Jimmy Bond
Acoustic Bass
About
Jimmy Bond was a double bassist, arranger, and composer whose career bridged the worlds of jazz and studio recording across four decades. After studying at Juilliard and playing in Philadelphia clubs alongside Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, he recorded extensively with Chet Baker in the mid-1950s, appearing on Chet Baker Sings and Chet Baker Big Band for Pacific Jazz. He toured with George Shearing and performed with Ella Fitzgerald and Sonny Rollins before relocating to Los Angeles in 1959. There he became a core member of the Wrecking Crew, the legendary collective of session musicians who played on hundreds of hit records. His bass can be heard on the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound productions including the Crystals and Righteous Brothers, and recordings by Nina Simone, Frank Zappa, Linda Ronstadt, B.B. King, and many others. He also worked in film scoring, contributing to the soundtrack of The Color Purple.
Trivia
Bond was one of few African American musicians to break into the predominantly white Hollywood studio scene of the 1960s, helping open doors for musicians of color who followed. In a documentary interview about the Wrecking Crew, he called his years as a session musician "the best thing" he had done in his entire career. Beyond bass, he was trained in tuba, orchestration, and composition, skills he put to use arranging for Linda Ronstadt, the Turtles, and commercial jingles.
Early Life
Born James Edward Bond Jr. on January 27, 1933, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he began playing bass in junior high school and also studied tuba, orchestration, and composition. While still a teenager, he performed in Philadelphia jazz clubs alongside Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, and Gene Ammons. He enrolled at the Juilliard School in New York in 1950, studying there for five years while continuing to play in the city's jazz scene. After graduating in 1955, he immediately joined Chet Baker's group, launching a recording career that would eventually encompass hundreds of sessions.
Jimmy Bond Solos
1955
Acoustic Bass solo - Crescendo Blues - 1955
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 121 BPM