Jack Gregg

Jack Gregg (2010)

Jack Gregg (* 1938 in West Virginia ) is an American double bass player (also cello ) who has made a name for himself in creative music .

Live and act

Gregg grew up in Memphis (Tennessee) with Blues - Gospel - and Country & Western -Music on before settling under the influence of recordings of Louis Armstrong the Jazz turned. He started playing the ukulele at the age of ten ; At the age of twelve he switched to the trombone and at the age of 15 to the double bass , which he played in dance orchestras and in rhythm and blues bands. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the army, where he served two years in Alaska, where he also had the opportunity to make music. After his release, he lived briefly in California before performing with bands between New Orleans and Memphis. In 1961 he became a member of Claude Thornhill's orchestra , with whom he went on tour. He moved to New York City in 1964 to study with Frederick Zimmermann ; during this time he was part of Roy Eldridge's band . Then he opened up to free jazz and played with Marion Brown , Jeanne Lee , Paul Bley , Marion Brown and Andrew Cyrille ; He was also interested in the emerging rock jazz and jammed with Larry Coryell , Gary Burton , Steve Swallow , Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette . With DeJohnette, Bob Moses , Jumma Santos and Harold Vick , he founded the fusion band Compost in 1970 . In the next few years, he also performed with Jaki Byard , Horace Silver and Gil Evans and toured frequently with the Galaxy Dream Band of Gunter Hampel in Europe.

In 1976 he settled in Europe, where he worked in Paris with Frank Wright , Noah Howard , Marion Brown, Longineu Parsons , Raymond Boni and Memphis Slim , but also toured with Joe Henderson , Joe Lee Wilson and Steve McCraven . In 1995 he moved to Beirut , where he worked as a double bass teacher at the National Conservatory, but also performed with Ziad Rhabani and Three Wheel Drive . Since 2005 he has lived in Paris again, from where he went on tour with Archie Shepp and Bobby Few .