Billy Mitchell (jazz musician)
William Melvin Mitchell (November 3, 1926 – April 18, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.[1][2]
Mitchell was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He and his family moved to Detroit, where he received early music education at Cass Tech. He was known for his close association with trumpeter Thad Jones, who was also from Detroit, and worked in several big bands, including Woody Herman's when he replaced Gene Ammons. In 1949 Mitchell recorded with the Milt Buckner band, as well as making several recordings with Thad Jones.
From 1951 to 1954, Mitchell led the house band at the Blue Bird Inn in Detroit.[3]:124 The band operated in different configurations, including with drummer Oliver Jackson and his bassist brother Ali; as a quartet with Terry Pollard, Beans Richardson, and Elvin Jones;[3]:126 as a quintet including Thad Jones;[3]:131 and, for several months in 1953, with Miles Davis as a guest soloist.[4]:173
From 1956 to 1957 he played with Dizzy Gillespie in his big band. From 1957 until 1961 and from 1966 to 1967 Mitchell played with Count Basie. In the early 1960s he co-led a group with Al Grey, The Al Grey Billy Mitchell Sextet, which won the Down Beat magazine new band award in 1962.
Mitchell performed and recorded with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band in Europe in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was musical director for Stevie Wonder for a short time during this period. He died in Rockville Centre, New York, in 2001.
He is not to be confused with Billy Mitchell the jazz pianist and keyboardist whose career was most notably with Optimism Records in the 1980s.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
- 1957: Dizzy Atmosphere (Specialty) with Al Grey and Lee Morgan
- 1961: The Al Grey - Billy Mitchell Sextet (Argo) with Al Grey
- 1962: Snap Your Fingers (Argo) with Al Grey
- 1962: This Is Billy Mitchell (Smash)
- 1962: Night Song (Argo) with Al Grey
- 1963: A Little Juicy (Smash) with Thad Jones
- 1977: Now's the Time (Catalyst)
- 1978: The Colossus of Detroit (Xanadu)
- 1980: Xanadu in Africa (Xanadu) with Al Cohn
- 1980: Night Flight to Dakar (Xanadu) with Al Cohn
- 1980: De Lawd's Blues (Xanadu)
As sideman
With Count Basie
- Basie Plays Hefti (Roulette, 1958)
- Sing Along with Basie (Roulette, 1958) with Joe Williams and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
- Basie One More Time (Roulette, 1959)
- Breakfast Dance and Barbecue (Roulette, 1959)
- Strike Up the Band (Roulette, 1959)
- Chairman of the Board (Roulette, 1959)
- Everyday I Have the Blues (Roulette, 1959) with Joe Williams
- Dance Along with Basie (Roulette, 1959)
- Not Now, I'll Tell You When (Roulette, 1960)
- The Count Basie Story (Roulette, 1960)
- Kansas City Suite (Roulette, 1960)
- Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan (Roulette, 1961)
- Back with Basie (Roulette, 1962)
- Basie's Beat (Verve, 1967)
With Tony Bennett
- In Person! (Columbia, 1958)
With the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
- Handle with Care (Atlantic, 1963)
- Now Hear Our Meanin' (Columbia, 1963 [1965])
- Off Limits (Polydor, 1970)
- November Girl (Black Lion, 1970 [1975]) with Carmen McRae
With Dizzy Gillespie
- World Statesman (Norgran, 1956)
- Dizzy in Greece (Verve, 1957)
- Birks' Works (Verve, 1957)
- Dizzy Gillespie at Newport (Verve, 1957)
With Al Grey
- The Last of the Big Plungers (Argo, 1959)
- The Thinking Man’s Trombone (Argo, 1960)
With Jimmy Heath
- Little Man Big Band (Verve, 1992)
With Milt Jackson
- Meet Milt Jackson (Savoy, 1949)
- Roll 'Em Bags (Savoy, 1949)
- Soul Brothers with Ray Charles instrumental (Atlantic 1957)
With Eddie Jefferson
- Things Are Getting Better (Muse, 1974)
With Thad Jones
- Detroit-New York Junction (Blue Note, 1956)
- The Magnificent Thad Jones (Blue Note, 1956)
With Pony Poindexter
- Pony's Express (Epic, 1962)
With Bernard Purdie
- Stand By Me (Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get) (Mega, 1971)
References
- ↑ Martin, Douglas (May 2, 2001). "Billy Mitchell, 74, Saxophonist Who Played in Top Jazz Bands". New York Times. Retrieved 17 Jun 2016.
- ↑ Allmusic
- 1 2 3 Bjorn, Lars; Gallert, Jim (2001). Before Motown. "Before Motown". University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-06765-6. Retrieved 20 Jun 2016.
- ↑ Davis, Miles; Troupe, Quincy (1989). Miles. Simon & Schuster. LCCN 90037501. Retrieved 20 June 2016.