Dillon "Curley" Russell (19 March 1917 – 3 July 1986) was 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 majo ...

musician, who played

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

on many

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrum ...

recordings. He was born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. He was nicknamed "Curley" for his curly hair. A member of the

Tadd Dameron Tadley Ewing Peake Dameron (February 21, 1917 – March 8, 1965) was an American jazz composer, arranger, and pianist. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dameron was the most influential arranger of the bebop era, but also wrote charts for swin ...

Sextet, he was in demand for his ability to play at the rapid tempos typical of bebop, and appears on several key recordings of the period. He left the music business in the late 1950s. On May 1, 1951, Russell played in the recording session for "

Un Poco Loco "Un Poco Loco" is an Afro-Cuban jazz standard composed by American jazz pianist Bud Powell. It was first recorded for Blue Note Records by Powell, Curly Russell, and Max Roach on May 1, 1951. Musical characteristics "Un Poco Loco" is in thirt ...

", composed by American jazz pianist

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Along with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke and Dizzy Gillespie, Powell was a leading figure in the development of mod ...

, with

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

on drums. Literary critic

Harold Bloom Harold Bloom (July 11, 1930 – October 14, 2019) was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. In 2017, Bloom was described as "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking worl ...

included this performance on his short list of the greatest works of twentieth-century American art. According to jazz historian Phil Schaap, the classic bebop tune "

Donna Lee "Donna Lee" is a bebop jazz standard attributed to Charlie Parker, although Miles Davis has also claimed authorship. Written in A-flat, it is based on the chord changes of the jazz standard " (Back Home Again in) Indiana". Beginning with an unusu ...

", a

contrafact A contrafact is a musical work based on a prior work. The term comes from classical music and has only since the 1940s been applied to jazz, where it is still not standard. In classical music, contrafacts have been used as early as the parody ma ...

on "

Back Home Again in Indiana "(Back Home Again in) Indiana" is a song composed by James F. Hanley with lyrics by Ballard MacDonald that was published in January 1917. Although it is not the state song of Indiana (which is "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away"), it is perhaps ...

", was named after Curley's daughter. In 2002, she donated her father's bass to the

Institute of Jazz Studies The Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS) is the largest and most comprehensive library and archives of jazz and jazz-related materials in the world. It is located on the fourth floor of the John Cotton Dana Library at Rutgers University–Newark in New ...

at Rutgers University. He died of emphysema at Queens General Hospital at the age of 69 in 1986.

Discography

As sideman

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

: ''The Charlie Parker Story'' (

Savoy Records Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music ...

, 1945) * Charlie Parker: ''Memorial Vol. 1'' (Savoy, 1947); ''Memorial Vol. 2'' (Savoy 1947–48) *

Sonny Stitt Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. (February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982), known professionally as Sonny Stitt, was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/ hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of hi ...

: '' Sonny Stitt/Bud Powell/J. J. Johnson'' (Prestige, 1949–50 956 – with

: '' Jazz Giant'' (Verve, 1950) *

Fats Navarro Theodore "Fats" Navarro (September 24, 1923 – July 6, 1950) was an American jazz trumpet player. He was a pioneer of the bebop style of jazz improvisation in the 1940s. He had a strong stylistic influence on many other players, including ...

: ''The Fabulous Fats Navarro'' (

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

, 1947–49) *

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

: ''The Real Birth of the Cool'' (Bandstand, 1948) *

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre o ...

: ''Early Stan'' (OJC, 1949–53) *

George Wallington George Wallington (October 27, 1924 – February 15, 1993) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Early life Wallington was born Giacinto Figlia (some sources give "Giorgio") in Sicily, and then moved to the United States (New York) with ...

: ''Trio'' (Savoy, 1949–51); ''Trios'' (OJC, 1952–53) *

Milt Jackson Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging sol ...

: ''

Roll 'Em Bags ''Roll 'Em Bags'' is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson featuring performances recorded in 1949 and 1956 and released on the Savoy label.

'' (Savoy, 1949–56) *

Al Cohn Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist ...

: ''Cohn's Tones'' (OJC, 1950–53) *

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

: '' Dexter Rides Again'' (Savoy, 1950) *

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

: ''Quartets'' (OJC, 1950) *

: '' The Amazing Bud Powell'' (Blue Note, 1951–53) *

& Dizzy Gillespie: ''

Bird and Diz ''Bird and Diz'' is a studio album by jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. It was recorded primarily on June 6, 1950, in New York City.Patrick, James (1997), pp. 1–3. Two tracks featured on the original pressing, "Pass ...

'' (Verve, 1952) *

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

: ''

Disorder at the Border ''Disorder at the Border'' is a live album by saxophonist Coleman Hawkins compiling tracks which were originally broadcast in 1952 and first released on LP in 1973 on the UK Spotlite label.Evensmo, JThe Tenor Sax of Coleman Hawkins Part 3: 1950 � ...

'' (Spotlite, 1952

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 Sc ...

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

: ''Thelonious Monk Trio/Blue Monk'' (

Prestige Records Prestige Records is a jazz record company and label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock in New York City which issued recordings in the mainstream, bop, and cool jazz idioms. The company recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musi ...

, 1952–54); ''MONK'' (OJC, 1953–54) *

: '' Al Cohn's Tones'' (Savoy, 1953 956 *

Kenny Drew Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew (August 28, 1928 – August 4, 1993) was an American-Danish jazz pianist. Biography Drew was born in New York City, United States, and received piano lessons from the age of five. Feather, Leonard, & Ira Gitler ( ...

: '' New Faces, New Sounds'' (Blue Note, 1953) *

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sc ...

: '' Horace Silver Trio'' (Blue Note, 1953) *

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 ...

: '' A Night at Birdland Vol. 1'' (Blue Note, 1954) *

: '' A Night at Birdland Vol. 2'' (Blue Note, 1954) *

: ''

A Night at Birdland Vol. 3 ''A Night at Birdland, Vol. 3'' is a 12" live album containing outtakes from A Night at Birdland, Vols. 1–3, released in 1984 by Toshiba Records in Japan. Three of the four tracks on the Japanese 12" Vol. 3 had previously been released as p ...

'' (Blue Note, 1954) * Jay Jay Johnson: ''The Birdlanders'' (Fresh Sound, 1954) *

: ''

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

'' (Prestige, 1954) *

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

: ''

Introducing Johnny Griffin ''Introducing Johnny Griffin'' is the debut album by jazz tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, released by Blue Note in February 1957. It was recorded at the Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack on April 17, 1956. Track listing # "Mil Dew" (Griffin) - ...

'' (Blue Note, 1957) * Cliff Jordan & John Gilmore: '' Blowing in from Chicago'' (Blue Note, 1957)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Curley 1917 births 1986 deaths American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists 20th-century American musicians 20th-century double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians