Henry Franklin

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the English cricketer, see Henry Franklin (cricketer). For the English trade unionist, see Harry Franklin.
Henry Franklin
Franklin at Pierce Street Jazz - 2014
Franklin at Pierce Street Jazz - 2014
Background information
Born (1940-10-01) October 1, 1940 (age 83)
Los Angeles, California
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Double bass
Years active1960–present
Labels
  • Beezwax
  • Black Jazz
  • Catalyst
  • Daagnim
  • Daggerboard
  • Jazz Is Dead
  • Resurgent
  • Skipper Productions
  • WJ3

Henry "Skipper" Franklin (born Henry Carl Franklin on October 1, 1940) is an American jazz double bassist.[1][2]

Career

Franklin played on

Tribe Vibes as it had been sampled by the musical group A Tribe Called Quest
.

Encouraged by his father, Sammy Franklin, a jazz trumpeter and bandleader,[3] he studied with Al McKibbon and George Morrow, while listening to Paul Chambers and Doug Watkins.

While attending the

Don Cherry, and Billy Higgins.[5]

In 1968, after Henry's year-long tour of the East Coast playing with

postbop
."

He continued touring during the next several years, working internationally with

The Three Sounds, Freddie Hubbard, and Count Basie. Franklin collected a gold record with Stevie Wonder on Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants. Collaborating with John Carter and Bobby Bradford, Franklin produced two albums: Self-Determination Music and Secrets. He performed on five albums with Dennis Gonzales, John Purcell and William Richardson and also played extensively with Pharoah Sanders, Joe Williams, Sonny Rollins,[7] Bobby Hutcherson, Sonny Fortune and Milt Jackson
.

For over a decade until 2011, Franklin played a regular, five-night-per-week gig at

Idyllwild, CA
.

Franklin's latest disc, Henry Franklin: JID014, was released in Sep 2022 – the 14th by Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad on the Jazz Is Dead label.[11] In his review, Chris May considers the album to be the label's “most satisfying disc to date” and one that has “done Franklin proud.”[12] In 2023, this album won the 54th NCAAP Image Award for "Outstanding Jazz Album - Instrumental."[13]

He also published a jazz bass player's method book entitled, Bassically Yours. Originally released in 1975 in printed form, it is now available only as an online .pdf download. The book, with melody lines and chords, contains 225 tunes, including many standards by such notables as Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Freddie Hubbard, Cole Porter, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, McCoy Tyner and others, including, of course, the Skipper.[14]

Discography

Throughout his career, Franklin has appeared on more than 160 albums, many of which he produced. The following is a selection of these:

Assessments

The Bass

LACMA - 2014

Here is a lyrical assessment of the double bass and its role in Jazz:[15]

Laying in the bouquet of any jazz ensemble, of any era, playing any style, is the bass. Sturdy and stoic, but also capable of providing the emotional crux, the bass is an essential unit, a compass on which the rest of the ensemble relies on, the provider of the heartbeat, the rhythm, the feel. The conjurer of traditions, the conductor of an elastic orchestra, writing symphonies in real time.

The Bassist

Here is an assessment of the bassist, Henry Franklin:[16]

There is one such maestro whose own legacy, much like their instrument, has been obscured while remaining ever present. Through a closer listen it becomes evident that the music and career of Henry "The Skipper" Franklin is among the most luminous of any jazz artist....Recognized by his peers and contemporaries, Franklin's entry for Jazz Is Dead gives the living legend his flowers and recognizes the contributions The Skipper has made as one of jazz's most influential heartbeats.

References

  1. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Henry Franklin". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  2. ^ Griffen, Anders (2 Jan 2021). "Henry Franklin". musicevolution.
  3. ^ McNeil, Dee Dee (13 July 2016). "Gold Record Bassist Henry "the Skipper" Franklin Heralded Worldwide". MusicalMemoirs. Retrieved 12 Dec 2022.
  4. ^ Michael Carvin with Hampton Hawes Trio Live in Paris, retrieved 2023-02-03
  5. ^ "Keeping Jazz Alive". Henry Franklin, The Skipper. Retrieved 12 Dec 2022.
  6. ^ Hull, Tom (May 3, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  7. ISBN 9780306902796
    .
  8. ISBN 979-8-218-07277-3
    .
  9. ^ Koton, Chuck (14 Feb 2023). "Jazz At LACMA: 30 Years Of Friday Night Jazz". All About Jazz.
  10. ^ Crumrine, J. P. (25 Apr 2017). "The 24th Jazz in Pines is coming". Idyllwild Town Crier.
  11. ^ "Henry Franklin JID014". Jazz Is Dead. Retrieved 2 Feb 2023.
  12. ^ May, Chris (25 Sep 2022). "Henry Franklin: Jazz Is Dead 14". All About Jazz.
  13. ^ Thomas, Carly (20 Feb 2023). "NAACP Image Awards: Beyoncé, Rihanna Among Winners From Night One of Non-Televised Ceremonies". The Hollywood Reporter.
  14. ^ "SPBOOK- Bassically Yours". Skipper Productions. Retrieved 2 Feb 2023.
  15. ^ "Artist: Henry Franklin". Jazz Is Dead. Retrieved 2 Feb 2023.
  16. ^ "Jazz Is Dead to Release 14th Edition Featuring Henry Franklin". Jazz in Europe. 8 Sep 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Franklin&oldid=1216651991"