Mike Schwartz Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Lived in the SF Bay Area for years.... Was on all the original Jimmy Smith Trio records, Hampton Hawes, Carmen McRae,Dizzy Gillespie,Harold Land, Jimmy Rowles, Harold Land, Bobby Hutcherson, Buster Williams, Joe Sample, Grant Green, Red Mitchell, Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McRae ,Odean Pope, Mark Murphy, George Benson, Blue Mitchell, Pete Christlieb, Red Norvo, Charles Tolliver. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Former neighbor, casual friend, great drummer and nice guy. I spent many hours enjoying his work in Bay Area clubs. Thanks, Donald. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ Shearn Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Damn........ one of my fav. drummers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Schwartz Posted October 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 He had the most unusual setup with his drum kit.....extreme angles on snare drums & cymbals... never did see anything quite like it....a wonderful player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Sorry to hear this... he was great on those Jimmy Smith BN recordings (and other dates)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 I made some minor contributions to the research on this article, and, I think, posted a link at the time. Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Sad news. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Schlouch Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Very sad news! RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 One of the most original drummers I ever heard - to me he belongs to the top drummers. Very light touch, unorthodox ideas - I would have liked to meet and ask him how he did some things ..... R.I.P., and many thanks for the inspiration. I highly recommend this to get a glimpse of his unique ideas: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 very sad news - r.i.p. here's the earlier thread: that late disc is fine, and the trio with Rowles and Mitchell is mighty good, indeed (thanks brownie)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 I loved his work with Jimmy Smith, but it was George Braith's 'Two souls in one' that really made me realise that he was SERIOUSLY typecast as a drummer. His playing on 'Mary had a little lamb' was sensational, but the real gem was the jungle of sounds he created for Braith to wade through to get home in 'Braith-a-way'. RIP Donald. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Big fan of his work with Braith and Smith. Sorry to hear this - RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 RIP. Thanks for all the great music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indestructible! Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Ah man, another good one gone. Thanks for all the music Mr. Bailey. RIP, and may your spirit continue to soar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Friedman Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 (edited) Sad News - Rest in Peace. Edited October 17, 2013 by Peter Friedman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 The pinnacle of "organ" drummers. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Ethan Iverson has a great write-up on Bailey on his blog: http://dothemath.typepad.com/dtm/2013/10/donald-bailey.html Some very interesting observations there, for instance these: The organ trio was great for drummers wanting to let loose. With an acoustic piano you had to keep it down, but all that voltage coming out of the Hammond B3 meant you could leave your brushes at home. Indeed, it is arguable that much wonderful rock and fusion comes straight from the classic organ trios of Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Don Patterson, Baby Face Willette, John Patton, and others. It's interesting that Tony Williams got an organ trio with Larry Young and John McLaughlin for his innovative Lifetime group; also, John Bonham played a lot of "organ trio + vocal" onstage with Led Zeppelin. I don't know if Donald Bailey was the first person to put the hi-hat (with foot) on the skip beat or not, but I'm pretty sure he was the first to highlight it. A good place to hear it is on Jimmy Smith's "Back At the Chicken Shack." This Bailey version of a shuffle beat has the skip hi-hat, a snare smack on two, and "uh huh" on tom-tom in mid-bar. Probably he couldn't have played that beat with a piano trio of the era, but surrounded by organ and guitar, it fits perfectly. What really makes it work is the feel, which is casually undulating and "local" in intention. You can't take that beat, put in the hands of anyone else, and expect to get the same situation. Then there's a great story on "The Sermon" ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Thank you for the link, King Ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ Shearn Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Wow! so Trane wanted him as the quartet's drummer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin V Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm not as familiar as I would like to be with Bailey's playing, but I love his only album as a leader, Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 3 (the last volume in an excellent series that also included albums by Mike Clark and Billy Harper). Bailey's album has Odean Pope, Charles Tolliver, George Burton and Tyrone Brown, with Bailey playing harmonica on one tune and powerfully driving the band from behind the kit on the rest. The album also features 'Blues It' by Hasaan Ibn Ali, a tune that doesn't appear to have been recorded elsewhere, which is a shame. Rest in peace, Mr. Bailey, and thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 A friend linked that Iverson article on my FB page and I wrote the following:I wish I could leave a comment. I played a jazz festival years ago that bassist Victor Bailey was on. He is Donald's nephew. He said the Jimmy Smith Trio used to rehearse at his house (his father being Donald's brother) and that Coltrane used to stop by. Can you imagine?Iverson should get in touch with Victor. That would probably confirm the Coltrane/Bailey connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uli Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Ethan Iverson @ethan_iverson2h My post on Donald Bailey now updated with extraordinary audio of Duck with Trane and Garrison. http://bit.ly/H4GVa2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 19, 2013 Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 i swear to god, you don't have James Brown without Donald Bailey. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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