Some Non-Comprehensive Suggested Listening

Improvising cellists to check out whenever you can:

• Ernst Reijseger
• Vincent Courtois (France)
• Peggy Lee (Vancouver)
• Eugene Friesen (Boston)
• Fred Lomberg-Holm (Chicago)
• Matt Turner (WI)
• Rufus Cappodocia (New York)
• Tristan Honsinger (Netherlands)
• New Directions Cello Society Web Site.
• Recent article in Strings Magazine about improvising cellists.
• Eric Longsworth

Oscar Pettiford

For me Pettiford is the start of modern improvised cello playing. Here's a brief bio and then more on why I feel this way.

" [b. Okmulgee, OK, 30 Sept 1922; d. Copenhagen, 8 Sept 1960). Double bass player, cellist, and bandleader. Of mixed black and American Indian descent, Pettiford was born into a large musical family and consequently learned many instruments in the course of participating in the band's travels. Recorded with many prominent jazz musicians of the day including, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, and later, Thelonius Monk. Pettiford was renowned for his ill temperament and personnel problems with his recording endeavors. Most influential for his innovations in the bass theory of the bop sound. Considered one of the learning standards of Bop bass playing. Also helped bring the double bass to the foreground as a solo instrument."

My Little Cello, Oscar Pettiford,Fantasy Records. You might find this music on an LP called The New Oscar Pettiford Sextet. Debut Records OJC-112 (DLP-8))The My Little Cello band with French Horn (Julius Watkins), Tenor (Phil Urso), Bass (Mingus!), Piano, Drums and Pettiford's amplified cello is the first instance where the cello was integrated into the band and used as a real jazz instrument in an unselfconscious way. Pettiford's intelligence as an arranger and his beautiful sense of swing can be found in abundance here. The record still sounds relevant, a must have, even for a non-cellist.

Abdul Wadud

'Coon Bidness, Julius Hemphill (w/Abdul Wadud, cello. Wonderful free player with great pizz work) This record has been re-released as Reflections. You can also find the Oakland Duets cd around. Dogon AD is another fantastic Hemphill record with Wadud featured.

An outstanding cellist, Abdul Wadud has concentrated solely on the instrument since the age of nine, and never decided to double on bass. His plucking and bowed solos have been featured in jazz and symphonic/classical settings, and Wadud's easily the finest cellist to emerge from the '60s and '70s generation. He studied at Youngstown State and Oberlin in the late '60s and early '70s. He played in The Black Unity Trio at Oberlin and met Julius Hemphill; the two subsequently worked together well through the '80s. Wadud played in The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in the '70s, and earned his master's degree in 1972. He played with Arthur Blythe for the first time in 1976, and has since maintained a working relationship with him. He also worked and recorded with Frank Lowe, George Lewis, Oliver Lake, Sam Rivers, Cecil Taylor, David Murray, Chico Freeman, Anthony Davis and James Newton in the '70s and '80s. Wadud, Newton and Davis were in both the octet Episteme and a trio from 1982 to 1984. Wadud recorded as a leader for Bishara and Gramavision in the '70s and '80s, and in a duo with Jenkins for Red in the '70s. He has one session currently available on CD. -- Ron Wynn, All-Music Guide

Fred Katz

Fred Katz. One of the early pioneers of jazz improvisation on the cello. I suggest his recordings with Chico Hamilton. Chico Hamilton Quintet (World Pacific Records WP-1225) and The Chico Hamilton Quintet with Strings Attached (Warner Bros. 1245 (1959)) are a couple of good ones. I understand Mosaic is releasing a collection of Chico Hamilton's featuring all his Pacific Jazz releases. Great band with Jim Hall, Eric Dolphy as well as Katz, who also wrote and arranged for the band. Fred Katz did at least two records for Decca. These recordings are special for two reasons: 1) Katz is a cellist, with lots of technique, and unlike his improvising predecessors did not start on bass. This is important to me because you can hear a schooled, creative cellist making arco playing a priority in the improvisation. Previously pizzicato playing was the choice as most jazz bass players of that time did not place a lot of emphasis on arco techniques. 2) Katz is both composer and performer on these records. He created pieces that used improvisation in ways different from the head-blow-head approach. He wasn't alone in this and certainly didn't start this broadening of improvising structures but he was the first cellist to do this. One early record is called Soul-O Cello.

Harry Babasin

For a look at early improvising cellists check out "Harry Babasin and His Jazz Pickers" (Mode Records). Babasin, like Pettiford, was a bass player and could really get around on the cello. His son Von Babasin wrote me recently, ""Up in Dodo's Room: The Complete DIAL Sessions". I think you will find it extremely innovative and well played. My father was one of the greatest players jazz has ever known but he's not given the recognition he deserves. There's also a duet cello recording of Harry and Oscar Pettiford that is extremely good that was released originally on Imperial Records. And my father did three 12" LPs with the Jazzpickers and a handful of others as a trio, quartet or quintet. My father is the true pioneer, try to find some of his work, I know you will appreciate it."

More Cellists

Ron Carter's playing with Eric Dolphy is definitely worth checking out. Dolphy played with Chico Hamilton's 1950's bands that had cello and he carried on the tradition. Out There on Prestige is a great record. There's a lot to be learned from his soloing on this recording. Certainly no one before him performed an arco cello solo with as advanced a sense of time.

Arcado, (on JMT, bought and then discontinued by Polygram ) an original improvising string sound: Mark Feldman, Mark Dresser, Hank Roberts (on Avant, Ernst Reijseger). When I first heard Arcado at the Knitting Factory in the late 80's I realized that it was possible to play strings and create music with a sound that was unique and dynamic and modern. I was amazed and blown away. You can hear Hank on a bunch of Frisell records but try to get a hold of this first Arcado cd or the first Miniature cd (w/Tim Berne and Joey Baron) where you can hear him both play and write. He is a great writer too.

Clusone 3. Fantastic Dutch trio of Michael Moore, Han Benik and Ernst Reijseger on cello. I love the Irving Berlin cd and there are now two CD's on Winter & Winter of Ernst's playing which are quite beautiful.

Tom Cora

I had seen Tom Cora live a bunch of times and was always amazed. He was a great improviser and no one I've heard was better at integrating electronics into their performances. Sadly he died after a long fight with cancer. For more info on Tom you can check out Patrice Roussel's Tom Cora discography page. Here is a testimonial from the web:

"I urge you to investigate the above named recording so you can not only hear but see for yourself if the video is too pricey, then try the below named recordings featuring Cora: Curlew - "Bee" (cat no. Cuneiform Rune 27) (Curlew mixes the blues grit of Mississippi delta mud with the jazz grit of the downtown NYC asphalt and filters the concoction through Ornette Coleman...or something to that effect..."Bee" was recorded just prior to "The Hardwood") Nimal - "Voix De Surface" (cat no. RecRec Music ReCDec 31) (accompanied by Curlew drummer Pippin Barnett and members of Debile Menthol, L', Ensemble Reye, and Begnagrad, this quintet performs an incredibly nimble and lively mixture of rock, Eastern European folk, and jazz. Instrumentation includes guitar, bass, drums, cello, accordion, harmonica, bouzouki...) Skeleton Crew - "Learn to Talk/Country Of the Blinds" (cat no. RecRec Music ReCDec 512) (both SC lps on a single cd. On the first Cora is teamed with Fred Frith and on the second both are joined by Zeena Parkins. True to the "one man band" philosophy, SC employed all four limbs in performance. The result is a weird and wonderful hybrid of rock, improvisation, and fake folk tunes played with a "naive gusto" according to FF)"

--ajh (from the Celloworld mailing list)

Hallelujah Anyway, Remembering Tom Cora

For anyone interested in Tom Cora please check out the moving new double CD on Tzadik called, "Hallelujah, Anyway. Remembering Tom Cora" It's an absolutely beautiful collection of Tom's works as well as new tribute pieces by friends and former band associates like Fred Frith, Zeena Parkins, Marc Ribot, and his wife Catherine Jauniaux). Fantastic! Highly recommended. Check the Tzadik website for info.

The work of Ernst Reijseger solo (Winter & Winter Records) and in Gerry Hemmingway's super quintet(w/Michael Moore, Wolter Wierbos, Ernst Reijseger, Mark Dresser) is extraordinary. For more info on Gerry's music go to his web site

Miscellaneous

Rostropovitch's recording of the Lutoslovski and Duttilleux cello concerti is amazing. I also suggest the box set of recordings chosen by Rostropovitch documenting his early years in Russia, EMI Classics, "Rostropovitch, the Russian Years 1950-1974". Amazing recordings of Shostakovitch cello concerti, Britten solo suites, much more.

Not Cello

Try finding recordings by Zbignew Seifert an amazing Polish violinist/improvisor and check out a CD by violinist Mark Feldman of solo improvisations on Tzadik called " Music for Violin Alone." The Avant CD with pianist Sylvie Courvoisier is also great.