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Cecil McBee
Cecil McBee
	Cecil McBee, The Cookers at Nice 2016
Background information
Born	May 19, 1935 (age 89); Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Double bass
Labels	Strata-East, Enja, India Navigation, Palmetto

Cecil McBee (born May 19, 1935)^[1] is an American jazz bassist. He has recorded as a leader only a handful of times since the 1970s, but has contributed as a sideman to a number of classic jazz albums.

Biography

Early life and career

McBee was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States.^[1] He studied clarinet at school, but switched to bass at the age of 17, and began playing in local nightclubs.^[1] After gaining a music degree from Ohio Central State University, McBee spent two years in the U.S. Army, during which time he conducted the band at Fort Knox.^[1] In 1959, he played with Dinah Washington, and in 1962 he moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he worked with Paul Winter's folk-rock ensemble between 1963 and 1964.^[1]

New York

His jazz career began to take off in the mid-1960s, after he moved to New York, when he began playing and recording with a number of significant musicians including Miles Davis, Andrew Hill, Sam Rivers, Jackie McLean (1964), Wayne Shorter (1965–66), Charles Lloyd (1966), Yusef Lateef (1967–69), Keith Jarrett, Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw (1986), and Alice Coltrane (1969–72).^[1]

Later career

In the 2000s, McBee unsuccessfully sued a Japanese company that opened a chain of stores under his name.^[2]

He was an artist in residence at Harvard from 2010 to 2011.^[3] He teaches at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts.

Awards

1991 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.

Grammys

Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane (MCA, 1987), Pharoah Sanders/David Murray/McCoy Tyner/Cecil McBee/Roy Haynes – Winner, Best instrumental performance, individual or group, Grammy Awards, 1988.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Mutima (Strata-East, 1974)
Alternate Spaces (Bomba, 1977)
Music from the Source (Enja, 1977 [1978])
Compassion (Enja, 1977 [1979])
Flying Out (India Navigation, 1982)
Roots of Blue (RPR, 1986) – duets with Muhal Richard Abrams
Unspoken (Palmetto, 1996 [1997])
Tribal Ghost (NoBusiness, 2007 [2013]) with John Tchicai, Charlie Kohlhase, Garrison Fewell, and Billy Hart

With Almanac (Mike Nock, Bennie Maupin, McBee, Eddie Marshall)

Almanac (Improvising Artists, 1967 [1977])

As sideman

With George Adams

America (Blue Note, 1990)

With Ray Anderson

Old Bottles - New Wine (Enja, 1985)

With Chet Baker

Blues for a Reason (Criss Cross Jazz, 1985)

With Bill Barron

Live at Cobi's 2 (SteepleChase, 1985 [2006])

With Kenny Barron

Landscape (Baystate, 1984)
What If? (Enja, 1986)
Live at Fat Tuesdays (Enja, 1988)

With the Bob Thiele Collective

Sunrise Sunset (Red Baron, 1990)

With Joanne Brackeen

Snooze (Choice, 1975)
Tring-a-Ling (Choice, 1977)
Havin' Fun (Concord Jazz, 1985)
Fi-Fi Goes to Heaven (Concord Jazz, 1986)
Turnaround (Evidence, 1992)

With Dollar Brand

African Space Program (Enja, 1973)

With Anthony Braxton

Eight (+3) Tristano Compositions, 1989: For Warne Marsh (hatArt, 1989)

With Roy Brooks

The Free Slave (Muse, 1970 [1972])

With Joe Chambers

The Almoravid (Muse, 1974)

With Alice Coltrane

Journey in Satchidananda (Impulse!, 1970)
Carnegie Hall '71 (Hi Hat, 2018)
The Carnegie Hall Concert (Impulse!, 2024)

With Junior Cook

Pressure Cooker (Catalyst, 1977)

With Stanley Cowell

Equipoise (Galaxy, 1979)
Close to You Alone (DIW, 1990)

With Ted Curson

Blue Piccolo (Whynot, 1976)

With Ricky Ford

Looking Ahead (Muse. 1986)

With Chico Freeman

Morning Prayer (India Navigation, 1976)
Chico (India Navigation, 1977)
The Outside Within (India Navigation, 1978)
Kings of Mali (India Navigation, 1978)
Spirit Sensitive (India Navigation, 1979)
Destiny's Dance (Contemporary, 1981)

With Hal Galper

Now Hear This (Enja, 1977)

With Johnny Griffin

Birds and Ballads (1978)

With Louis Hayes

Variety Is the Spice (Gryphon, 1978)

With Roy Haynes

Thank You Thank You (Galaxy, 1977)
Vistalite (Galaxy, 1977 [1979])

With Andrew Hill

Compulsion! (Blue Note, 1965)

With Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw

Double Take (Blue Note, 1986)

With Elvin Jones

Power Trio (Novus, 1990) – with John Hicks
When I Was at Aso-Mountain (Enja, 1990)
Elvin Jones Jazz Machine (Trio, 1997)
It Don't Mean a Thing (Enja, 1993)

With Clifford Jordan

Two Tenor Winner (Criss Cross, 1984)

With John Klemmer

Magic and Movement (Impulse!, 1974)

With Prince Lasha

Inside Story (Enja, 1965 [1981])

With Yusef Lateef

The Complete Yusef Lateef (Atlantic, 1967)
The Blue Yusef Lateef (Atlantic, 1968)
Yusef Lateef's Detroit (Atlantic, 1969)
The Diverse Yusef Lateef (Atlantic, 1970)

With The Leaders

Mudfoot (Black Hawk, 1986)
Out Here Like This (Black Saint, 1987)
Heaven Dance (Sunnyside, 1988) – The Leaders Trio with pianist Kirk Lightsey and drummer Don Moye
Unforeseen Blessings (Black Saint, 1988)
Slipping and Sliding (Sound Hills, 1994)
Spirits Alike (Double Moon, 2006)

With Dave Liebman

The Seasons (Soul Note, 1992)
John Coltrane's Meditations (Arkadia Jazz, 1998)

With Charles Lloyd

Dream Weaver (1966, Atlantic)
Forest Flower (1966, Atlantic)
The Flowering (1966, Atlantic)
Charles Lloyd in Europe (1966, Atlantic)

With Raphe Malik

Storyline (Boxholder, 1999) – with Cody Moffett

With Joe Maneri

Dahabenzapple (hat ART, 1993 [1996])

With Jackie McLean

It's Time! (Blue Note, 1964)
Action Action Action (Blue Note, 1964)

With Lloyd McNeill

Treasures (1976)

With Charles McPherson

New Horizons (Xanadu, 1977)

With Grachan Moncur III

Some Other Stuff (Blue Note, 1964)
Echoes of Prayer (JCOA, 1975) with the Jazz Composer's Orchestra

With Tisziji Munoz

Rendezvous With Now (India Navigation, 1978)
Visiting This Planet (Anami Music, 1988)
Presence of Joy (Anami Music, 1999)
Divine Radiance (Anami Music, 2003)

With Amina Claudine Myers

Salutes Bessie Smith (Leo, 1980)

With Art Pepper

Winter Moon (Galaxy, 1980)

With Dannie Richmond

"In" Jazz for the Culture Set (Impulse!, 1965)

With Sam Rivers

Dimensions & Extensions (Blue Note, 1967)
Streams (Impulse!, 1973)
Hues (Impulse!, 1973)
Emanation (NoBusiness, 2019) - Volume 1 of the Sam Rivers Archive Series; recorded in 1971

With Charlie Rouse