Jimmy Earl
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Earl is an American
jazz
musician
and composer
. He has released two studio albums and recorded extensively. He has toured the world with major artists. He is ranked #22 on the DigitalDreamDoor list of greatest fusion
bassists. Since 2003, he has performed nightly on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
, and in 1965, to Hyattsville, MD
, where he attended elementary school and Northwestern High School
.
in Boston. In 1981, he studied briefly at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he sits on the board of visitors. He also studied with Charlie Banacos
. In 1983, he joined the group Tiger's
Baku, which performed in the 1984 Newport Jazz Festival
. In 1985, he joined a band led by jazz drummer Bob Moses, with whom he appeared in Boston and Cambridge
. Earl began his recording career in Boston, where in 1986, he backed up David Gilden on Ancestral Voices. This album featured the Kora
, which is a West Africa
n 21 string harp.
, he joined the Jazz Explosion. Within this organization, he backed up: Gato Barbieri
, Angela Bofill
, Tom Browne, Stanley Clarke, George Duke
, Freddie Hubbard
, Phyllis Hyman
, Ramsey Lewis
, Lonnie Liston Smith
, and Stanley Turrentine
. Here, he met his friend and mentor Stanley Clarke
. Soon, he joined Clarke's "three bassists" tour of Brazil with Larry Graham
. Shortly thereafter, Earl went to New York's Blue Note
, where he met Joe Sample
, who invited him to tour with the Crusaders
. During 1986 and 1987, he performed on their tours of the United States, Japan, and Europe.
. During this year, he recorded on Clarke's album If This Bass Could Only Talk
. It was followed, in 1993, by East River Drive
, on which Earl is credited with helping to compose the song "I'm Home Africa".
In 1990, he recorded on two albums of the Mark Varney Project. The first, Truth in Shredding
, featured Allan Holdsworth
and Frank Gambale
. On the second, Centrifugal Funk
, Earl played a key role as arranger and producer.
In 1993, Earl replaced John Patitucci
in Chick Corea
's Elektric Band
, which immediately went on tour. On returning, he worked with his Elektric bandmate Eric Marienthal
on the album One Touch, where he helped to compose the song "Backtalk". That year, he also recorded on Elektric Band II:Paint the World. Here, he composed, with Corea, the tunes "Ished", "Spanish Sketch", and "Reprise". This album was nominated for the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album
. In 1996, he joined the band's collaboration with Steve Vai
's monsters on "Rumble", which was included in the RCA Victor tribute album
The Songs of West Side Story. On July 12, 1996, this album became a RIAA certified gold record. In 2002, he participated in the Elektric Band's reunion tour of the United States, which included two performances at the Blue Note
. In another reunion, Earl performed on Manhattan Transfer's album The Chick Corea Songbook (2009).
In 1993, while touring with Corea, Earl performed in Rome with the Italian superstar Pino Daniele
, who invited him, and Corea, to record on the album Che Dio ti benedica. This was the first of five albums he recorded with Daniele from 1993 to 1999. In 1995, while touring with Daniele to promote Non calpestare i fiori nel deserto, he played in Milan with Pat Metheny
.
In that year, he recorded Jimmy Earl, which featured David Batteau
, Mitchel Forman
, Gambale, Deron Johnson
, Gary Novak, Rique Pantoja, Randy Roos, Steve Tavaglione
, and Dave Weckl
. This album presents Earl's solo bass rendition of Maurice Ravel's
"Pavane for a Dead Princess
" (1899). It was followed, in 1997, by his second album Stratosphere, which features John Beasley
, Daniele, Johnson, Forman, and Simon Phillips
. It is an exploration into combining performances by live musicians with electronic music.
In 1996, Tom Brechtlein recommended Earl as a replacement for Roscoe Beck
in Robben Ford
's band, The Blue Line, which was about to go on a bus tour of Europe. On returning, Ford started a new band, which began with a series of West Coast
performances. These included appearances at Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood, and at Yoshi's
in Oakland, CA
, where Vinnie Colaiuta
was featured on drums. Soon, Ford's album Supernatural was recorded and released in 1999. In 2001, Ford's band recorded New Morning: The Paris Concert. This DVD
captured a live performance at the New Morning club
in Paris. It was followed, in 2002, by Ford's first album with Concord Jazz
, Blue Moon, on which Earl is credited with producing "Good to Love". Later, Earl recorded on two more Ford albums: Keep on Running (2003), and Truth
(2007), which was nominated for the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album
. Moreover, in August 2007, Truth became the number one blues album on Billboard's charts.
In 2003, he recorded on the album Man @ Work with Colin Hay
. Earl's work with Man @ Work is only one of dozens of collaborations and compilations in which he performed as a guest artist
. In the discography, there is a listing of some of these appearances, but it is more representative than exhaustive.
, which had just been tapped to be the house band
on the ABC
late-night television program Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Since the show began in January 2003, the band, led by Cleto Escobedo III, has performed at the El Capitan Theatre
, in more than 1,600 episodes.
After the show, and on weekends, Earl performs once or twice per month at the Baked Potato
club in Studio City. Here, he has appeared with: Dean Brown
, Deron Johnson
, Scott Kinsey
, Simon Phillips
, Jeff Richman, Steve Tavaglione
, and Steve Weingart
. From time to time, he appears with "king of the funk
y drums", Zigaboo Modeliste
, and with salsa queen Cecilia Noël and the Wild Clams. Earl's association with the Wild Clams goes back to 1995, when he performed with them at the National Theater of Cuba
in Havana
. This concert ended "a 16 year cultural cold war", during which American musical groups were banned from Cuba
.
. In 1993, Warwick issued the Jimmy Earl Signature Streamer Stage II five string bass guitar. Other Warwick basses that he has used are a Thumb
and a fretless Dolphin
. On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he uses Fender basses: a white ’66 Jazz
, a red ’66 Jazz
, and occasionally, a sunburst ’73 Precision
. All these instruments are fitted with Dean Markley
SR2000 medium-light strings. For amplification, he uses a Gallien-Krueger
800RB head and 410SBX 4x10 cabinet.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He has released two studio albums and recorded extensively. He has toured the world with major artists. He is ranked #22 on the DigitalDreamDoor list of greatest fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
bassists. Since 2003, he has performed nightly on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Early life and education
In 1957, James Christopher Earl was born in Boston, MA, to James and Sylvia Earl. He is the second of their four children. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to St. Paul, MNSaint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, and in 1965, to Hyattsville, MD
Hyattsville, Maryland
Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,557 at the 2000 census.- History :The city was named for its founder, Christopher Clark Hyatt. He purchased his first parcel of land in the area in March 1845...
, where he attended elementary school and Northwestern High School
Northwestern High School (Hyattsville, Maryland)
Northwestern High School , established in 1951, is a public comprehensive secondary school located in Hyattsville, Maryland in Prince George's County, less than a mile from the internationally known University of Maryland, College Park. It is part of the Prince George's County Public Schools system...
.
Music career
Earl began classical guitar lessons at age 10. In 1972, he picked up an electric bass guitar for $15 at the Rose Bowl flea market in Pasadena, CA, where his family was living temporarily. In 1973, along with his high school classmates Dan Hovey and Rex Wilson, he formed his first band named Cosmic Rainbow. Mark Opsasnick has described its activities in suburban Maryland.Boston
In 1975-76, he attended Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston. In 1981, he studied briefly at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he sits on the board of visitors. He also studied with Charlie Banacos
Charlie Banacos
Charlie Banacos was an American pianist, composer, author and educator, concentrating on jazz.Banacos created over 100 courses of study for improvisation and composition. His concepts of teaching and his courses influenced educators since the late 1950s...
. In 1983, he joined the group Tiger's
Tiger Okoshi
Toru "Tiger" Okoshi is an American jazz fusion trumpeter. He was born in the Year of the Tiger on March 21 1950, just outside of Osaka , Japan. As a child he was, in fact, devoted to painting as he loves today...
Baku, which performed in the 1984 Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
. In 1985, he joined a band led by jazz drummer Bob Moses, with whom he appeared in Boston and Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. Earl began his recording career in Boston, where in 1986, he backed up David Gilden on Ancestral Voices. This album featured the Kora
Kora (instrument)
The kora is a 21-string bridge-harp used extensively in West Africa.-Description:A kora is built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge. It does not fit well into any one category of western instruments and would have to be...
, which is a West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n 21 string harp.
New York
In 1986, Earl moved to New York, where on the recommendation of his friend Steve HuntSteve Hunt
Steve Hunt is an American jazz pianist and composer who was born in 1958. He has released two studio albums, recorded extensively, and toured the world. He is ranked #39 on the Digital Dream Door list of greatest fusion keyboardists.-Music Career:...
, he joined the Jazz Explosion. Within this organization, he backed up: Gato Barbieri
Gato Barbieri
Leandro Barbieri , better known as Gato Barbieri , is an Argentinean jazz tenor saxophonist and composer who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and from his latin jazz recordings in the 1970s.-Biography:Born to a family of musicians, Barbieri began playing music...
, Angela Bofill
Angela Bofill
Angela Bofill is an American R&B vocalist and songwriter.Bofill was born to a Cuban father and a Puerto Rican mother; one of the first Latina singers to find success in the R&B market.She performed with Ricardo Marrero & the Group and Dance Theater of Harlem chorus prior to her 1978 debut album,...
, Tom Browne, Stanley Clarke, George Duke
George Duke
George Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
, Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
, Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Linda Hyman was an American soul singer and actress.-Early years:Phyllis Hyman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the St. Clair Village, the South Hills section of Pittsburgh...
, Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
, Lonnie Liston Smith
Lonnie Liston Smith
Lonnie Liston Smith, Jr. is an American jazz, soul, and funk musician who played with important free jazz artists such as Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis before forming Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes, recording a number of albums widely regarded as classics in the fusion / Quiet Storm /...
, and Stanley Turrentine
Stanley Turrentine
Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family...
. Here, he met his friend and mentor Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
. Soon, he joined Clarke's "three bassists" tour of Brazil with Larry Graham
Larry Graham
Larry Graham, Jr. is an African American bass guitar player, both with the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station...
. Shortly thereafter, Earl went to New York's Blue Note
Blue Note (jazz clubs)
The Blue Note is a jazz club and restaurant located at in Greenwich Village, New York City. Opened in 1981 by owner and founder Danny Bensusan, the club is now considered one of the world's most famous jazz venues...
, where he met Joe Sample
Joe Sample
Joseph Leslie "Joe" Sample is an American pianist, keyboard player and composer.He is one of the founding members of the Jazz Crusaders, the band which became simply The Crusaders in 1971, and remained a part of the group until its final album in 1991 .- Biography :Sample began playing the piano...
, who invited him to tour with the Crusaders
The Crusaders
The Crusaders are an American music group popular in the early 1970s known for their amalgamated jazz, pop and soul sound. Since 1961, more than forty albums have been credited to the group , 19 of which were recorded under the name "The Jazz Crusaders" .-History:In 1960, following the demise of a...
. During 1986 and 1987, he performed on their tours of the United States, Japan, and Europe.
Los Angeles
In 1988, Earl relocated to Los Angeles, CALos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. During this year, he recorded on Clarke's album If This Bass Could Only Talk
If This Bass Could Only Talk
If This Bass Could Only Talk is a 1988 album by the American bassplayer Stanley Clarke.-Track listing:#"If This Bass Could Only Talk" – 2:30#"Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" – 6:24#"I Want to Play for Ya" – 3:22#"Stories to Tell" – 3:46...
. It was followed, in 1993, by East River Drive
East River Drive (album)
East River Drive is a Stanley Clarke album released in 1993.-Track listing:# "Justice's Groove" – 4:06# "Fantasy Love" – 4:37# "Zabadoobeedi- " – 4:35# "East River Drive" – 7:48# "I'm Home Africa" – 5:59...
, on which Earl is credited with helping to compose the song "I'm Home Africa".
In 1990, he recorded on two albums of the Mark Varney Project. The first, Truth in Shredding
Truth in Shredding
-Personnel:*Frank Gambale – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, engineering, mixing, production*Allan Holdsworth – electric guitar, SynthAxe, overdub engineering*Freddy Ravel – keyboard*Tom Brechtlein – drums*Jimmy Earl – bass guitar...
, featured Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth is an English guitarist and composer. He has released twelve studio albums as a solo artist and played many different styles of music over a period of four decades, but first drew attention for his work in jazz fusion...
and Frank Gambale
Frank Gambale
Frank Gambale is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He has released eleven studio albums over a period of more than two decades, and is renowned for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques.-Recording career:...
. On the second, Centrifugal Funk
Centrifugal Funk
- Personnel :* Frank Gambale – electric guitar * Brett Garsed – electric guitar * Shawn Lane – electric guitar * Mike O'Neill – electric guitar * T.J...
, Earl played a key role as arranger and producer.
In 1993, Earl replaced John Patitucci
John Patitucci
John Patitucci is an American Grammy-winning jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player.-Biography:Patitucci is of Italian descent and was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he began playing the electric bass at age ten, composing and performing at age 12, as well as the acoustic bass at...
in Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
's Elektric Band
Chick Corea Elektric Band
Chick Corea Elektric Band is a jazz fusion band, led by pianist Chick Corea. Following the demise of Return to Forever, Corea established the musical ensemble in 1986. Following a long hiatus, the band reunited to produce "To the Stars" in 2004....
, which immediately went on tour. On returning, he worked with his Elektric bandmate Eric Marienthal
Eric Marienthal
Eric Marienthal is a Los Angeles-based contemporary saxophonist best known for his work in the jazz, jazz fusion, smooth jazz, and pop genres....
on the album One Touch, where he helped to compose the song "Backtalk". That year, he also recorded on Elektric Band II:Paint the World. Here, he composed, with Corea, the tunes "Ished", "Spanish Sketch", and "Reprise". This album was nominated for the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality contemporary jazz performances...
. In 1996, he joined the band's collaboration with Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
's monsters on "Rumble", which was included in the RCA Victor tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
The Songs of West Side Story. On July 12, 1996, this album became a RIAA certified gold record. In 2002, he participated in the Elektric Band's reunion tour of the United States, which included two performances at the Blue Note
Blue Note (jazz clubs)
The Blue Note is a jazz club and restaurant located at in Greenwich Village, New York City. Opened in 1981 by owner and founder Danny Bensusan, the club is now considered one of the world's most famous jazz venues...
. In another reunion, Earl performed on Manhattan Transfer's album The Chick Corea Songbook (2009).
In 1993, while touring with Corea, Earl performed in Rome with the Italian superstar Pino Daniele
Pino Daniele
Pino Daniele is an Italian vocalist, composer, and musician, whose influences cover a wide number of genres, fusing pop, blues, jazz, Italian and Middle eastern music into his own unique brand of world music.-Studio albums:...
, who invited him, and Corea, to record on the album Che Dio ti benedica. This was the first of five albums he recorded with Daniele from 1993 to 1999. In 1995, while touring with Daniele to promote Non calpestare i fiori nel deserto, he played in Milan with Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
.
In that year, he recorded Jimmy Earl, which featured David Batteau
David Batteau
David Batteau is an American singer-songwriter. Batteau is the son of Blanca Batteau and Dr. Dwight Wayne Batteau, of Harvard University and Tufts University. He is the brother of singer/songwriter Robin Batteau.-History:...
, Mitchel Forman
Mitchel Forman
Mitchel Forman is a jazz and fusion keyboard player currently residing in Southern California.-Biography & Music Career:...
, Gambale, Deron Johnson
Deron Johnson (musician)
Deron Johnson is an American jazz musician. Beginning at the age of sixteen, Johnson became hooked on jazz music and attended California State University Long Beach where he continued his pursuit with private lessons from Billy Childs. In 1991, after touring with Pop Idol Paula Abdul, Johnson was...
, Gary Novak, Rique Pantoja, Randy Roos, Steve Tavaglione
Steve Tavaglione
Steve Tavaglione is a woodwind and EWI musician most notable for his work as a founder of the Latin fusion group Caldera, his work with noted keyboard player Scott Kinsey, and work in the television and film industry....
, and Dave Weckl
Dave Weckl
Dave Weckl is a highly acclaimed jazz fusion drummer. Weckl attended Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, MO and graduated in 1978. He majored in jazz studies at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut...
. This album presents Earl's solo bass rendition of Maurice Ravel's
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
"Pavane for a Dead Princess
Pavane pour une infante défunte
Pavane pour une infante défunte is a well-known piece written for solo piano by the French composer Maurice Ravel in 1899 when he was studying composition at the Conservatoire de Paris under Gabriel Fauré. Ravel also published an orchestrated version of the Pavane in 1910...
" (1899). It was followed, in 1997, by his second album Stratosphere, which features John Beasley
John Beasley (musician)
John Beasley is an American composer, pianist, producer, and arranger who has recorded and performed with musicians such as Miles Davis, Steely Dan, Chaka Kahn, James Brown, Spice Girls, Dianne Reeves, Ry Cooder, Chick Corea and Sérgio Mendes, Freddie Hubbard, John Patitucci, Queen Latifah, and...
, Daniele, Johnson, Forman, and Simon Phillips
Simon Phillips
Simon Phillips is an English jazz, pop and rock drummer.-Career:Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in his father's Dixieland band for four years. He was then offered the chance to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar...
. It is an exploration into combining performances by live musicians with electronic music.
In 1996, Tom Brechtlein recommended Earl as a replacement for Roscoe Beck
Roscoe Beck
Roscoe Beck is a multi-Grammy Award winning record producer and bassist. He has recorded and played with Robben Ford, Eric Johnson, Leonard Cohen, The Dixie Chicks. He also has his own signature electric bass: the Fender Roscoe Beck Bass, used by many other players.After earning a reputation from...
in Robben Ford
Robben Ford
Robben Ford is an American blues, jazz and rock guitarist.-Biography:Ford was born in Woodlake, California, United States, but raised in Ukiah, California, and began playing the saxophone at age 10, picking up the guitar at age 13...
's band, The Blue Line, which was about to go on a bus tour of Europe. On returning, Ford started a new band, which began with a series of West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
performances. These included appearances at Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood, and at Yoshi's
Yoshi's (jazz club)
Yoshi's is the preeminent jazz club of the San Francisco Bay Area.Started as a Japanese restaurant in Berkeley by Yoshi Akiba, a World War II war orphan, , and her friends Kaz Kajimura and Hiroyuki Hori, the club soon moved to a larger space on Claremont Avenue in Oakland, California and began to...
in Oakland, CA
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, where Vinnie Colaiuta
Vinnie Colaiuta
Vincent Colaiuta is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Republic, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14...
was featured on drums. Soon, Ford's album Supernatural was recorded and released in 1999. In 2001, Ford's band recorded New Morning: The Paris Concert. This DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
captured a live performance at the New Morning club
New Morning (club)
New Morning is a Parisian music nightclub that opened in 1981, specialising in jazz and blues.Its concerts are often featured on Mezzo TV.-History:The first concert was given on 16 April 1981 by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers....
in Paris. It was followed, in 2002, by Ford's first album with Concord Jazz
Concord Jazz
Concord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.-Dozens of albums:*Charlie Byrd*Ruby Braff*Dave McKenna*Marian McPartland*Rosemary Clooney*Scott Hamilton*Tito Puente*George Shearing*Gene Harris*Mel Tormé*Monty Alexander...
, Blue Moon, on which Earl is credited with producing "Good to Love". Later, Earl recorded on two more Ford albums: Keep on Running (2003), and Truth
Truth (Robben Ford album)
Truth is a 2007 album by blues artist Robben Ford, notable for a well-received cover of Paul Simon's 1971 composition "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor." "Riley B. King" is a homage to B.B...
(2007), which was nominated for the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album was awarded from 1988 to 2011. From 2001 to 2003 the award recipients included the producers and engineers as well as the artists...
. Moreover, in August 2007, Truth became the number one blues album on Billboard's charts.
In 2003, he recorded on the album Man @ Work with Colin Hay
Colin Hay
Colin James Hay is a Scottish-Australian musician, who made his mark during the 1980s as lead vocalist of the Australian band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist.- Early life and Men at Work :...
. Earl's work with Man @ Work is only one of dozens of collaborations and compilations in which he performed as a guest artist
Guest appearance
In show business , a guest appearance is a participation of an outsider performer , usually called guest artist , in an event , i.e., the participation of a performer which does not belong to the regular crew In performance...
. In the discography, there is a listing of some of these appearances, but it is more representative than exhaustive.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
In late 2002, Jimmy Earl was invited to join a new band, Cleto and the CletonesCleto and the Cletones
Cleto and the Cletones is the moniker of the "house band" on the ABC-TV late-night television program, Jimmy Kimmel Live .Cleto Escobedo III is the leader of the sextet, and plays the alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones on the show, as well as occasionally singing both on camera and off...
, which had just been tapped to be the house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
late-night television program Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Since the show began in January 2003, the band, led by Cleto Escobedo III, has performed at the El Capitan Theatre
El Capitan Theatre
El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It is owned by Pacific Theatres and operated by the Walt Disney Company. It serves as the venue for many of Walt Disney Pictures' movie premieres...
, in more than 1,600 episodes.
After the show, and on weekends, Earl performs once or twice per month at the Baked Potato
The Baked Potato
The Baked Potato is a noted night club located in Studio City, Los Angeles, often regarded as the world's oldest music venue specializing in jazz fusion music. The club's name is derived from its unusual menu which features more than 20 types of baked potatoes....
club in Studio City. Here, he has appeared with: Dean Brown
Dean Brown (guitarist)
Dean Brown is an American jazz fusion guitarist and session musician.-Career:Dean Brown graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1977...
, Deron Johnson
Deron Johnson (musician)
Deron Johnson is an American jazz musician. Beginning at the age of sixteen, Johnson became hooked on jazz music and attended California State University Long Beach where he continued his pursuit with private lessons from Billy Childs. In 1991, after touring with Pop Idol Paula Abdul, Johnson was...
, Scott Kinsey
Scott Kinsey
Scott Kinsey is a keyboardist best known for his work with the jazz fusion group Tribal Tech and for his contributions to soundtracks for major motion pictures, notably Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve...
, Simon Phillips
Simon Phillips
Simon Phillips is an English jazz, pop and rock drummer.-Career:Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in his father's Dixieland band for four years. He was then offered the chance to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar...
, Jeff Richman, Steve Tavaglione
Steve Tavaglione
Steve Tavaglione is a woodwind and EWI musician most notable for his work as a founder of the Latin fusion group Caldera, his work with noted keyboard player Scott Kinsey, and work in the television and film industry....
, and Steve Weingart
Steve Weingart
Steve Weingart, born March 1966 in Dayton, Ohio, is an acclaimed jazz-funk keyboard player based in Los Angeles, California, USA, who has recorded and performed internationally with an array of well known musical artists....
. From time to time, he appears with "king of the funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
y drums", Zigaboo Modeliste
Ziggy Modeliste
Joseph Modeliste is an American drummer best known as a founding member of the funk group The Meters. Considered to be one of the most innovative, and highly acclaimed drummers ever to hail from New Orleans, Louisiana, Modeliste is a pioneer of second-line funk...
, and with salsa queen Cecilia Noël and the Wild Clams. Earl's association with the Wild Clams goes back to 1995, when he performed with them at the National Theater of Cuba
National Theater of Cuba
The National Theater of Cuba is a theater in Havana, Cuba, establish September 3, 1979, with a function of gala for the delegations assistants to the VI Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement celebrated in Havana in that year...
in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. This concert ended "a 16 year cultural cold war", during which American musical groups were banned from Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Equipment
In 1990, Earl began a relationship with the German company WarwickWarwick (bass guitar)
-Overview:Warwick basses were originally a premium brand offering a small range of models built from high quality and exotic tonewoods with 'Neck-through' design...
. In 1993, Warwick issued the Jimmy Earl Signature Streamer Stage II five string bass guitar. Other Warwick basses that he has used are a Thumb
Warwick Thumb SC
The Thumb SC is a bass guitar manufactured by the Warwick company. It is the first Warwick bass with the single cut design.-History:Following the increasing popularity of the "Single Cut" bass design, Warwick decided to keep up with the other companies and build their own single cut bass...
and a fretless Dolphin
Warwick Dolphin
Dolphin is a bass guitar manufactured by the Warwick company from Markneukirchen, Germany. The "D-bass" earned its fame for its somewhat eccentric design.-Dolphin Pro:...
. On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he uses Fender basses: a white ’66 Jazz
Fender Jazz Bass
The Jazz Bass was the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. The bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic...
, a red ’66 Jazz
Fender Jazz Bass
The Jazz Bass was the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. The bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic...
, and occasionally, a sunburst ’73 Precision
Fender Precision Bass
The Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
. All these instruments are fitted with Dean Markley
Dean Markley Strings
Dean Markley Strings is a company that manufactures musical instrument related products, primarily strings for acoustic and electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. The company also produces pick ups, amplifiers, and tuners, with instrument strings being their feature product....
SR2000 medium-light strings. For amplification, he uses a Gallien-Krueger
Gallien-Krueger
Gallien-Krueger, also referred to as 'GK' , is an instrument amplifier manufacturer. The company is based in Stockton, California, and was founded in 1968....
800RB head and 410SBX 4x10 cabinet.
Solo albums
- 1995 - Jimmy Earl (EFA)
- 1999 - Stratosphere (Pacific Time Entertainment)
With The Mark Varney Project
- 1990 - Truth in Shredding (Legato)
- 1990 - Centrifugal Funk (Legato)
With Stanley Clarke
- 1988 - If This Bass Could Only Talk (PortraitPortrait RecordsPortrait Records was a sister label of Epic Records and later of Columbia Records. Cyndi Lauper and Sade signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered....
) - 1993 - East River Drive (EpicEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
) - 2003 - 1, 2, To The Bass1, 2, to the Bass- Personnel :*Stanley Clarke – Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass, Tenor Bass, Piano, Vocals*Joe Satriani – Guitar*James Earl – Bass*Glenn Lewis – Vocals*Q-Tip – Vocals, Co-producer *Amel Larrieux – Vocals...
(SonySony Music EntertainmentSony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
)
With Chick Corea
- 1993 - Paint the World (GRPGRP RecordsGRP Records is an American jazz record company, owned by Universal Music Group and operates through its Verve Music Group. The company's name has had different meanings. In its early days, it stood for "Grusin/Rosen Productions," after the founders...
) - 1996 - The Songs of West Side Story (RCA Victor)
- 2004 - The Very Best of Chick Corea (UniversalUniversal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
)
With Pino Daniele
- 1993 - Che Dio ti benedica (Musicrama)
- 1995 - Non calpestare i fiori nel deserto (GCD)
- 1997 - Dimmi cosa succede sulla terra (Musicrama)
- 1998 - Yes I Know My Way (GCD)
- 1999 - Come un gelato all'equatore (GCD)
With Robben Ford
- 1999 - Supernatural (Blue ThumbBlue Thumb RecordsBlue Thumb Records was an American record label founded in 1968 by Bob Krasnow, along with former A&M Records executives Tommy LiPuma and Don Graham. Krasnow had been in the record business for a number of years, working as a promotion man for King Records and also working for Buddah/Kama Sutra...
) - 2001 - New Morning: The Paris Concert, DVD, (In-Akustik)
- 2002 - Blue Moon (Concord JazzConcord JazzConcord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.-Dozens of albums:*Charlie Byrd*Ruby Braff*Dave McKenna*Marian McPartland*Rosemary Clooney*Scott Hamilton*Tito Puente*George Shearing*Gene Harris*Mel Tormé*Monty Alexander...
) - 2003 - Keep on Running (Concord JazzConcord JazzConcord Jazz is a subsidiary of Concord Records, owned by Concord Music Group.-Dozens of albums:*Charlie Byrd*Ruby Braff*Dave McKenna*Marian McPartland*Rosemary Clooney*Scott Hamilton*Tito Puente*George Shearing*Gene Harris*Mel Tormé*Monty Alexander...
) - 2007 - TruthTruth (Robben Ford album)Truth is a 2007 album by blues artist Robben Ford, notable for a well-received cover of Paul Simon's 1971 composition "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor." "Riley B. King" is a homage to B.B...
(ConcordConcord RecordsConcord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
)
As a guest artist
- 1986 - Ancestral Voices, David Gilden (Kora Productions)
- 1992 - Heads Up, Dave WecklDave WecklDave Weckl is a highly acclaimed jazz fusion drummer. Weckl attended Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, MO and graduated in 1978. He majored in jazz studies at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut...
(GRPGRP RecordsGRP Records is an American jazz record company, owned by Universal Music Group and operates through its Verve Music Group. The company's name has had different meanings. In its early days, it stood for "Grusin/Rosen Productions," after the founders...
) - 1994 - Mo' Jamaca Funk, Tom Browne (Hip Bop Essence)
- 1996 - Dream Walk, Keiko MatsuiKeiko Matsui, born in Tokyo as Keiko Doi, is a Japanese smooth jazz/jazz fusion/new age/ keyboardist and composer whose career spans three decades, during which time she has released twenty CDs and has received international acclaim....
(Countdown) - 1997 - Mangio Troppa Cioccolata, Giorgia Todrani (BMG)
- 1998 - Madrid, Marc Antoine (GRPGRP RecordsGRP Records is an American jazz record company, owned by Universal Music Group and operates through its Verve Music Group. The company's name has had different meanings. In its early days, it stood for "Grusin/Rosen Productions," after the founders...
) - 2001 - Live at the Baked Potato, Vol. 2, Various artists (Tone Center)
- 2002 - Groove Suite, Sunnie Paxson (Liquid 8)
- 2002 - Bullet Proof, Bruce ConteBruce ConteBruce Conte is an American R&B / jazz fusion guitarist, known primarily for his work with the band Tower Of Power of which he was a member from 1972 to 1979, performing on seven albums and rejoining the band for live work briefly in 2006-7.-Biography:...
(SevernSevern RecordsSevern Records is an American independent record label that concentrates on blues music. Since its founding in 1998, Severn has issued more than 50 albums. Its motto is "Roots Music for the 21st Century".-History:...
) - 2003 - Man @ Work, Colin HayColin HayColin James Hay is a Scottish-Australian musician, who made his mark during the 1980s as lead vocalist of the Australian band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist.- Early life and Men at Work :...
(Compass) - 2004 - Live in LA, Rique Pantoja (Tratore/Net)
- 2006 - Kinesthetics, Scott KinseyScott KinseyScott Kinsey is a keyboardist best known for his work with the jazz fusion group Tribal Tech and for his contributions to soundtracks for major motion pictures, notably Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve...
(Abstract Logic) - 2006 - Jesus is MagicSarah Silverman: Jesus Is MagicSarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic is a 2005 comedy written by Sarah Silverman, directed by Liam Lynch and distributed by Roadside Attractions....
, Sarah SilvermanSarah SilvermanSarah Kate Silverman is a Jewish American comedian, writer, actress, singer and musician. Her satirical comedy addresses social taboos and controversial topics such as racism, sexism, and religion....
, film, (Interscope) - 2007 - A Bass Bolero, Harald Weinkum (EFA)
- 2008 - Just Between Us, Clarence Spady (SevernSevern RecordsSevern Records is an American independent record label that concentrates on blues music. Since its founding in 1998, Severn has issued more than 50 albums. Its motto is "Roots Music for the 21st Century".-History:...
) - 2009 - A Gozar!, Cecilla Noël (Compass)
- 2009 - The Chick Corea Songbook, Manhattan TransferThe Manhattan TransferThe Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal music group. There have been two manifestations of the group, with Tim Hauser being the only person to be part of both...
(Four Quarters Entertainment) - 2011 - Gathering Mercury, Colin HayColin HayColin James Hay is a Scottish-Australian musician, who made his mark during the 1980s as lead vocalist of the Australian band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist.- Early life and Men at Work :...
(Lazy Eye Records)