Frank Tusa (born April 1, 1947) 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 major ...

double-bassist The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

. Tusa played guitar before switching to bass at age ten. He worked in a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

pit orchestra and then played while serving in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. Tusa worked with

Paul Bley Paul Bley, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live performance on the Moog and ...

(1970–71),

Horacee Arnold Horace Emmanuel Arnold, or Horacee Arnold (born September 25, 1937) is an American jazz drummer. He was born in Wayland, Kentucky. Career Arnold first began playing drums in 1957 in Los Angeles while he was in the United States Coast Guard. In 1 ...

(1971), and in the Open Sky trio with

Dave Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received a N ...

and Rakalam Bob Moses in 1972-74. Early in the 1970s he also played with

Dave Holland David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years. His extensive discography r ...

Collin Walcott Collin Walcott (April 24, 1945 – November 8, 1984) was an American musician who worked in jazz and world music. Early life Walcott was born in New York City, United States. He studied violin and tympani in his youth, and was a percussion stud ...

, and

Dom Um Romão Dom Um Romão (3 August 1925 – 27 July 2005) was a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Noted for his expressive stylings with the fusion band Weather Report, Romão also recorded with varied notable artists such as Cannonball Adderley, ...

, the last on

electric bass The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck The ...

. In the middle of the decade he toured Europe in Dave Liebman's Lookout Farm ensemble with

Richard Beirach Richard Alan Beirach (born 23 May 1947) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Early life Beirach was born in New York City. He initially studied both classical music and jazz. While still attending high school, he took lessons from pianist L ...

, Jeff Williams, and

Badal Roy Badal Roy ( bn, বাদল রায়; born Amarendra Roy Chowdhury; 16 October 1939 – 18 January 2022) was an Indian tabla player, percussionist, and recording artist known for his work in jazz, world music, and experimental music. B ...

. He recorded around this time with

Barry Miles Barry Miles (born 21 February 1943) is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subjects of the 1960s London underground and counterculture. He is the author of numerous books and his work has also regularly appeared ...

Booker Ervin Booker Telleferro Ervin II (October 31, 1930 – August 31, 1970) was an American tenor saxophone player. His tenor playing was characterised by a strong, tough sound and blues/gospel phrasing. He is remembered for his association with bassi ...

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

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 fo ...

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...

, and

Harold Mabern Harold Mabern Jr. (March 20, 1936 – September 17, 2019) was an American jazz pianist and composer, principally in the hard bop, post-bop, and soul jazz fields.Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (2007) ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. p. 42 ...

.Tusa has had a wide variety of recording, and performing experiences with such diverse artists as Art Blakey, Buddy Montgomery, Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Pepper Adams, Shelly Manne, Bobby Hutcherson, Johnny Griffin, Herb Ellis, Art Farmer, Randy Brecker, Freddie Hubbard, John Abercrombie, George Cables and many other great jazz artists. Tusa’s early recordings are with jazz legends Paul Bley, Don Cherry and Dave Liebman. Frank was one of the original members of Dave Liebman’s critically acclaimed group “Lookout Farm”."All About Jazz
Frank Tusa Biography
In 1980 Frank relocated to San Francisco after spending many years learning and working through the ranks of his native New York City scene. After arriving in San Francisco he very quickly became known as one of the finest musicians in the bay area and has been in constant demand for his solid rhythmic anchoring and eloquent melodic lines. He has also been very active in music education teaching at San Jose State University and Stanford University. His first album as a leader was released on

Enja Records 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 Jap ...

in 1975 which has been remastered in 24 bite and re-released in 2006. 1977 saw him collaborating with

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

. and working in the Eon trio. He played in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in the 1980s.

Discography

As leader

*Reunion of Old Spirits (Tuse Records, 1997) *''Father Time'' (

, 1975)

As sideman

*Paul Bley: ''

The Paul Bley Synthesizer Show ''The Paul Bley Synthesizer Show'' is an album by Paul Bley performing compositions by Annette Peacock which was released on the Milestone label in 1971.Eon Eon or Eons may refer to: Time * Aeon, an indefinite long period of time * Eon (geology), a division of the geologic time scale Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Eon, in the 2007 film ''Ben 10: Race Against Time'' * Eon, in the ...

'' (ECM, 1974) *David Liebman: '' Lookout Farm'' (ECM, 1973) *David Liebman: ''

Sweet Hands ''Sweet Hands'' is an album by saxophonist David Liebman which was recorded in California in 1975 and released on the Horizon label.Pendulum A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the ...

'' (Artists House, 1978) *Chet Baker: Live & Rare (2011-Master Classics Records) *John Handy & Mel Martin: Bebop and Beyond (1984-Concord Records) *Chet Baker: Out of the Blue- Live at the Dutch Sesjun Radio Show-1980(Released in 2010) *Chet Baker: Live at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco (1982-GAMH ) *Bobbe Norris & Larry Dunlap: Hoisted Sails (1984-Palo Alto Records) *Hi-Lo’s: Live in Japan at Budakan Hall, Tokyo Japan *Paul Bley: The Paul Bley Synthesizer Show (1970-Milestones) *Richard Beirach: Methusalah (1975-Trio Records) *Richard Beirach: Sunday Song (1975-Trio Records) *Barry Miles: Scatbird (1972-Mainstream Records) *Dom Um Romao: Spirit of the Times *Badal Roy: Ashibad (1975-Trio Records) *Badal Roy: Passing Dreams (1975- Adamo) *Fred Tompkins: Cecile (1978-F.K.T. Records) *Rimona Francis: (1977-MPS Records) *Vibraphone Summit Tour with Karl Berger: (1978-MPS Records) *Dave Liebman: Keeper of the Past *Dave Liebman: Open Sky (1972-PM Records) *Dave Liebman: Spirit in the Sky (1975-PM Records) *Dave Liebman: Nightscapes (1970 CBS/Sony -Japan)

References

*"Frank Tusa". '' Grove Jazz'' online.

External links

Frank Tusa, Bassist
- Official Website including audio files
Reunion of Old Spirits
- CD Album with

, John Abercrombie,

, Jeff Williams
All Music Guide
- ''Lookout Farm'' album review
Mosaic Records
- CD Album ''Pendulum''
ECM Records
- CD Album ''Eon''
ECM Records
- CD Album ''Lookout Farm'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Tusa, Frank American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists Musicians from New York (state) Living people American jazz educators 21st-century double-bassists 1947 births 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Bebop & Beyond members