Major Holley

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Major Quincy Jr. Holley , also Mule Holley (born July 10, 1924 in Detroit , Michigan , † October 25, 1990 in Maplewood , New Jersey ), was an American jazz bassist .

Live and act

Holley's first instruments were the violin and tuba ; During his military service in the US Navy , he switched to the double bass. After military service, he performed with musicians such as Dexter Gordon , Wardell Gray , Charlie Parker , Art Tatum and Ella Fitzgerald . He made his first recordings in 1950 as a duo with Oscar Peterson (which were never re-released) and briefly became a member of the Peterson Trio alongside Charlie Smith .

In 1951 he moved to London . Between 1954 and 1956 he worked as a studio musician for the BBC and was a member of the BBC Orchestra before joining Woody Herman's band on a tour of South America in 1958 . After returning to the USA in 1959 he joined the quintet of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims . In the 1960s he worked again as a studio musician and performed with the Kenny Burrell Trio , Coleman Hawkins ( Today and Now , 1962), Roy Eldridge , Quincy Jones and Duke Ellington (1964). Between 1967 and 1970 he taught at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

He subsequently toured Europe with Helen Humes and the Kings of Jazz , recorded with Lee Konitz (1975), Roland Hanna (1979), Slam Stewart (1981), Michel Legrand , Milt Buckner and Jay McShann and performed at various European jazz festivals on. As a bassist, Holley was known to accompany his solo play (with the bow) by simultaneous unison hums, which he said he took over from Slam Stewart; but he did not switch to the octave .

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personal data
SURNAME Holley, major
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Holley, Mule
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz bassist
DATE OF BIRTH July 10, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Detroit , Michigan , USA
DATE OF DEATH October 25, 1990
Place of death Maplewood , New Jersey , USA