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 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 ...

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 ...

, and

Kiane Zawadi Bernard Atwell McKinney, later Kiane Zawadi (born November 26, 1932) is an American jazz trombonist and euphonium player, one of the few jazz soloists on the latter instrument. Biography McKinney was born into a family of ten children, several of ...

. Bass was a Pittsburgh bassist who worked with hard bop bandleaders and combos from the 1960s; he did not record often as a leader. His maternal grandmother, who performed in minstrel shows, taught him and his cousins

Barbershop music Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era (1930s–present), is a style of a cappella close harmony, or unaccompanied vocal music, characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a primari ...

. He played and recorded with Sonny Rollins,

Bennie Green Bennie Green (April 16, 1923 – March 23, 1977) was an American jazz trombonist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Green worked in the orchestras of Earl Hines and Charlie Ventura, and recorded as bandleader through the 1950s and ...

, and Charles Mingus. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' declared: "When Mickey Bass and the Co-operation get in the right groove...it is doubtful if there is another jazz group in town that swings as hard as this one." He taught students at

Duke Ellington School of the Arts The Duke Ellington School of the Arts (established 1974) is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School syst ...

and

Hartt College of Music The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford located in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, that offers degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and ...

from 1975 to 1985. His students at Ellington included

Wallace Roney Wallace Roney (May 25, 1960 – March 31, 2020) was an American jazz ( hard bop and post-bop) trumpeter. He has won 1 Grammy award and has two nominations. Roney took lessons from Clark Terry and Dizzy Gillespie and studied with Miles Davis fr ...

, Gregory Charles Royal,

Clarence Seay Clarence Seay (born January 7, 1957, Washington, DC) is a jazz bassist and composer. He has been an acoustic bassist with the Wallace Roney Quintet for over 15 years. Seay, also known as "Big C", is a disciple of the Paul Chambers school of ja ...

, and drummer Eric Allen. In 1980, he was given a National Endowment for the Arts Composers' Grant. Bass died in New York City on February 3, 2022, at the age of 78.Mickey Bass, renaissance bassist/composer dies at 78
/ref>

Discography

As leader

* ''Sentimental Mood'' (

Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

, 1982) * ''The Co-operation'' ( Early Bird, 1991) * ''Another Way Out'' (Early Bird, 1991)

As sideman

With Art Blakey * '' Child's Dance'' (Prestige, 1972) * ''

Buhaina ''Buhaina'' is an album by drummer Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers recorded in 1973 and released on the Prestige label.Anthenagin ''Anthenagin'' is an album by drummer Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers recorded in 1973 and released on the Prestige label.Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 1932. ...

* '' Smokin''' (Mainstream, 1972) 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

Jimmy McGriff James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. Biography Early years and influences Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, United States, McGriff started playing pi ...

* '' Concert: Friday the 13th - Cook County Jail'' (Groove Merchant. 1972

973 Year 973 ( CMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – The Byzantine army, led by General Melias (Domestic of the S ...

With Hank Mobley * '' Thinking of Home'' (Blue Note, 1973) With Ramon Morris * ''Sweet Sister Funk'' (Groove Merchant, 1973) With

Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording on John Coltrane's '' Blue Train'' (1 ...

* ''

The Sixth Sense ''The Sixth Sense'' is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Willis as a child psychologist whose patient ( Haley Joel Osment) claims he can see and talk to the dead. Released ...

'' (Blue Note, 1968

999 999 or triple nine most often refers to: * 999 (emergency telephone number), a telephone number for the emergency services in several countries * 999 (number), an integer * AD 999, a year * 999 BC, a year Books * ''999'' (anthology) or ''999: T ...

With

Bobby Timmons Robert Henry Timmons (December 19, 1935 – March 1, 1974) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was a sideman in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers for two periods (July 1958 to September 1959; February 1960 to June 1961), between which he wa ...

* '' Chicken & Dumplin's'' (Prestige, 1965) * ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

'' (Prestige, 1966) With

Reuben Wilson Reuben Wilson (born April 9, 1935) is a jazz organist. He performs soul jazz and acid jazz, and is best known for his title track "Got to Get Your Own". He was born in Mounds, Oklahoma and his family moved to Pasadena when he was 5. He played in ...

* '' The Sweet Life'' (Groove Merchant, 1973)

References

External links

AllMusic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bass, Mickey 1943 births 2022 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century African-American musicians Musicians from Pittsburgh American bass guitarists The Jazz Messengers members Guitarists from Pennsylvania