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Wilbur Ware
Wilbur Ware
Birth name	Wilbur Bernard Ware
Born	September 8, 1923; Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	September 9, 1979 (aged 56); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Double bass

Wilbur Bernard Ware (September 8, 1923 – September 9, 1979) was an American jazz double bassist.^[1] He was a regular bassist for the Riverside record label in the 1950s, and recorded regularly in that decade with Johnny Griffin, Kenny Dorham, Kenny Drew, and Thelonious Monk. He also appeared on records released by J.R. Monterose, Toots Thielemans, Sonny Clark, Tina Brooks, Zoot Sims, and Grant Green, among others.

Career

Ware grew up in Chicago where he taught himself to play drums, banjo, bass while playing at church. In the 1940s, he worked with Stuff Smith, Sonny Stitt, and Roy Eldridge.^[2] He recorded with Sun Ra in the early 1950s.^[1] Later in the 1950s, settling in New York City, Ware played with Eddie Vinson, Art Blakey, and Buddy DeFranco.^[2] His only album recorded as a leader and released during his lifetime was The Chicago Sound, from 1957 when he worked for Riverside.^[2] He made jazz instructional albums for Music Minus One. In 1958, Ware was one of 57 jazz musicians to appear in the photograph A Great Day in Harlem.^[3]

Ware was a member of the Thelonious Monk quartet from 1957 to 1958. He also performed and recorded in 1957 with the Sonny Rollins Trio at the Village Vanguard. Largely self taught, Ware had an unorthodox but highly unique and percussive approach to the bass.

Ware's addiction to narcotics resulted in his return to Chicago in 1963, and then to a period of incarceration. He was inactive musically for about six years.^[1] In 1969, Ware played with Clifford Jordan, Elvin Jones and Sonny Rollins.^[2] He died from emphysema in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1979.^[2]

Discography

As leader

The Chicago Sound with Johnny Griffin (Riverside, 1957)
Super Bass (Wilbur Ware Institute, 2012) – With Clifford Jordan. Recorded for Strata-East in 1968, but not released for more than 40 years

As sideman

With Art Blakey

Originally (Columbia, 1982)

With Tina Brooks

The Waiting Game (Blue Note, 1961)

With Sonny Clark

Dial "S" for Sonny (Blue Note, 1957)

With Walt Dickerson

Tell Us Only the Beautiful Things (Whynot, 1975)
Walt Dickerson 1976 (Whynot, 1976)

With Kenny Dorham

2 Horns / 2 Rhythm (Riverside, 1957)

With Kenny Drew

A Harry Warren Showcase (Judson, 1957)
A Harold Arlen Showcase (Judson, 1957)
I Love Jerome Kern (Riverside, 1957)
This Is New (Riverside, 1957)
Pal Joey (Riverside, 1957)

With Matthew Gee

Jazz by Gee (Riverside, 1956)

With Grant Green

Remembering (Blue Note, 1961)

With Johnny Griffin

Johnny Griffin (Argo, 1956)
Johnny Griffin Sextet (Riverside, 1958)
Way Out! (Riverside, 1958)

With Ernie Henry

Presenting Ernie Henry (Riverside, 1956)
Seven Standards and a Blues (Riverside, 1957)
Last Chorus (Riverside, 1956–57)

With Clifford Jordan

Jenkins, Jordan and Timmons (Prestige, 1957)]
Starting Time (Jazzland, 1961)
In the World (Strata-East, 1969 [1972])
Remembering Me-Me (Muse, 1977)

With Herbie Mann

The Jazz We Heard Last Summer (Savoy, 1957)

With Blue Mitchell

Big 6 (Riverside, 1958)

With Hank Mobley

Hank (Blue Note, 1957)

With Charles Moffett

The Gift (Savoy, 1969)

With Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Himself (Riverside, 1957)
Monk's Music (Riverside, 1957)
Mulligan Meets Monk (Riverside, 1957)
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (Jazzland, 1961)

With J. R. Monterose

J. R. Monterose (Blue Note, 1956)

With Lee Morgan

Lee Morgan Indeed! (Blue Note, 1956)

With Cecil Payne

Zodiac (Strata-East, 1973)

With Rita Reys

The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (Columbia, 1956)

With Sonny Rollins

Night at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note, 1958)

With Zoot Sims

Zoot! (Riverside, 1956)

With Toots Thielemans

Man Bites Harmonica! (Riverside, 1958)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Feather, Leonard & Gitler, Ira (2007) The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, p. 674. Oxford University Press
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 476/7. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
^ "Musicians". A-great-day-in-harlem.com. Retrieved October 29, 2019.