Cecil McBee (born May 19, 1935) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low b ...

. He has recorded as a leader only a handful of times since the 1970s, but has contributed as a

sideman A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform live with a solo artist, or with a group in which they are not a regular band member. The term is usually used to describe musicians that play with jazz or rock artists, whether solo ...

to a number of jazz albums.

Biography

Early life and career

McBee was born in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...

, United States. He studied clarinet at school, but switched to bass at the age of 17, and began playing in local nightclubs. After gaining a music degree from

Ohio Central State University Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-year program for te ...

, McBee spent two years in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, during which time he conducted the band at

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold re ...

. In 1959, he played with

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

, and in 1962 he moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

, where he worked with

Paul Winter Paul Winter (born August 31, 1939) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He is a pioneer of world music and earth music, which interweaves the voices of the wild with instrumental voices from classical, jazz and world music. The ...

's folk-rock ensemble between 1963 and 1964.

New York

His jazz career began to take off in the mid-1960s, after he moved to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, when he began playing and recording with a number of significant musicians including

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

, Andrew Hill,

Sam Rivers Sam Rivers may refer to: * Sam Rivers (jazz musician) Samuel Carthorne Rivers (September 25, 1923 – December 26, 2011) was an American jazz musician and composer. Though most famously a tenor saxophonist, he also performed on soprano saxophone ...

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...

(1964),

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles D ...

(1965–66), Charles Lloyd (1966), Yusef Lateef (1967–69),

Keith Jarrett Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a ...

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives ...

and

Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the most important and influential jazz trumpet ...

(1986), and

Alice Coltrane Alice Coltrane (' McLeod; August 27, 1937January 12, 2007), also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda, was an American jazz musician and composer, and in her later years a swamini. An accomplished pianist and one of the few har ...

(1969–72).

Later career

In the 2000s, McBee unsuccessfully sued a Japanese company that opened a chain of stores under his name. He was an artist in residence at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

from 2010 to 2011. He teaches at the

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...

in Boston, Massachusetts.

Awards

*1991 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.

Grammys

*'' Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane'' (MCA, 1987),

Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of " sheets of sound", ...

/ David Murray/

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gram ...

/Cecil McBee/

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jaz ...

– Winner, Best instrumental performance, individual or group, Grammy Awards, 1988.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* 1975: '' Mutima'' ( Strata-East) * 1977: ''Almanac'' (Improvising Artists) with

Mike Nock Michael Anthony Nock (born 27 September 1940) is a New Zealand jazz pianist, currently based in Australia. Biography He was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Nock began studying piano at 11. He attended Nelson College for one term in 1955.' ...

, Bennie Maupin,

Eddie Marshall Edwin "Eddie" Marshall (April 13, 1938 – September 7, 2011Obituary
) was an American

– recorded in 1967 * 1977: '' Music from the Source'' (

Enja Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971. The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Ja ...

) * 1977: '' Compassion'' (Enja) * 1979: '' Alternate Spaces'' (

India Navigation India Navigation was an American record company and independent record label that specialized in avant-garde jazz in the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded by Bob Cummins, a corporate lawyer who helped jazz musicians with legal matters. Its catalog ...

) * 1982: ''

Flying Out ''Flying Out'' is an album led by bassist Cecil McBee recorded in 1982 and first released on the India Navigation label.

'' (India Navigation) * 1986: ''

Roots of Blue ''Roots of Blue'' is an album of duets by Muhal Richard Abrams and Cecil McBee released on the RPR label in 1986. Reception The Allmusic review by Brian Olewnick states "Abrams' tendency toward light, single-note runs seems to require more of a ...

'' (RPR) – duets with

Muhal Richard Abrams Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...

* 1997: ''Unspoken'' ( Palmetto)

As sideman

With George Adams *'' America'' (Blue Note, 1990) With Ray Anderson *'' Old Bottles - New Wine'' (Enja, 1985) With Chet Baker * ''

Blues for a Reason ''Blues for a Reason'' is an album by trumpeter Chet Baker which was recorded in 1984 and released by Criss Cross Jazz.Bill Barron *''

Live at Cobi's 2 ''Live at Cobi's 2'' is a live album by saxophonist Bill Barron which was recorded in 1985 and released posthumously on the SteepleChase label in 2006.

'' (SteepleChase, 1985

006 Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film '' GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Ale ...

With Kenny Barron *'' Landscape'' (Baystate, 1984) * '' What If?'' (Enja, 1986) *'' Live at Fat Tuesdays'' (Enja, 1988) With the Bob Thiele Collective * ''Sunrise Sunset'' (Red Baron, 1990) With

Joanne Brackeen Joanne Brackeen (born Joanne Grogan; July 26, 1938) is an American jazz pianist and music educator. Music career Brackeen was born in Ventura, California, United States, and attended the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. She was a fan of pop pi ...

* '' Snooze'' (Choice, 1975) *'' Tring-a-Ling'' (Choice, 1977) *''

Havin' Fun ''Havin' Fun'' is an album of jazz standards by American pianist Joanne Brackeen recorded in 1985 and released on the Concord Jazz label.

'' (Concord Jazz, 1985) *'' Fi-Fi Goes to Heaven'' (Concord Jazz, 1986) *'' Turnaround'' (Evidence, 1992) With

Dollar Brand Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934 and formerly known as Dollar Brand) is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...

* ''African Space Program'' (Enja, 1973) With

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Ch ...

* '' Eight (+3) Tristano Compositions, 1989: For Warne Marsh'' (hatArt, 1989) With

Roy Brooks Roy Brooks (March 9, 1938 – November 15, 2005) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Early life Brooks was born in Detroit and drummed since childhood, his earliest experiences of music coming through his mother, who sang in church. He was a ...

* ''

The Free Slave ''The Free Slave'' is a live album by drummer Roy Brooks recorded in 1970 and released on the Muse label in 1972. It was the third album released on the label. Reception ''The Free Slave'', according to Jim Dulzo in ''JazzTimes'' in 2003, "catche ...

'' (

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 ...

, 1970

972 Year 972 ( CMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – Emperor John I Tzimiskes divides the Bulgarian territories, recent ...

With

Joe Chambers Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

* ''

The Almoravid ''The Almoravid'' is the debut album led by drummer Joe Chambers recorded in 1971 and 1973 and released on the Muse label.Alice Coltrane Alice Coltrane (' McLeod; August 27, 1937January 12, 2007), also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda, was an American jazz musician and composer, and in her later years a swamini. An accomplished pianist and one of the few har ...

* ''

Journey in Satchidananda ''Journey in Satchidananda'' is the fourth solo album by Alice Coltrane. Four of the album's tracks were recorded at the Coltrane home studios in Dix Hills, New York, in November 1970, while the remaining track was recorded live at the Village Gat ...

'' (

Impulse! Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...

, 1970) * ''

Carnegie Hall '71 ''Carnegie Hall '71'' is a live album by Alice Coltrane. It was recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on February 21, 1971, and was released in 2018 by the Hi Hat label. On the album, Coltrane appears on piano and harp, and is joined by saxop ...

'' (Hi Hat, 2018) With

Junior Cook Herman "Junior" Cook (July 22, 1934 – February 3, 1992) was an American hard bop tenor saxophone player. Biography Cook was born in Pensacola, Florida. After playing with Dizzy Gillespie in 1958, Cook was a member of the Horace Silver Quin ...

*''

Pressure Cooker Pressure cooking is the process of cooking food under high pressure steam and water or a water-based cooking liquid, in a sealed vessel known as a ''pressure cooker''. High pressure limits boiling, and creates higher cooking temperatures which ...

'' (Catalyst, 1977) With Stanley Cowell * ''

Equipoise Equipoise may refer to: * Clinical equipoise, or the principle of equipoise, a medical research term * Equilibrioception, the state of being balanced or in equilibrium * Boldenone undecylenate, an anabolic steroid, by the trade name ''Equipoise'' * ...

'' ( Galaxy, 1979) * '' Close to You Alone'' ( DIW, 1990) With

Ted Curson Theodore Curson (June 3, 1935 – November 4, 2012) was an American jazz trumpeter. Life and career Curson was born in Philadelphia. He became interested in playing trumpet after watching a newspaper salesman play a silver trumpet. Curson's fath ...

* '' Blue Piccolo'' ( Whynot, 1976) With

Ricky Ford Ricky Ford (born March 4, 1954) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Ford was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States,) and studied at the New England Conservatory. Ricky Ford AllMusic In 1974, he recorded with Gunther Schulle ...

*'' Looking Ahead'' (Muse. 1986) With

Chico Freeman Chico Freeman (born Earl Lavon Freeman Jr.; July 17, 1949) is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman. He began recording as lead musician in 1976 with ''Morning Prayer'', won the New York Jazz Award ...

* '' Morning Prayer'' (India Navigation, 1976) * '' Chico'' (India Navigation, 1977) * '' The Outside Within'' (India Navigation, 1978) * ''

Kings of Mali ''Kings Of Mali'' is a post-bop/avant-garde jazz LP by Chico Freeman on India Navigation Records IN 1035 in September 1977 and released in 1978. The lp, like many others recorded and produced by India Navigation in New York city, featured many of ...

'' (India Navigation, 1978) * '' Spirit Sensitive'' (India Navigation, 1979) * '' Destiny's Dance'' (

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

, 1981) With

Hal Galper Harold Galper (born April 18, 1938) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator, and writer. Biography He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Galper studied classical piano as a boy, but switched to jazz wh ...

*'' Now Hear This'' (Enja, 1977) With

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

* '' Birds and Ballads'' (1978) With

Louis Hayes Louis Hayes (born May 31, 1937) is an American jazz drummer and band leader. He was with McCoy Tyner's trio for more than three years. Since 1989 he has led his own band, and together with Vincent Herring formed the Cannonball Legacy Band. He ...

*''

Variety Is the Spice ''Variety Is the Spice'' is an album by the Louis Hayes Group recorded in 1978 and released on the Gryphon label. Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jaz ...

*'' Thank You Thank You'' (Galaxy, 1977) *'' Vistalite'' (Galaxy, 1977

979 Year 979 ( CMLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 24 – Second Battle of Pankaleia: An Ibero-Byzantine expeditionary ...

With Andrew Hill * '' Compulsion!'' (Blue Note, 1965) With

and

* '' Double Take'' (Blue Note, 1986) With

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

* ''

Power Trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...

'' (

Novus Novus ("new" in Latin) may refer to: Companies * Novus Biologicals, a biotech company based in Littleton, Colorado, US * Novus Entertainment, a Canadian telecommunications company * Novus International, an animal health and nutrition company * Nov ...

, 1990) – with

John Hicks Sir John Richards Hicks (8 April 1904 – 20 May 1989) was a British economist. He is considered one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economi ...

* ''When I Was at Aso-Mountain'' (Enja, 1990) * ''Elvin Jones Jazz Machine'' (Trio, 1997) * ''It Don't Mean a Thing (album), It Don't Mean a Thing'' (Enja, 1993) With Clifford Jordan * ''Two Tenor Winner'' (Criss Cross Jazz, Criss Cross, 1984) With John Klemmer * ''Magic and Movement'' (Impulse!, 1974) With Prince Lasha * ''Inside Story (Prince Lasha album), Inside Story'' (Enja, 1965 [1981]) With Yusef Lateef * ''The Complete Yusef Lateef'' (Atlantic, 1967) * ''The Blue Yusef Lateef'' (Atlantic, 1968) * ''Yusef Lateef's Detroit'' (Atlantic, 1969) * ''The Diverse Yusef Lateef'' (Atlantic, 1970) With The Leaders * ''Mudfoot'' (Black Hawk, 1986) * ''Out Here Like This'' (Black Saint Records, Black Saint, 1987) * ''Heaven Dance'' (Sunnyside Records, Sunnyside, 1988) – The Leaders Trio with pianist Kirk Lightsey and drummer Don Moye * ''Unforeseen Blessings'' (Black Saint, 1988) * ''Slipping and Sliding'' (Sound Hills, 1994) * ''Spirits Alike'' (Double Moon, 2006) With Dave Liebman * ''The Seasons'' (Black Saint/Soul Note, Soul Note, 1992) * ''John Coltrane's Meditations'' (Arkadia Jazz, 1998) With Charles Lloyd * ''Dream Weaver (album), Dream Weaver'' (1966, Atlantic Records, Atlantic) * ''Forest Flower'' (1966, Atlantic) * ''The Flowering'' (1966, Atlantic) * ''Charles Lloyd in Europe'' (1966, Atlantic) With Raphe Malik * ''Storyline (Raphe Malik album), Storyline'' (Boxholder, 1999) – with Cody Moffett With Joe Maneri * ''Dahabenzapple'' (hat ART, 1993 [1996]) With

* ''It's Time! (Jackie McLean album), It's Time!'' (Blue Note Records, Blue Note, 1964) * ''Action Action Action'' (Blue Note, 1964) With Lloyd McNeill * ''Treasures'' (1976) With Charles McPherson (musician), Charles McPherson * ''New Horizons (Charles McPherson album), New Horizons'' (Xanadu Records, Xanadu, 1977) With Grachan Moncur III * ''Some Other Stuff'' (Blue Note, 1964) With Tisziji Munoz * ''Rendezvous With Now'' (India Navigation, 1978) * ''Visiting This Planet'' (Anami Music, 1988) * ''Presence of Joy'' (Anami Music, 1999) * ''Divine Radiance'' (Anami Music, 2003) With Amina Claudine Myers * ''Salutes Bessie Smith'' (Leo Records, Leo, 1980) With Almanac (band), Almanac * ''Almanac'' (Improvising Artists, 1977) With Art Pepper * ''Winter Moon (album), Winter Moon'' (Galaxy, 1980) With Dannie Richmond * ''"In" Jazz for the Culture Set'' (Impulse!, 1965) With

* ''Dimensions & Extensions'' (Blue Note, 1967) * ''Streams (Sam Rivers album), Streams'' (Impulse!, 1973) * ''Hues (album), Hues'' (Impulse!, 1973) With Charlie Rouse * ''Social Call (Charlie Rouse and Red Rodney album), Social Call'' (Uptown, 1984) with Red Rodney With Buddy Tate (musician), Buddy Tate and

* ''Buddy Tate Meets Dollar Brand'' (Chiaroscuro Records, Chiaroscuro, 1977) With

* ''Izipho Zam (My Gifts)'' (Strata-East, 1969 [1973]) * ''Jewels of Thought'' (Impulse!, 1969) * ''Thembi'' (

, 1970) * ''Black Unity'' (Impulse!, 1971) * ''Live at the East'' (Impulse!, 1972) * ''Village of the Pharoahs'' (Impulse!, 1973) * ''Love in Us All'' (Impulse!, 1973) * ''Wisdom Through Music'' (Impulse!, 1973) With various artists * ''The New Wave in Jazz'' (Impulse!, 1965) With Saxophone Summit * ''Gathering of Spirits'' (Telarc International, Telarch, 2004) With Zbigniew Seifert * ''Man of the Light'' (MPS Records, 1977) With

* ''The Moontrane'' (Muse, 1974) * ''Love Dance'' (Muse, 1975) * ''The Iron Men (album), The Iron Men'' with

(Muse, 1977 [1980]) With Archie Shepp * ''Lady Bird (album), Lady Bird'' (Denon Records, Denon, 1978) With

* ''Et Cetera (album), Et Cetera'' (Blue Note, 1965) * ''Odyssey of Iska'' (Blue Note, 1970) With Sonny Simmons * ''Burning Spirits'' (Contemporary, 1971) With Lonnie Liston Smith *''Astral Traveling'' (Flying Dutchman, 1973) * ''Expansions (Lonnie Liston Smith album), Expansions'' (Flying Dutchman, 1975) * ''Rejuvenation (Lonnie Liston Smith album), Rejuvenation'' (Doctor Jazz, 1985) *''Make Someone Happy (Lonnie Liston Smith album), Make Someone Happy'' (Doctor Jazz, 1986) With Buddy Tate and Abdullah Ibrahim, Dollar Brand *''Buddy Tate Meets Dollar Brand'' (Chiaroscuro, 1977) With Leon Thomas * ''Spirits Known and Unknown'' (1969) With Horace Tapscott * ''The Dark Tree'', Vol. 1 & 2 (hatOLOGY, 1989) With Charles Tolliver * ''Live at Slugs''', Volume I & II (Strata-East, 1970) * ''Music Inc.'' (Strata-East, 1971) * ''Impact (1975 Charles Tolliver album), Impact'' (Strata-East, 1975) With Mickey Tucker * ''Sojourn (album), Sojourn'' (Xanadu, 1977) * ''Mister Mysterious'' (Muse, 1978) With

* ''Quartets 4 X 4'' (Milestone Records, Milestone, 1980) * ''Blues for Coltrane'' (1987) With James "Blood" Ulmer * ''Revealing (album), Revealing'' (1977) With Mal Waldron * ''What It Is (Mal Waldron album), What It Is'' (Enja, 1981) With Michael White (violinist), Michael White * ''The Land of Spirit and Light'' (Impulse!, 1973) With

* ''Jazz Meets the Folk-Song'' (1963) With Yōsuke Yamashita * ''Sakura'' (Verve, 1990) * ''Kurdish Dance'' (Verve, 1993) * ''Dazzling Days'' (Verve, 1993) * ''Fragments 1999'' (Verve, 1999) * ''Spider'' (Verve, 1996) * ''Delightful Contrast'' (Universal, 2011) With Denny Zeitlin * ''Cathexis'' (Columbia, 1963) With Norman Connors * ''Dance of Magic'' (Sony Music Entertainment, 1972)

References

External links

* [ Allmusic biography]
Cecil McBee Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2020) {{DEFAULTSORT:McBee, Cecil 1935 births Living people Musicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma Post-bop jazz musicians American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists Grammy Award winners New England Conservatory faculty Strata-East Records artists India Navigation artists Enja Records artists Inner City Records artists Palmetto Records artists Jazz musicians from Oklahoma 21st-century double-bassists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Almanac (band) members The Leaders members Improvising Artists Records artists NoBusiness Records artists