thad Jones, who was also from Detroit, and worked in several big bands, including
Woody Herman's when he replaced
Gene Ammons. In 1949, Mitchell recorded with the
Milt Buckner band, as well as making several recordings with Thad Jones.
From 1951 to 1954, Mitchell led the house band at the
Blue Bird Inn in Detroit.[4]: 124 The band operated in different configurations, including with drummer
Oliver Jackson and his bassist brother
Ali; as a quartet with
Terry Pollard, Beans Richardson, and
Elvin Jones;[4]: 126 as a quintet including Thad Jones;[4]: 131 and, for several months in 1953, with
Miles Davis as a guest soloist.[5]: 173
From 1956 to 1957, he played with
Dizzy Gillespie in his big band.[3] From 1957 until 1961, and from 1966 to 1967, Mitchell played with
Count Basie.[3] In the early 1960s, he co-led a group with
Al Grey,[3] The Al Grey Billy Mitchell Sextet, which won the Down Beat magazine new band award in 1962. Mitchell performed and recorded with the
Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band in Europe in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was musical director for
Stevie Wonder for a short time during this period.[3] He died in Rockville Centre, New York, in 2001.