Victor Bailey (March 27, 1960 – November 11, 2016) was an American

bass guitar 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 and ...

player. He was the bassist for

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and vocalis ...

during their final years from 1982 to 1986, and launched a solo career in 1988. As a musician, Bailey was known for his signature scat-bass solos.

Biography

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, on 27 March 1960, Victor Randall Bailey was raised by a highly musical family. His father, Morris Bailey Jr., was an active musician and composer, while his uncle, Donald "Duck" Bailey, was a jazz drummer, who played on numerous Blue Note records (e.g., Jimmy Smith Trio, Hampton Hawes,

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

). As a child, Bailey played the drums, but ultimately switched to bass guitar after the bassist in his neighborhood band walked out of a band practice. Because young Victor took an immediate liking to the instrument, his father encouraged him to become a bass player. Beginning in 1978, at the age of 18, Bailey attended the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

after being disqualified from naval service due to asthma. Like his father, Bailey suffered from Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease for most of his adult life. As the disease progressed, Bailey began using a cane to offset his weakened legs. The weakness finally spread to his upper body, necessitating his 2015 retirement from performing and from his teaching position at Berklee College of Music. He died on 11 November, 2016 in Stafford, VA, likely from complications from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most commo ...

(Lou Gehrig's disease). Bailey played a 1986 Pensa-Suhr J-4 koa bass and a fretless Ibanez Roadstar among others. His instruments were auctioned by Skinner. The J-4 sold for $10,455 US Bailey had a series of remarkable contributions as the main bassist for American

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and ke ...

band

, for which he played on four of their studio albums between 1983 and 1986. Fender released a Victor Bailey Signature

acoustic bass guitar The acoustic bass guitar (sometimes shortened to acoustic bass or initialized ABG) is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar. Like the traditional electric bass guitar ...

, as well as the Victor Bailey Jazz Bass (Artist series), available in 4, 5-string, fretted and fretless versions. Bailey also used Markbass amplifiers.

Discography

As leader

* ''Bottom's Up'' (Atlantic, 1989) * ''

Petite Blonde ''Petite Blonde'' is the name of a live jazz collaboration album. It features Victor Bailey on bass, Dennis Chambers on drums, Mitch Forman on keyboards, Chuck Loeb on guitar, and Bill Evans on saxophone (soprano and tenor). It was recorded l ...

'' (with

Dennis Chambers Dennis Milton Chambers (born May 9, 1959) is an American drummer. He was inducted into the '' Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2001. Early life Chambers was born on May 9, 1959. He began drumming at the age of four years, and was gigging in Ba ...

, Mitch Forman,

Chuck Loeb Charles Samuel "Chuck" Loeb (December 7, 1955 – July 31, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist and a member of the groups Steps Ahead, Metro and Fourplay. Early years and education Loeb was born in Nyack, New York, near New York City. At a ...

, and

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

) (1992) * '' Low Blow'' (Zebra, 1999) * ''That's Right!'' (ESC, 2001) * ''Electric'' (with

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. Early life Larry Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas, United States. He never knew his biological father, a musician. He ...

and

Lenny White Leonard "Lenny" White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". He has won ...

) ( Chesky, 2005) * ''Traffic'' (with Larry Coryell and Lenny White) (2006) * ''Slippin' 'n' Trippin (2010)

Omar Hakim

* ''Rhythm Deep'' (GRP, 1989)

Steps Ahead

* ''Magnetic'' (Elektra, 1986) * ''Vibe'' (NYC, 1995)

Weather Report

* ''

Procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

'' (Columbia, 1983) * ''

Domino Theory The domino theory is a geopolitical theory which posits that increases or decreases in democracy in one country tend to spread to neighboring countries in a domino effect. It was prominent in the United States from the 1950s to the 1980s in t ...

'' (Columbia, 1984) * '' Sportin' Life'' (Columbia, 1985) * '' This Is This!'' (Columbia, 1986)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Victor 1960 births 2016 deaths Berklee College of Music alumni Weather Report members Jazz fusion bass guitarists 21st-century American bass guitarists American jazz bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Neurological disease deaths in Virginia Deaths from motor neuron disease Chesky Records artists Guitarists from Philadelphia 20th-century American bass guitarists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Steps Ahead members The Zawinul Syndicate members