ENDEIT
Oscar Pettiford
Photo: William P. Gottlieb, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Bassists · 1922–1960

Oscar Pettiford

American musician (1922–1960)

Born
30 September 1922
Okmulgee
Died
18 September 1960
Copenhagen
Country
United States
Active
1942–
Record labels
Debut Records
Discography
17 albums

Biography

Oscar Pettiford was a jazz musician who played double bass. Oscar Pettiford was born on 30 September 1922 in Okmulgee and died on 18 September 1960 in Copenhagen. The music is usually filed under jazz. Record labels: Debut Records. The discography here lists 17 albums, from “Oscar Pettiford Modern Quintet” (1954) to “OP with the Manhattan Jazz” (2023).

Oscar Pettiford (September 30, 1922 – September 8, 1960) was an American jazz double bassist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in the bebop idiom. Jazz bassist Christian McBride called Pettiford "probably the most important bass player of that bebop generation in terms of creating new language for the bass."

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Discography

Studio and live albums

Oscar Pettiford Modern Quintet 1954
Sextet 1954
Basically Duke 1955
Winner’s Circle 1958
Blue Brothers 1973
Vienna Blues: The Complete Session 1988
Montmartre Blues 1989
Bass 1999
Another One 2000
The Manhattan Jazz Septette 2006
Nonet & Octet 2007
Blues in My Mind 2015
Jazz for a Lazy Day 2015
In Denmark 1959-1960 2016
Oscar Pettiford Sextet (Jazz Connoisseur) 2016
Baden-Baden 1959 Karlsruhe 1958 2020
OP with the Manhattan Jazz 2023

Also plays on

Albums where Oscar Pettiford is credited as a sideman

1952 Young Man With a Horn — Miles Davis double bass, bass
1957 The Great Ray Charles — Ray Charles bass, double bass
1961 The Genius After Hours — Ray Charles double bass
1961 Soul Meeting — Ray Charles & Milt Jackson bass
1989 Soul Brothers / Soul Meeting — Ray Charles & Milt Jackson bass
2017 Blues In Orbit + The Cosmic Scene — Duke Ellington– bass

Standards written by Oscar Pettiford

TitleKeyFormGroove
Blues In The Closet A♭ major A · 12 Medium-up swing
Bohemia After Dark G minor AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
Tricotism D♭ major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing

Historic 78 rpm records

  • BEI MIR BIST DU SCHOEN OSCAR PETTIFORD · Kenny Drew · Tommy Potter · Arthur Taylor · Jacobs… archive.org ↗
  • ROSE ROOM Barney Bigard · Sidney Catlett · Art Tatum · Al Casey · Oscar… archive.org ↗
  • ESQUIRE SWANK DUKE ELLINGTON & SON FAMEUX ORCHESTRE · RAY MANCE · TAFT JORDAN ·… archive.org ↗
  • Hawkins' Barrel House Coleman Hawkins and his Orchestra · Bill Coleman · Andy Fitzgerald ·… · 1943 archive.org ↗
  • Stumpy Coleman Hawkins and his Orchestra · Coleman Hawkins · Bill Coleman ·… · 1943 archive.org ↗
  • GET HAPPY COLEMAN HAWKINS SWING FOUR · Coleman Hawkins · Eddie Heywood · Oscar… · 1943 archive.org ↗
  • STUMPY COLEMAN HAWKINS and his Orchestra · Bill Coleman · Andy Fitzgerald ·… · 1943 archive.org ↗
  • CRAZY RHYTHM COLEMAN HAWKINS SWING FOUR · Coleman Hawkins · Eddie Heywood · Oscar… · 1943 archive.org ↗

Frequently asked questions

What instrument did Oscar Pettiford play?

Oscar Pettiford is known for playing double bass.

When and where was Oscar Pettiford born?

Oscar Pettiford was born 30 September 1922 in Okmulgee.

What are Oscar Pettiford's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Oscar Pettiford Modern Quintet (1954), Sextet (1954), Basically Duke (1955), Winner’s Circle (1958) and Blue Brothers (1973).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.