Chris White (July 6, 1936 − November 2, 2014) was an American jazz bassist.
Early life and education
Christopher Wesley White was born in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
, New York, and grew up in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...
White was an occasional member of Cecil Taylor's band in the 1950s, credited on the 1959 '' Love for Sale'' album. From 1960 to 1961 he accompanied
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...
; subsequently he was a member of Dizzy Gillespie's ensemble until 1966.
He later founded the band ''The Jazz Survivors'' and was a member of the band ''Prism''. In addition to this, he collaborated with
Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the a ...
,
Eubie Blake
James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American pianist and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote '' Shuffle Along'', one of the first B ...
Teddy Wilson
Theodore Shaw Wilson (November 24, 1912 – July 31, 1986) was an American jazz pianist. Described by critic Scott Yanow as "the definitive swing pianist", Wilson had a sophisticated, elegant style. His work was featured on the records of many ...
Mary Lou Williams
Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs; May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, an ...
Carmen McRae
Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...
and
Billy Cobham
William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
He was inducted into the ''Mode ...
.
White was on the creative arts and technology faculty at
Bloomfield College
Bloomfield College is a private college in Bloomfield, New Jersey. It is chartered by the State of New Jersey and accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) through ...
in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
.
Awards
*1993-94 Bloomfield College, Award Of Acknowledgment
*1990, 1984, 1982
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
, Inter-Arts Program, Jazz Composition
*1990 New Jersey State Council On The Arts, Fellowship, Jazz
*1979 Consortium Of Jazz Organizations And Artists, Outstanding Musicianship Award
*1976 Professor Of The Year, Rutger's Newark Jazz Society
*1968 ''Record World'', New Star Best Jazz Bassist (Winner)
*1963 ''Playboy'' Reader's Poll, Best Jazz Bassist (4th Place)
*1961-64 ''Downbeat'' Reader's Poll, Best Bassist (3rd & 4th place)
Discography
As leader
*''The Chris White Project'' (
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
) with Cassandra Wilson (vocals); Marvin Horne, Jimmy Ponder (guitar); Grachan Moncur III (trombone); Michael Raye (synthesizer); Steve Nelson (vibraphone); Keith Copeland (drums); Steve Kroon (percussion)
Interface recorded 2010 Lou Caputo/Chris White co leaders with Warren Smith Vibs Payton Crosley Drums Don Stein piano Leopoldo Fleming percussion
You Had Better Listen
''You Had Better Listen'' is a studio album by the American trumpeter Jimmy Owens and the pianist Kenny Barron, recorded in 1967 and released on the Atlantic label.Fitzgerald, MKenny Barron Discography accessed January 20, 2019
Reception
In h ...
Lucifer
Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passa ...
'' (Muse, 1975)
With
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...
*''
Nina Simone at Newport
''Nina Simone at Newport'' is a live album by jazz singer and musician Nina Simone. It was released in August 1960; the recording taken from a concert held at the Newport Jazz Festival earlier in the year, on 30 June 1960. The album was her fourt ...
The New Continent
''The New Continent'' is an album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's Big Band featuring performances arranged and composed by Lalo Schifrin and conducted by Benny Carter recorded in 1962 and released on the Limelight label.Dizzy Gillespie and the Double Six of Paris
''Dizzy Gillespie and the Double Six of Paris'' is a 1963 studio album collaboration between Dizzy Gillespie and Les Double Six, also known as the Double Six of Paris, a French vocal group who sings in vocalese to songs associated with Dizzy Gi ...
'' (Philips, 1963)
*'' Jambo Caribe'' (Limelight, 1964)
*'' I/We Had a Ball'' (Limelight, 1965) - 1 track
With
Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards in his career. His album '' The ...
Headin' Home
''Headin' Home'' is a 1920 American silent biopic sports film directed by Lawrence C. Windom. It attempts to create a mythology surrounding the life of baseball player Babe Ruth.
The screenplay was written by Arthur "Bugs" Baer from a story b ...
'' (A&M/Horizon, 1978)
With
Dave Pike
David Samuel Pike (March 23, 1938 – October 3, 2015) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He appeared on many albums by Nick Brignola, Paul Bley and Kenny Clarke, Bill Evans, and Herbie Mann. He also recorded extensively as le ...
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
*''
Big Band Bossa Nova
''Big Band Bossa Nova'' is an album by American Quincy Jones.
Track listing
Digital Re-issue, on Verve label
Performers
* Quincy Jones – conductor, arranger
* Phil Woods – alto saxophone
* Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone
* R ...