WILBUR WARE

Wilbur Ware (September 8, 1923 – September 9, 1979) was an American jazz double-bassist known for his hard bop percussive style.

Born in Chicago, Ware taught himself to play banjo and bass. In the 1940s, he worked with Stuff Smith, Sonny Stitt and Roy Eldridge. In the 1950s, Ware played with Eddie Vinson, Art Blakey, and Buddy DeFranco. He is best known for his work with the Thelonious Monk quartet in 1957-58. In 1969, Ware played with Clifford Jordan, Elvin Jones and Sonny Rollins. He later moved to Philadelphia, where he died from emphysema in 1979.

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Wilbur is famous for his percussive approach to the bass, laying the beats down low with a heavy tone. After working in Chicago based bands, he played with groups led by Stuff Smith, Roy Eldridge In the 50s he recorded with Art Blakey , Johnny Griffin and Thelonious Monk. In 1969 he played with Clifford Jordan, Elvin Jones and Sonny Rollins.

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Born: September 08, 1923 in Chicago, IL 
Genre: Jazz 
Followed By: Mark Dresser, Charlie Haden, Henry Grimes, Richard Davis, Manuel Gusmão, Steve Swallow, Buell Neidlinger, Iko Castro-Neves 
Similar Artists: Ron Carter, Richard Davis, Ray Drummond, Jimmy Garrison, Al McKibbon, Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Charlie Haden, Milt Hinton, Buster Williams

One of bop's most advanced and influential bassists, Wilbur Ware was a superb rhythmic anchor with an unerring sense of swing. Where many post-Jimmy Blanton bassists concentrated on legato melodic phrasing, Ware wasn't afraid to shift the rhythmic emphasis by varying his note lengths and leaving empty space between his phrases; he also stuck mostly to the lowest register of his instrument, laying a thick foundation. Even if Ware wasn't quite the soloist Blanton was, he had an expert understanding of harmony that allowed him to support some of bop's most sophisticated players. Ware was born in Chicago in 1923, and played banjo, drums, and violin before picking up the bass as a teenager. After serving in World War II, Ware hit the Chicago jazz scene in 1946, playing with Roy Eldridge, Sonny Stitt, and Stuff Smith early on, as well as striking up relationships with Johnny Griffin (with whom he recorded in 1954) and Junior Mance. After working with a very early version of Sun Ra's Arkestra, Ware joined Art Blakey's band and moved to New York in 1956. In 1957, he joined up with Thelonious Monk and played in his legendary groups with John Coltrane; the same year, he also participated in Sonny Rollins' equally legendary A Night at the Village Vanguard concerts. In late 1957, Ware also recorded his only album as a leader, Chicago Sound, which featured fellow Chicagoans like Griffin and Mance, not to mention several Ware solos. During the late '50s, Ware recorded as a sideman on hard bop dates for Riverside and Blue Note, but his worsening health (probably exacerbated by drug problems) kept him out of action from 1963-1968. He returned in 1969 and soon played on adventurous sessions with Elvin Jones and Archie Shepp. Ware eventually moved to Philadelphia, where he died in 1979. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

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Wilbur Bernard Ware, 8 September 1923, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 9 September 1979, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. When Ware's multi-instrumentalist foster-father organized church music Wilbur became interested, and learned to play the banjo and double bass. He then performed in amateur string groups in Chicago. In the 40s he was playing with Stuff Smith (violin), Roy Eldridge (trumpet) and Sonny Stitt (alto saxophone) in the mid-west. He started leading his own groups in 1953 at the Bee Hive Club and the Flame Lounge in Chicago, and also gigged with Thelonious Monk and Johnny Griffin. Between 1954 and 1955 he toured with the bebop-altoist-cum-R&B-singer Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and with the Jazz Messengers in the summer of 1956.

He and Art Blakey formed the rhythm section of the renowned Monk group that included both Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane (1957). He also played with Buddy De Franco that year and recorded with Sonny Rollins. In 1959 he returned to Chicago and was inactive for a while. In the late 60s he went back to New York, playing with Monk (1970) and recording with longtime associate, tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan in 1969 and 1976. Wilbur Ware participated in some of the crucial music of his time - well documented by Riverside Records - and developed the bass as a force both in solo and ensemble work.

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Selected discography

The Chicago Sound (Riverside 1957)
Sonny Clark Dial "S" For Sonny (Blue Note 1957)
Sonny Rollins A Night At The Village Vanguard, Vols. 1 & 2 (Blue Note 1957)
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (Jazzland/Riverside 1957)