Henry "Skipper" Franklin (born Henry Carl Franklin on October 1, 1940) 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 ...
double bassist.
Career
Franklin played on
Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...
's 1968 number one single, "Grazing in the Grass," as well as with Masekela's band at the
Monterey International Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Festival was a three-day music festival held June 16 to 18, 1967, at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. The festival is remembered for the first major American appearances by the Jimi Hendrix ...
in June 1967. In addition, Franklin played and recorded with
Gene Harris
Gene Harris (born Eugene Haire, September 1, 1933 – January 16, 2000) was an American jazz pianist known for his warm sound and blues and gospel infused style that is known as soul jazz.
From 1956 to 1970, he played in The Three Sounds tri ...
and the
Three Sounds,
Hampton Hawes
Hampton Barnett Hawes Jr. (November 13, 1928 – May 22, 1977) was an American jazz pianist. He was the author of the memoir ''Raise Up Off Me'', which won the Deems-Taylor Award for music writing in 1975.
Early life
Hampton Hawes was born on ...
,
Freddie Hubbard,
Bobbi Humphrey
Barbara Ann "Bobbi" Humphrey (born April 25, 1950) is an American jazz flautist and singer who plays jazz fusion, funk, and soul-jazz. She has recorded twelve albums and founded the jazz label Paradise Sounds Records. In 1971, she was the first ...
,
Willie Bobo
William Correa (February 28, 1934 – September 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Willie Bobo,Biography ''AllMusic'' was an American Latin jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Lat ...
,
Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz.
Biography Early life
Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...
,
O.C. Smith,
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
,
Stevie Wonder,
Al Jarreau,
Curtis Amy
Curtis Amy (October 11, 1929 – June 5, 2002) was an American jazz saxophonist.
Biography
Amy was born in Houston, Texas, United States. He learned how to play clarinet before joining the Army, and during his time in service, picked up the teno ...
,
Teddy Edwards
Theodore Marcus Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Biography
Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone and the ...
, and
Sonny Criss
William "Sonny" Criss (23 October 1927 – 19 November 1977) was an American jazz musician.
An alto saxophonist of prominence during the bebop era of jazz, he was one of many players influenced by Charlie Parker.
Biography
William Criss wa ...
. Franklin's recording—composed by Sanifu Al Hall, Jr.— "Soft Spirit" was featured on the
Breakbeat compilation ''
Tribe Vibes'' as it had been sampled by the musical group
A Tribe Called Quest.
Encouraged by his father, Sammy Franklin, a jazz trumpeter and bandleader, he studied with
Al McKibbon
Al McKibbon (January 1, 1919 – July 29, 2005) was an American jazz double bassist, known for his work in bop, hard bop, and Latin jazz.
In 1947, after working with Lucky Millinder, Tab Smith, J. C. Heard, and Coleman Hawkins, he replaced ...
and
George Morrow, while listening to
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr. (April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969) was an American jazz double bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, he has become one of the most widely-known jazz bassists of the hard bop era. ...
and
Doug Watkins
Douglas Watkins (March 2, 1934 – February 5, 1962) was an American jazz double bassist. He was best known for being an accompanist to various hard bop artists in the Detroit area, including Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean.
Biography
Watkins ...
.
While attending the
Manual Arts High School
Manual Arts High School is a secondary public school in Los Angeles, California, United States.
History
Manual Arts High School was founded in 1910 in the middle of bean fields, one-half mile from the nearest bus stop. It was the third high sch ...
in Los Angeles, he played with his first professional band – the
Roy Ayers
Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Po ...
Latin Jazz Quintet. About that time, Franklin worked with
Harold Land
Harold de Vance Land (December 18, 1928 – July 27, 2001) was an American hard bop and post-bop tenor saxophonist. Land developed his hard bop playing with the Max Roach/ Clifford Brown band into a personal, modern style, often rivalling Cliffo ...
and
Hampton Hawes
Hampton Barnett Hawes Jr. (November 13, 1928 – May 22, 1977) was an American jazz pianist. He was the author of the memoir ''Raise Up Off Me'', which won the Deems-Taylor Award for music writing in 1975.
Early life
Hampton Hawes was born on ...
. Years later, he toured Europe with Hawes and recorded five albums with him. In Los Angeles, Franklin also played with
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 ...
, and
Billy Higgins
Billy Higgins (October 11, 1936 – May 3, 2001) was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop.
Biography
Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, ...
.
In 1968, after Henry's year-long tour of the East Coast playing with
Willie Bobo
William Correa (February 28, 1934 – September 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Willie Bobo,Biography ''AllMusic'' was an American Latin jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Lat ...
and working gigs with
Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz.
Biography Early life
Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...
,
Lamont Johnson
Ernest Lamont Johnson Jr. (September 30, 1922 – October 24, 2010) was an American actor and film director who has appeared in and directed many television shows and movies. He won two Emmy Awards.
Early years
Johnson was born in Stockto ...
,
Beaver Harris and
Roswell Rudd
Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer.
Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...
on his days off, Hugh Masekela heard him play and made him an offer. Three and a half years later, the two collaborated on ''Grazing in the Grass''. In 1972, Franklin released his debut album ''The Skipper'' through
Black Jazz Records. Music critic,
Tom Hull, described it as "adventurous
postbop."
He continued touring during the next several years, working internationally with
O.C. Smith,
The Three Sounds
The Three Sounds (also known as The 3 Sounds) were an American jazz piano trio that formed in 1956 and disbanded in 1973.
The band formed in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States, as the Four Sounds. The original line-up consisted of Gene Harri ...
,
Freddie Hubbard, and
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
. Franklin collected a gold record with
Stevie Wonder on ''
Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants.'' Collaborating with John Carter and
Bobby Bradford, Franklin produced two albums: ''Self-Determination Music'' and ''Secrets''. He performed on five albums with Dennis Gonzales, John Purcell and William Richardson and also played extensively with
Pharoah Sanders,
Joe Williams,
Sonny Rollins,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Sonny Fortune
Cornelius "Sonny" Fortune (May 19, 1939 – October 25, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist. Fortune played soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, clarinet, and flute.
Biography
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...
and
Milt Jackson.
For over a decade until 2011, Franklin played a regular, five-night-per-week gig at
The Mission Inn, in
Riverside, CA. In the summer of 2009, the director of the summer program and the provost of
La Sierra University
La Sierra University (La Sierra or LSU) is a private, Seventh-day Adventist university in Riverside, California. Founded in 1922 as La Sierra Academy, it later became La Sierra College, a liberal arts college, and then was merged into Loma Lin ...
in Riverside partnered with Franklin to provide some on-campus, summer jazz concerts. These continued in the fall, eventually becoming a regular campus concert series, "Pierce Street Jazz" (PSJ). Still organized and headlined by Franklin, PSJ continues to feature well-known local and national jazz musicians as guests performing with the regular house trio.
Throughout his career, Franklin has appeared on more than 160 albums, many of which he produced. He also published a bass player's method book entitled, ''Bassically Yours''.
Discography
As leader
* ''The Skipper'' (
Black Jazz, 1972)
* ''The Skipper at Home'' (
Black Jazz, 1974)
* ''Tribal Dance'' (
Catalyst
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
, 1977)
* ''We Came to Play'' (Daagnim, 1985)
* ''Bassic Instincts'' (Skipper Productions, 1996)
* ''The Hunter'' (Skipper Productions, 1998)
* ''Bass Encounters'' (Skipper Productions, 2000)
* ''Sakura'' with Steve Katsuyama, Tony Austin (
WJ3, 2002)
* ''Ears Wide Open'' with Marc Seales, Steve Clover (Beezwax, 2003)
* ''Colemanology'' with Marc Seales, Steve Clover (Beezwax, 2004)
* ''Three Card Molly'' (Resurgent, 2004)
* ''All God's Children'' (Skipper Productions, 2005)
* ''Music to the 5th Power'' (Skipper Productions, 2006)
* ''If We Should Meet Again'' (Skipper Productions, 2007)
* ''O, What a Beautiful Morning!'' (Skipper Productions, 2008)
* ''Home Cookin' '' (Skipper Productions, 2009)
* ''Shanghai'' with Bob Mocarsky (Skipper Productions, 2011)
* ''The Soul of the World'' (Skipper Productions, 2011)
* ''June Night'' (Skipper Productions, 2012)
* ''Two Views'' (Skipper Productions, 2015)
* ''Showers of Blessings'' (Skipper Productions, 2021)
* ''Daggerboard and the Skipper'' (Daggerboard, 2021)
* ''Showers of Blessings'' (Skipper Productions, 2021)
* ''Karibu'' (Jazz Is Dead, 2022)
With 3 More Sounds (group)
* ''The Happiness of Pursuit'' (Skipper Productions, 2015)
* ''High Voltage (Tribute to
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 ...
)'' (Skipper Productions, 2016)
* ''Ghetto Princes (Tribute to
Gene Harris
Gene Harris (born Eugene Haire, September 1, 1933 – January 16, 2000) was an American jazz pianist known for his warm sound and blues and gospel infused style that is known as soul jazz.
From 1956 to 1970, he played in The Three Sounds tri ...
)'' (Skipper Productions, 2019)
* ''3 More Sounds Play Ray Charles'' (Skipper Productions, 2022)
As sideman
With
John Carter and
Bobby Bradford
*''
Self Determination Music'' (Flying Dutchman, 1970)
*''Secrets'' (Revelation, 1972)
With Daggerboard
*''Daggerboard & The Skipper'' (
Wide Hive, 2022)
With
Dennis González
Dennis González, often credited Dennis Gonzalez (August 15, 1954March 15, 2022), was an American jazz trumpeter, artist, and educator from Texas. He hosted ''Miles Out'' on KERA-FM for over twenty years.
Early life
González was born in Abil ...
*''Little Toot'' (Silkheart, 1986)
*''
Stefan'' (Silkheart, 1987)
*''Debengi Debengi'' (Silkheart, 1988)
With
Hampton Hawes
Hampton Barnett Hawes Jr. (November 13, 1928 – May 22, 1977) was an American jazz pianist. He was the author of the memoir ''Raise Up Off Me'', which won the Deems-Taylor Award for music writing in 1975.
Early life
Hampton Hawes was born on ...
*''A Little Copenhagen Night Music'' (Freedom, 1971)
*''Live at the Montmartre'' (Black Lion, 1971)
*''Live in Montreux'' (JAS, 1971)
*''This Guy's in Love with You'' (Freedom, 1971)
*''
Blues for Walls'' (Prestige, 1973)
With
Bobbi Humphrey
Barbara Ann "Bobbi" Humphrey (born April 25, 1950) is an American jazz flautist and singer who plays jazz fusion, funk, and soul-jazz. She has recorded twelve albums and founded the jazz label Paradise Sounds Records. In 1971, she was the first ...
*''Bobbi Humphrey Live: Cookin' with Blue Note at Montreux'' (Blue Note, 1973)
With
Calvin Keys
*''Proceed with Caution'' (Black Jazz, 1971)
*''Shawn-Neeq'' (Black Jazz, 1973)
*''Blue Keyes'' (Daggerboard, 2022)
With
Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...
*''
Hugh Masekela Is Alive and Well at the Whisky'' (Uni, 1967)
*''
The Promise of a Future'' (Uni, 1968)
*''
Masekela''
(uncredited) (Uni, 1969)
With
Julian Priester
Julian Priester (born June 29, 1935) is an American jazz trombonist and occasional euphoniumist. He is sometimes credited "Julian Priester Pepo Mtoto". He has played with Sun Ra, Max Roach, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock.
B ...
*''
Love, Love
''Love, Love'' is an album by American jazz trombonist and composer Julian Priester Pepo Mtoto recorded in 1973 and released on the ECM label.[Freddie Redd
Freddie Redd (May 29, 1928 – March 17, 2021) was an American hard-bop pianist and composer. He is best known for writing music to accompany '' The Connection'' (1959), a play by Jack Gelber. According to Peter Watrous, writing in ''The New Y ...]( ...<br></span></div>'' (ECM, 1973)
With <div class=)
*''
Straight Ahead!'' (Interplay, 1977)
With
Sonny Rollins
*''Live in New York at Philharmonic Hall'' (1972)
With
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 ...
*''
Song of Songs'' (Contemporary, 1972)
With
The Three Sounds
The Three Sounds (also known as The 3 Sounds) were an American jazz piano trio that formed in 1956 and disbanded in 1973.
The band formed in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States, as the Four Sounds. The original line-up consisted of Gene Harri ...
*''
Soul Symphony'' (Blue Note, 1969)
*''Live at the It Club, Volumes 1 and 2'' (Blue Note, 1971)
With
Phil Woods
Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer.
Biography
Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...
*''Phil Woods Quartet'' (1974)
References
External links
Henry FranklinWide Hive Records Henry Franklin PageWide Hive Records "Perseverance" Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Henry
1940 births
Living people
Jazz musicians from California
Jazz fusion double-bassists
American jazz double-bassists
Male double-bassists
Black Jazz Records artists
Ovation Records artists
21st-century double-bassists
21st-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
WJ3 Records artists