Jump to content

Red Mitchell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the ice hockey player, seeRed Mitchell (ice hockey).

Red Mitchell
Rune Gustafsson, Red Mitchell, and Egil "Bop" Johansen, Down Town jazz club, Oslo, 1972
Rune Gustafsson,Red Mitchell, andEgil "Bop" Johansen,Down Town jazz club,Oslo,1972
Background information
Birth nameKeith Moore Mitchell
Born(1927-09-20)September 20, 1927
New York City, U.S.
DiedNovember 8, 1992(1992-11-08)(aged 65)
Salem, Oregon,U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Bass
LabelsBethlehem,Contemporary,Atlantic,Mercury,Sonet,SteepleChase,Artists House,All Life,Enja
Websitewww.redmitchell.com

Keith Moore"Red"Mitchell(September 20, 1927 – November 8, 1992)[1]was an Americanjazzdouble-bassist,composer, lyricist, and poet.

Biography

[edit]

Mitchell was born in New York City.[1]His younger brother,Whitey Mitchell,also became a jazz bassist.[1]

Mitchell was raised inNew Jerseyby a father who was an engineer and loved music, and a mother who loved poetry. His first instruments were piano, alto saxophone, and clarinet. AlthoughCornell Universityawarded him an engineering scholarship, by 1947 he was in theU.S. Armyplaying bass. The next year, he was in a jazz trio in New York City.

Mitchell performed and/or recorded withMundell Lowe,Chubby Jackson,Charlie Ventura,Woody Herman,Red Norvo,Gerry Mulligan,and, after joining theWest Coast jazzscene in the early 1950s, withAndré Previn,Shelly Manne,Hampton Hawes,Billie Holiday,Stan Seltzer,Ornette Coleman,and others such asMahalia Jackson.[1]He also worked as a bassist in television and film studios around Los Angeles, occasionally appearing on screen. Mitchell also appeared in documentaries aboutTal FarlowandZoot Sims.

SaxophonistHarold Landand Mitchell founded and co-led a quintet in the early 1960s.[2]

Mitchell moved toStockholmin 1968.[3]He won Sweden'sGrammis Awardin 1986 and again in 1991, for his recorded performances as a pianist, bassist, and vocalist, and for his compositions and poetic song lyrics.

During this period, Mitchell performed and/or recorded withClark Terry,Lee Konitz,Herb Ellis,Jim Hall,Joe Pass,Kenny Barron,Hank Jones,Ben Webster,Bill Mays,Warne Marsh,Jimmy Rowles,Phil Woods,Roger Kellaway,Putte Wickmanand others. He frequently collaborated in duos, most notably with pianist Kellaway after the mid-1980s.

The Swedish government awarded Mitchell theIllis quorumin 1992.[4]

Returning to the United States in early 1992, Mitchell settled inOregon,[2]where he died of a stroke at age 65 on November 8, 1992.[5]

A collection of his poetry was published posthumously. His widow is preparing a biography.[as of?]

Technique and playing style

[edit]

Mitchell used standard tuning during the 1950s and for the first half of the 1960s, and produced sound similar to his professional jazz bass peers.[6]However, "in 1966 he switched to cello tuning on his bass (C-G-D-A, an octave below the cello, instead of the standard E-A-D-G). At the same time, he began adjusting the tone controls of his amplifier to create a soft, unfocused sound in the lowest notes and to emphasize the upper harmonics in higher notes. The result was an airy tone quality that sounded gentle, not muscular. This airy tone and his frequent habit of strumming the strings with his right thumb contributed greatly to his unusual style."[6]

Discography

[edit]

As leader/co-leader

[edit]

As sideman

[edit]

WithBillie Holiday

WithMose Allison

WithGene Ammons

WithChet Baker

WithLouis Bellson

WithPaul Bley

WithBob Brookmeyer

WithRed Callender

WithBuddy Collette

WithTony Crombie

  • Rockin' with the Rockets – 1958 (Columbia(UK:33S1108) (10 ") - (Red Morris, Jimmy Currie,Ashley Kozak,Clyde Ray (vocals)

WithMaynard Ferguson

WithTommy Flanagan

WithJimmy Giuffre

WithJim Hall

  • Jazz Guitar(Pacific Jazz, 1957)
  • Good Friday Blues(Pacific Jazz, 1960) as The Modest Jazz Trio

WithHerbie Harper

  • Five Brothers(Tampa, 1955)

WithHampton Hawes

WithPaul Horn

WithStan Kenton

WithBarney Kessel

WithKarin Krog

WithJohnny Mandel

WithShelly Manne

WithWarne Marsh

WithGil Mellé

WithJack Montrose

WithGerry Mulligan

WithBill PerkinsandRichie Kamuca

WithAndré Previn

WithShorty Rogers

WithDick Rosmini

WithPete Rugolo

WithGeorge Russell

WithBud Shank

WithZoot Sims

  • In a Sentimental Mood(Sonet, 1985)

With Pierre Strom

  • Rallarvisor(YTF Records, 1973)

WithClark Terry

  • Out of Nowhere(Bingow, 1978)
  • Brahms Lullabye(Bingow, 1978)
  • Funk Dumplin's(Matrix, 1978)

WithCal Tjader

WithBen Webster

WithMagni Wentzel

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdColin Larkin,ed. (1992).The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz(First ed.).Guinness Publishing.p. 286/7.ISBN0-85112-580-8.
  2. ^ab"Red Mitchell | Biography & History".AllMusic.RetrievedJuly 30,2021.
  3. ^Leonard Feather(April 5, 1983)."Red Mitchell Brings His Bass Home".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 3,2012.Red Mitchell, a Swedish resident for 14 years, is getting to spend more and more time back home these days and had to come from New York for his...
  4. ^"Regeringens belöningsmedaljer och regeringens utmärkelse: Professors namn".Regeringskansliet(in Swedish). January 2006. Archived fromthe originalon November 2, 2021.RetrievedMay 18,2022.
  5. ^"Keith" Red "Mitchell".Orlando Sentinel.November 11, 1992.RetrievedSeptember 3,2012.Keith "Red" Mitchell, a jazz bassist who played with such greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Mitchell...
  6. ^abOwens, Thomas (1996).Bebop.Oxford University Press. p. 175.ISBN978-0-19-505287-9.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toRed Mitchell.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red_Mitchell&oldid=1216652645"