Oscar Pettiford (September 30, 1922 – September 8, 1960)[1] was an Americanjazzdouble bassist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in thebebop idiom.
Jazz bassistChristian McBride called Pettiford "probably the most important bass player of that bebop generation in terms of creating new language for the bass."[2]
He grew up playing in the family band, in which he sang and danced before switching to piano at the age of 12, then to double bass when he was 14.[1] Jamela Pettiford, a singer inSt. Paul, Minnesota, and a descendant of the Pettiford family, toldMinnesota Public Radio in 2022 that the Pettiford family band traveled itinerantly for a time as road musicians before settling in northMinneapolis.[2]
Pettiford is quoted as saying that he did not like the way people were playing the bass, so he developed his own way of playing it. Despite being admired by the likes ofMilt Hinton at the age of 14, he gave up in 1941 because he did not believe he could make a living. Five months later, he once again met Hinton, who persuaded him to return to music.
In 1942, Pettiford joined theCharlie Barnet band and in 1943 gained wider public attention after recording withColeman Hawkins on his "The Man I Love".[1] Pettiford also recorded withEarl Hines andBen Webster around this time.[1] After he moved to New York, he was one of the musicians (together withDizzy Gillespie,Thelonious Monk,Kenny Clarke) who in the early 1940s jammed atMinton's Playhouse, where the music style developed that was later called bebop.[1] Pettiford andDizzy Gillespie led a bop group in 1943.[1] In 1945, Pettiford went with Hawkins to California, where he appeared inThe Crimson Canary, a mystery movie known for its jazz soundtrack, which also featuredJosh White. He then worked withDuke Ellington from 1945 to 1948 and forWoody Herman in 1949, before working mainly as a leader in the 1950s.[1]
As a leader, he inadvertently discoveredCannonball Adderley. After one of his musicians had tricked him into letting Adderley, an unknown music teacher, onto the stand, he had Adderley solo on a demanding piece, on which Adderley performed impressively.
Pettiford is considered the pioneer of the cello as a solo instrument in jazz music.[4][5] He first played the cello as a practical joke on his band leader Woody Herman. In the middle of adouble bass solo, Pettiford surprised everyone by abruptly exiting the stage; soon thereafter, he further surprised Herman and the rest of his bandmates by returning to the bandstand with a cello, on which he played the remainder of his solo. Later, after suffering a broken arm in 1949, Pettiford found it impossible to play his bass, so he experimented with a cello a friend had lent him. Tuning it in fourths, like a double bass, but one octave higher, Pettiford found it possible to perform during his rehabilitation (during which time his arm was in a sling), and made his first recordings with the instrument in 1950. The cello thus became his secondary instrument, and he continued to perform and record with it throughout the remainder of his career.[1]
He recorded extensively during the 1950s for theDebut,Bethlehem, andABC Paramount labels, among others. During the mid-1950s, he played on the first three albums that Thelonious Monk recorded for theRiverside label.
Between 1954 and 1958, Pettiford also led sextets, big bands, and jazz orchestras which played dates in Manhattan venues likeBirdland, where he continued to explore unusual instrumentalvoicing includingFrench horns and harp. The reedist and composerGigi Gryce collaborated with Pettiford on the novel arrangements for the orchestra's hi-fi albums.
In 1958, Pettiford moved toCopenhagen, Denmark,[1] and started recording for European companies. After his move to Europe, he often performed with European musicians, such asAttila Zoller, and also with other Americans who had settled in Europe, includingBud Powell andKenny Clarke.
Pettiford's influence on bassists of later generations is frequently noted; his composition "Tricotism" is a standard piece of jazz bass repertoire, and has been recorded by bassists from several different generations, includingRay Brown,Milt Hinton,Rufus Reid,John Clayton,Bill Crow, Yasushi Nakamura, and others.[6]
Duke Ellington:Carnegie Hall Concert January 1946 (Prestige)
Duke Ellington:Carnegie Hall Concert December 1947 (Prestige);1947–1948 (Classics),1949–1950 (Classics),Great Times! (OJC, 1950) (includes "Perdido", "Blues for Blanton")
Tal Farlow:Jazz Masters 41 (Verve 1955–58);Finest Hour (Verve, 1955–58)
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