Mickey Tucker (born Michael B. Tucker; April 28, 1941) 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 ...

pianist and organist.

Biography

Tucker was born in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

in 1941. He grew up in

Rankin, Pennsylvania Rankin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, south of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela River. The borough was named after Thomas Rankin, a local landowner. Early in the 20th century, Rankin specialized in manufacturing stee ...

before moving back to North Carolina aged 12. When he was six, he started learning piano, eventually playing in church. While at high school, Tucker played in the school band as well as in a trio that included

Grady Tate Grady Tate (January 14, 1932 – October 8, 2017) was an American jazz and soul-jazz drummer and baritone vocalist. In addition to his work as sideman, Tate released many albums as leader and lent his voice to songs in the animated ''Schoolhou ...

. Aged 15, Tucker received an early admission scholarship to attend

Morehouse College , mottoeng = And there was light (literal translation of Latin itself translated from Hebrew: "And light was made") , type = Private historically black men's liberal arts college , academic_affiliations ...

. He became a teacher and taught at a high school in

Lake Wales, Florida Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida. The population was 14,225 at the 2010 census. , the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 16,759. It is part of the Lakeland– Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lake Wales is ...

and Mississippi Valley State College while also performing music. Tucker left Mississippi in 1964 and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In New York, he performed with Damita Jo, with whom he toured London. He moved on to have stints working with comedian Timmy Rogers,

Little Anthony and the Imperials Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/soul vocal group from New York City founded by Clarence Collins in the 1950s and named in part for its lead singer, Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his h ...

and as organist for James Moody. He entered the jazz world in 1969, working for the next several years with

Eric Kloss Eric Kloss (born April 3, 1949) is an American jazz saxophonist. Music career Kloss was born blind in Greenville, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, and attended the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind, which was run by his father. When he was 1 ...

Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk (born Ronald Theodore Kirk; August 7, 1935Kernfeld, Barry.Kirk, Roland" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd ed. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. '' Grove Music Online''. '' Oxford Music Online''. Retrieved February 1, 2009-. "The yea ...

the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra was a jazz big band formed by trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis in New York in 1965.Lisik/Allen. 50 Years at the Village Vanguard:Thad Jone, Mel Lewis and the Village Vanguard Orchestra. Sky Deck M ...

Eddie Jefferson Eddie Jefferson (August 3, 1918 – May 9, 1979) was an American jazz vocalist and lyricist. He is credited as an innovator of vocalese, a musical style in which lyrics are set to an instrumental composition or solo. Jefferson himself claims t ...

, and

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...

. He was music director for

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers The Jazz Messengers were a jazz combo that existed for over thirty-five years beginning in the early 1950s as a collective, and ending when long-time leader and founding drummer Art Blakey died in 1990. Blakey led or co-led the group from the o ...

. During the 1980s, he appeared on albums by

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 ...

, Art Farmer, Richie Cole, and

Benny Golson Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before launch ...

. In 1989, Tucker move to

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

. In an interview with

Cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (199 ...

magazine, Tucker explained that he moved to Australia following the murder of two women in his apartment complex in 1987. Tucker's friend, who Tucker says was with him at the time of crime, was accused of the murders. The stress caused by trying to help his friend led him to decide to move to Australia - where his wife was from. In Melbourne, Tucker worked at the Victorian College of the Arts' School of Music.

Discography

As leader

* ''

Triplicity In astrology, a triplicity is a group of three signs belonging to the same element. Trines Western astrology assumes that each sign of the same triplicity is 120 degrees apart, forming angles to one another called trines, which are each equival ...

'' ( Xanadu, 1975) * ''Doublet'' (Dan, 1976) * '' Sojourn'' (Xanadu, 1977) * '' Mister Mysterious'' (

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 ...

, 1978) * '' The Crawl'' (Muse, 1979) * ''Blues in Five Dimensions'' ( SteepleChase, 1989) * ''Sweet Lotus Lips'' ( Denon, 1989) * ''Hang in There'' ( SteepleChase, 1994) * ''Gettin' There'' ( SteepleChase, 1995)

As sideman

With Richie Cole * ''

New York Afternoon ''New York Afternoon'' is an album by saxophonist Richie Cole's Alto Madness recorded in 1976 and released on the Muse label.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 c ...

'' (Catalyst, 1977) *'' The Place to Be'' ( SteepleChase, 1988) *'' On a Misty Night'' ( SteepleChase, 1989) *''

You Leave Me Breathless ''You Leave Me Breathless'' is the final album led by saxophonist Junior Cook which was recorded in 1991 and released on the SteepleChase label.

'' ( SteepleChase, 1991) With Frank Foster * 1968 ''Manhattan Fever'' * 1978 ''Twelve Shades of Black'' * 1979 ''Non-Electric Company'' * 1998 ''Swing'' * 2007 ''Well Water'' With

Bill Hardman William Franklin Hardman Jr. (April 6, 1933 – December 6, 1990) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist who chiefly played hard bop. He was married to Roseline and they had a daughter Nadege. Career Hardman was born and grew ...

*''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

'' (Muse, 1978) * '' What's Up'' ( SteepleChase, 1989) 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 ...

*'' The Crawl'' (Candid, 1989) With Willis Jackson * 1973 ''

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

'' * 1974 '' Headed and Gutted'' With

*'' Things Are Getting Better'' (Muse, 1974) *'' Still on the Planet'' (Muse, 1976) * 1999 ''Vocal Ease'' With

* 1971 ''Blacknuss'' * 1978 ''The Vibration Continues'' * 1999 ''Left Hook Right Cross'' With

* 1974 ''

Essence Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...

'' (Muse) * 1976 ''

Battle of the Saxes ''Battle of the Saxes'' (subtitled ''Volume 1'') is a live album by saxophonists Eric Kloss and Richie Cole (musician), Richie Cole recorded in 1976 and released on the Muse Records, Muse label.Johnny Lytle Johnny Dillard Lytle (October 13, 1932 in Springfield, Ohio – December 15, 1995 in Springfield) was a jazz drummer and vibraphonist. Life and career Lytle grew up in Springfield, Ohio in a family of musicians, the son of a trumpeter father ...

* 1980 '' Fast Hands'' * 1997 ''Easy Easy'' With the Art Farmer/

Jazztet * ''Stablemates'', Art Farmer/Tommy Flanagan (1979) * '' Moment to Moment'' (Soul Note, 1983) * ''

Nostalgia Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek language, Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", ...

'' (Baystate, 1983) * ''

Back to the City ''Back to the City'' is a live album by the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet featuring Curtis Fuller recorded at the Sweet Basil Jazz Club in New York in 1986 and originally released on the Contemporary label.Real Time'' (Contemporary, 1986 988 With

Philly Joe Jones Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Early career As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio station WIP. He wa ...

*'' Mean What You Say'' (Sonet, 1977) 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 ...

* 1978 ''Live in Tokyo'' * 1989 ''Tray of Silver'' With

* 1985 ''Love Walked In'' * 1985 ''The Electrifying George Benson'' * 1987 ''4 for an Afternoon'' * 1993 ''Witchcraft'' * 1995 ''Par Excellence'' * 1998 ''San Francisco: 1972'' * 1999 ''Live: Early Years'' * 1999 ''The Masquerade Is Over'' * 2002 ''After Hours'' * 2002 ''Blue Bossa'' With others * 1972 '' Never Again!'', James Moody * 1973 '' The New Heritage Keyboard Quartet'',

Roland Hanna Roland Pembroke Hanna (February 10, 1932 – November 13, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and teacher. Biography Hanna studied classical piano from the age of 11, but was strongly interested in jazz, having been introduced to i ...

, Mickey Tucker * 1974 ''Live at Town Hall'',

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 ...

* 1976 ''Illusions'', Jimmy Ponder * 1976 ''Invitation'',

David Schnitter David Schnitter (born March 19, 1948, in Newark, New Jersey) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Allmusic/ref> Schnitter played clarinet as a youth and switched to tenor sax at age 15. After moving to New York City he played with Ted Dunbar an ...

* 1977 '' New Horizons'', Charles McPherson * 1978 ''The Eleventh Day of Aquarius'',

Ronnie Cuber Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. He also played in Latin, pop, rock, and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet ...

* 1982 ''Sentimental Mood'',

Mickey Bass Lee Odiss Bass III (May 2, 1943 – February 3, 2022), better known as Mickey Bass, was an American bassist, composer, arranger, and music educator. He played with Chico Freeman, John Hicks, and Kiane Zawadi. Bass was a Pittsburgh bassist who wo ...

* 1984 ''Nostalgia'',

* 1994 ''Gentle Time Alone'',

Ted Dunbar Earl Theodore Dunbar (January 17, 1937 – May 29, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist, composer, and educator. Career Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Dunbar trained as a pharmacist at Texas Southern University, but by the 1970s he only did pharma ...

* 1998 ''Big Daddy'', Bob Ackerman * 1998 ''Richie & Phil & Richie'', Richie Cole * 2004 ''Village in Bubbles'',

Kazumi Watanabe is a Japanese guitarist. Other guitarists such as Luke Takamura and Sugizo have cited him as an influence. Career Watanabe learned guitar at the age of 12 from Sadanori Nakamure at the Yamaha Music School in Tokyo. He released his first album ...

* 2007 ''The Crawl: Live at Birdland'',

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Mickey 1941 births Living people American jazz pianists American male pianists SteepleChase Records artists Muse Records artists Xanadu Records artists 20th-century American pianists Jazz musicians from North Carolina 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The Jazztet members