BILL BELL Basically To Life LP super rare jazz funk

$

47

This is a very good/near mint condition vinyl record album, a 1979 release on the American Brown Door Records label (MH6591) by jazz keyboardist/composer Bill Bell, “Basically Bill Bell: To Life & Love.”

6 extended tracks of his funky jazz sounds, including songs like “Back To Basic Blues," "Mr. Loco," and "Kansas City Miles.”

From a fan site, "Bill Bell, aka “The Jazz Professor”, grew up in the small Midwestern town of East Moline, Illinois located west of Chicago on the banks of the Mississippi river.  Historic jazz greats Bix Biederbeck and Louie Belson hail from the same Quad City area.  He was born to a highly musical family in that his uncle played trumpet with the Cab Calloway band, his first cousin and clarinet/saxophonist was his high school band director, and his mother played the piano...The discovery of jazz at age thirteen was monumental.  It was the beginning of a musical journey that has culminated into his present career.   Bill’s early influences were Errol Garner, George Shearing, Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum...After teaching three years as a high school band director in Traer, Iowa, Bill and family moved to the San Francisco bay area in 1963.  He taught junior high band and orchestra  for the Oakland public schools from 1963 to 1969.  At the same time he maintained a busy performance schedule working with his own trio, the Buddy Montgomery quartet, recording with Louie Bellson, and directing a chorus for Duke Ellington’s “Sacred Concert”. Taking a leave of absence from teaching, he traveled for a year in 1968-1969 with major jazz singing artist Carmen McCrae as musical director and pianist.  After a short stint as rehearsal pianist for the Motown group “The Supremes” winter of 1970, Bill returned home and began teaching at the College of Alameda in 1970.  He was chairman of the music department the last 20 years of his tenure...After recording “The Nifty Cat Strikes West”  in 1967 with a Count Basie group which included Roy Eldridge, Louie Bellson and Eric Dixon, Bill recorded his first album “Basically Bill Bell” in 1971.  This project featured many of his compositions including “The Jarvis Gann Blues” and “Mr Loco”.  1971 marked the beginning of symphonic commissioned works as well: “Right On” for the San Francisco symphony, “East Meets West” for the Oakland youth symphony.

Cover in m- condition - just some slight wear along top seam, autographed on front (see scan).
Vinyl in nm condition - looks virtually unplayed.

Currently, I am turntable-challenged, but all albums are diligently sight-graded. Domestic postage is $4.00 - priority mail, confirmation and/or insurance at buyer’s request and expense. Canadian buyer to pay $6.50 for unregistered airmail. Overseas buyer to pay $16.50 for unregistered airmail. *Italian bidders*, please note: due to a high percentage of postal losses this past year, I will NOT be refunding for any circumstances- you bid knowing that you accept full responsibility for any loss or damage by your erratic postal service. Thanks for reading all of this!