Ralph Peña
Ralph Raymond Peña (born February 24, 1927 in Jarbidge , Nevada , † May 20, 1969 in Mexico City ) was an American modern jazz bassist . "His grippingly clear rhythmic articulation made him particularly desirable for small formations;" he wrote "Jazz history " with Jimmy Giuffre .
Live and act
Peña first played the baritone horn and tuba before switching to the double bass. As a teenager he played professionally with Jerry Austin from 1942 to 1945. While attending college in San Francisco , he made a name for himself in the West Coast jazz scene and played a. a. with Art Pepper , Vido Musso , Cal Tjader (1950), Billy May (1951/2), Barney Kessel (1953 to 1955), Charlie Barnet , Stan Getz , Shorty Rogers (1955/6). In 1955 he was a founding member of the formation Shelly Manne & His Men. He was also known as a member of the trio of Jimmy Giuffre (with Jim Hall , to which he belonged from 1956 to 1957. Giuffre then played with trombonist Bob Brookmeyer ); Peña left Giuffres "Three", because he had married and refrained from touring life. He also played with Buddy DeFranco between 1956 and 1959 . From 1958 to 1962 he worked in a duo with the pianist Pete Jolly , where, according to Reclam's jazz dictionary, he achieved “masterful achievements”.
In 1962 he was on a European tour with George Shearing and in the same year with Bill Miller on Frank Sinatra's world tour, for which he also played many times in the studio between 1956 and 1968. He also accompanied the singers Anita O'Day , Ella Fitzgerald and Nancy Wilson , played with Joe Pass and in 1960 with Ben Webster . Occasionally he also played with his own band, for example in 1963 in Los Angeles . He died in a car accident in Mexico. In 1961 he released the LP “Master of the Bass” (VSOP) with Herb Geller , Joe Albany and Pete Jolly (recorded in his studio and in “Sherry's Piano Bar” in Hollywood).
Lexigraphic entries
- Carlo Bohländer , Karl Heinz Holler, Christian Pfarr: Reclam's Jazz Guide . 3rd, revised and expanded edition. Reclam, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-15-010355-X .
- Wolf Kampmann (Ed.), With the assistance of Ekkehard Jost : Reclams Jazzlexikon . Reclam, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-15-010528-5 .
Web links
- Ralph Peña at Allmusic (English)
- Peña: "They are playing the jazz first and then stating the theme", "Mainstream, whats that?", 1962 ( Blindfold test , English)
swell
- ↑ a b Reclam's Jazz Lexicon
- ↑ Discographic data on the VSOP disk ( Memento from January 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Peña, Ralph |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Peña, Ralph Raymond (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American modern jazz bassist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 24, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Jarbidge , Nevada |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 20, 1969 |
| Place of death | Mexico city |