Lee Odiss Bass III (May 2, 1943 – February 3, 2022), better known asMickey Bass, was an American bassist, composer, arranger, and music educator. He played withChico Freeman,John Hicks, andKiane Zawadi.

Bass was a Pittsburgh bassist who worked with hard bop bandleaders and combos from the 1960s; he did not record often as a leader. His maternal grandmother, who performed in minstrel shows, taught him and his cousinsBarbershop music. He played and recorded withSonny Rollins,Bennie Green, andCharles Mingus.The New York Times declared: "When Mickey Bass and the Co-operation get in the right groove...it is doubtful if there is another jazz group in town that swings as hard as this one."^[1]

He taught students atDuke Ellington School of the Arts andHartt College of Music from 1975 to 1985. His students at Ellington includedWallace Roney,Gregory Charles Royal,Clarence Seay, and drummer Eric Allen. In 1980, he was given a National Endowment for the Arts Composers' Grant.^[2]

Bass died in New York City on February 3, 2022, at the age of 78.^[3]

• Sentimental Mood (Chiaroscuro, 1982)
• The Co-operation (Early Bird, 1991)
• Another Way Out (Early Bird, 1991)

WithArt Blakey

• Child's Dance (Prestige, 1972)
• Buhaina (Prestige, 1973)
• Anthenagin (Prestige, 1973)

WithCurtis Fuller

• Smokin' (Mainstream, 1972)

WithPhilly Joe Jones

• Mean What You Say (Sonet, 1977)

WithJimmy McGriff

• Concert: Friday the 13th - Cook County Jail (Groove Merchant. 1972 [1973])

WithHank Mobley

• Thinking of Home (Blue Note, 1973)

With Ramon Morris

• Sweet Sister Funk (Groove Merchant, 1973)

WithLee Morgan

• The Sixth Sense (Blue Note, 1968 [1999])

WithBobby Timmons

• Chicken & Dumplin's (Prestige, 1965)
• Soul Food (Prestige, 1966)

WithReuben Wilson

• The Sweet Life (Groove Merchant, 1973)

• AllMusic

• 1943 births
• 2022 deaths
• 20th-century African-American musicians
• 20th-century American guitarists
• 21st-century African-American musicians
• Musicians from Pittsburgh
• American bass guitarists
• The Jazz Messengers members
• Guitarists from Pennsylvania

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• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hCards