Walter Bishop Jr. (October 4, 1927 – January 24, 1998) 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 ...

pianist.

Early life

Bishop was born in New York City on October 4, 1927.Greene, Philip; Kernfeld, Barr
"Bishop, Walter Jr."
''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd edition). Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online.

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

. Retrieved February 18, 2016. Subscription required. He had at least two sisters, Marian and Beverly. His father was composer

Walter Bishop Sr. Walter Bishop Sr. (January 9, 1905 – January 8, 1984) was a Jamaican-American drummer, composer and songwriter. Bishop was born in Jamaica, but emigrated to the United States prior to beginning his professional career. He and his family lived ...

In his teens, Bishop Jr.'s friends included future jazz musicians

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 ( ...

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as ...

, and

Art Taylor Arthur S. Taylor Jr. (April 6, 1929 – February 6, 1995) was an American jazz drummer, who "helped define the sound of modern jazz drumming".Watrous, Peter (February 7, 1995)"Art Taylor, 65, Jazz Drummer Who Inspired Young Musicians" ''The Ne ...

. He was brought up in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harl ...

. He left high school to play in dance bands in the area. In 1945–47 he was in the Army Air Corps. During his military service in 1947 Bishop was based near St Louis and met touring

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 ...

musicians.

Later life and career

Later in 1947, he returned to New York. That year (or 1949) he was part of drummer

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 ...

's band for 14 weeks and recorded with them. Bishop developed his bebop playing in part by playing in

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without ext ...

s at Minton's Playhouse. He recorded with

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 ...

and

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 ...

in 1949, then played with

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 ...

(1951–54),

Oscar Pettiford Oscar Pettiford (September 30, 1922 – September 8, 1960) was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in the bebop idiom. Biography Pettiford was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, United ...

, Kai Winding, and

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 ...

(1951–53). At this time he was also a drug addict, which led to imprisonment and the withdrawal of his

New York City Cabaret Card The New York City Cabaret Identification Card was a permit required of all workers, including performers, in nightclubs in New York City from Prohibition to 1967. Its administration was fraught with politics, and some artists' cards were revoked o ...

. In 1956, he recorded with

Hank Mobley Henry "Hank" Mobley (July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to des ...

. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, "at some point he became a Muslim and took the name Ibrahim ibn Ismail, but he did not use this publicly." In the early 1960s he also led his own trio with

Jimmy Garrison James Emory Garrison (March 3, 1934 – April 7, 1976) was an American jazz double bassist. He is best remembered for his association with John Coltrane from 1961 to 1967. Career Garrison was raised in both Miami and Philadelphia where he l ...

and

G. T. Hogan Wilbert Granville Thodore Hogan Jr. (January 16, 1929 – August 7, 2004)"Granville T Hogan"
Family Search.

. After studying at The Juilliard School with

Hall Overton Hall Franklin Overton (February 23, 1920 – November 24, 1972) was an American composer, jazz pianist and music teacher. He was born in Bangor, Michigan, the first of the three sons of Stanford and Ruth (Barnes) Overton. He grew up in Grand Rapi ...

in the late 1960s, Bishop taught music theory at colleges in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

in the 1970s. At some point prior to moving from New York to Los Angeles, Bishop met and married the former Valerie Isabel Paul. They then moved to Los Angeles. According Jay Blotcher, Valerie Bishop's son from a previous relationship, after divorcing Walter Bishop in the mid-1970s, Valerie Bishop worked as an assistant for Ike and

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

in California. Valerie Bishop was cited by Tina Turner in Turner's memoir '' I, Tina'' as the person who inspired Turner to pursue Buddhism. In the 1980s, Bishop taught at the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

. By this time, he made frequent appearances at clubs and festivals in New York. He also wrote a book, ''A Study in Fourths'', about jazz

improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

based on cycles of fourths and fifths. His debut recording as a leader was in the 1960s. He continued performing into the 1990s. Bishop died of a heart attack at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Manhattan on January 24, 1998. He was survived by his wife, Keiko, his mother, and two sisters.

Playing style

Bishop was influenced at an early stage by

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 ...

. Later, Bishop was "known for holding back on the beat, a device that added tension to the music."

Discography

As leader

Compilation

*1965 '' The Walter Bishop Jr. Trio / 1965'' ( Prestige), compiles ''A Pair of "Naturals"'' and ''Summertime''

As sideman

With

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...

*'' Up Tight!'' (Prestige, 1961) *'' Boss Soul!'' (Prestige, 1961) With Shorty Baker and Doc Cheatham *'' Shorty & Doc'' (Swingville, 1961) With

*'' Blakey'' (EmArcy, 1954) *'' Art Blakey Big Band'' (Bethlehem, 1957) With

Rocky Boyd John Erskine "Rocky" Boyd (Boston, 1936) is an American jazz saxophonist. Biography He studied at the South End Music School, Berklee and the Boston Conservatory. Interested in jazz, he moved to New York City in 1958 where he continued his studi ...

*''

Ease It ''Ease It'' is a jazz album credited to Rocky Boyd's Quintet, featuring Kenny Dorham on trumpet. It is the only known recording by the saxophonist, and was first released by Jazztime Records (JTL 001). It was also released by Muse Records as ''Ea ...

'' (Jazztime, 1961) With

*'' Dig (Prestige, 1951) *''

Collectors' Items ''Collectors' Items'' is a 1956 studio album by Miles Davis. There are two sessions collected on the album with largely different musicians. The first 1953 session is "Compulsion", "The Serpent's Tooth" (two takes) and "'Round About Midnight". The ...

'' (Prestige, 1956) With

Kenny Dorham McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public ...

*'' Kenny Dorham Quintet'' (Debut, 1953) *''

Inta Somethin' ''Inta Somethin is a live album by American jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham featuring performances recorded at The Jazz Workshop in San Francisco in 1961 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.

'' (Pacific Jazz, 1961) With

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz Trombone, 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 ...

*'' Boss of the Soul-Stream Trombone'' (Warwick, 1960) *'' The Magnificent Trombone of Curtis Fuller'' (Epic, 1961) *''

Fire and Filigree ''Fire and Filigree'' is a studio album by American jazz trombonist Curtis Fuller which was released on December 6, 1978 via Bee Hive Records label.

'' (Bee Hive, 1978) With

John Handy John Richard Handy III (born February 3, 1933) is an American jazz musician most commonly associated with the alto saxophone. He also sings and plays the tenor and baritone saxophone, saxello, clarinet, and oboe. Biography Handy was born in Da ...

*''

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 ...

'' (Roulette, 1962) With Bill Hardman *''

Focus Focus, or its plural form foci may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in South Australia Film *''Focus'', a 1962 TV film starring James Whitmore * ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based ...

'' (Muse, 1980 984 *'' Politely'' (Muse, 1981 982 With

*'' Meet Milt Jackson'' (Savoy, 1949) With Ken McIntyre *'' Looking Ahead'' (New Jazz, 1960) With

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their dea ...

*''

Swing, Swang, Swingin' ''Swing, Swang, Swingin'' is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1959 and released on the Blue Note label.Capuchin Swing ''Capuchin Swing'' is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1960 and released on the Blue Note label.Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and ...

*''

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and ...

'' (Mainstream, 1971) *'' Vital Blue'' (Mainstream, 1971) With

*''

Mobley's 2nd Message ''Mobley's 2nd Message'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley, released on the Prestige label in 1957. It was recorded on July 27, 1956, one week after ''Mobley's Message'' (1957), and features performances by Mobley, Kenny Dorham, Walte ...

'' (Prestige, 1956) With

*''

Swedish Schnapps ''Swedish Schnapps'' ''(The Genius of Charlie Parker, volume 8)'' (MG V-8010) is a Charlie Parker compilation album, released by Verve Records, compiling recordings made by two different groups, on two different dates in 1951. The tracks had pr ...

'' (Verve 1951) side 2 *''

Fiesta ''Fiesta'' (Spanish for "religious feast", "festival", or "party") may refer to: Events *Fiesta San Antonio, a 10-day event held every April in San Antonio, Texas *St. Peter's Fiesta, a five-day festival in Gloucester, Massachusetts *Fiestas d ...

'' (Verve 1952) *''

Charlie Parker Plays Cole Porter ''The Cole Porter Songbook'', also released as ''Charlie Parker Plays Cole Porter'', is the last recorded studio album by alto saxophonist Charlie Parker. Recorded in New York City in March and December 1954, all the tunes recorded for the sessions ...

'' (Verve, 1954) *''Live at Rockland Palace'' (Parker Records, 1952 983 With

*'' The New Oscar Pettiford Sextet'' (Debut, 1953) With

Dizzy Reece Alphonso Son "Dizzy" Reece (born 5 January 1931) is a Jamaican-born hard bop jazz trumpeter. Reece is among a group of jazz musicians born in Jamaica which includes Bertie King, Joe Harriott, Roland Alphonso, Wilton Gaynair, Sonny Bradshaw, s ...

*''

Soundin' Off ''Soundin' Off'' is an album by Jamaican-born jazz trumpeter Dizzy Reece. It features performances recorded in 1960 and released the same year on Blue Note.

'' (Blue Note, 1960) With

Charlie Rouse Charlie Rouse (April 6, 1924 – November 30, 1988) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years. Biography Rouse was born in Was ...

*'' Takin' Care of Business'' (Jazzland, 1960) 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 ...

*'' On Green Dolphin Street'' (Denon, 1978) With

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 ...

*''

Broadway Soul ''Broadway Soul'' is an album by saxophonist Sonny Stitt recorded in 1965 and released on the Colpix label.Edwards, D. & Callahan, MColpix Album Discography, Part 1 (SCP-400 Popular Music Series)accessed January 8, 2013 Reception Scott Yanow of A ...

'' (Colpix, 1965) With Harold Vick *'' Commitment'' (Muse, 1967 974 With

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 ...

etc. *'' The Brothers'' (Prestige, 1949)

References

External links

*
MusicWeb Encyclopaedia of Popular Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop, Walter Jr. African-American jazz pianists Bebop pianists 1927 births 1998 deaths Jazz musicians from California Jazz musicians from New York (state) Juilliard School alumni University of Hartford Hartt School faculty Black Jazz Records artists Muse Records artists Xanadu Records artists DIW Records artists Prestige Records artists American male jazz musicians American jazz pianists American male pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians Black Lion Records artists 20th-century African-American musicians