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Harrison Bankhead

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harrison Bankhead
Birth nameHarrison Napoleon Bankhead III
Born(1955-03-01)March 1, 1955
Waukegan, Illinois, U.S.
DiedApril 5, 2023(2023-04-05) (aged 68)
GenresJazz
Instrument(s)Double bass

Harrison Napoleon Bankhead III[1] (March 1, 1955 – April 5, 2023) was an American jazz double-bassist.

Life and career

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Bankhead became associated with the Chicago jazz scene in the early-1980s.[2] Early in his career, he performed with Fred Anderson on tour and at Anderson's Chicago club, the Velvet Lounge.[3] Bankhead has worked with Oliver Lake, Roscoe Mitchell, Von Freeman, Malachi Thompson, 8 Bold Souls, and Hamid Drake, and was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. His first album as a leader, Morning Sun/Harvest Moon, was released on Engine, a sub-label of ESP-Disk, in 2011, and featured sidemen Edward Wilkerson, Jr., Mars Williams, James Sanders, Avreeayl Ra, and Ernie Adams.[4] He followed this with Velvet Blue, with Wilkerson, Williams, and Ra, whose name and title track pay tribute to Fred Anderson and the Velvet Lounge.[5]

Bankhead died on April 5, 2023, at the age of 68.[6][7]

Discography

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As leader

With Malachi Thompson

With 8 Bold Souls

With Dee Alexander

With others

References

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  1. ^ "Harrison Bankhead Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  2. ^ Piotr Michalowski, Bass Is The Place Archived 2019-12-15 at the Wayback Machine. Ann Arbor Observer, October 2014.
  3. ^ Lyn Horton, Review of Morning Sun/Harvest Moon. JazzTimes, August 9, 2011.
  4. ^ Peter Margasak, Three Beats: Bassist Harrison Bankhead finally releases an album of his own. Chicago Reader, July 28, 2011.
  5. ^ Peter Margasak, Bassist Harrison Bankhead, back in front. Chicago Reader, January 24, 2014.
  6. ^ "Harrison Napoleon Bankhead III". Legacy. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Harrison Napoleon Bankhead, III". Bradshaw & Range Funeral Home PC. Retrieved 16 April 2023.