Biography
Formally trained on bass along with composition and arranging, Don Bagley first built his name through tours and recordings alongside Stan Kenton between 1950 and 1953. Although he would rejoin Kenton periodically in later years, Bagley launched his own ensembles in 1954. Session work kept him occupied as well; he cut sides in Los Angeles with Nat "King" Cole, Maynard Ferguson and Dexter Gordon from 1950 through 1952, then traveled abroad for dates in 1953 with Zoot Sims, Lars Gullin and a sextet co-led by Frank Rosolino and Ake Persson across Paris and Sweden. Between 1956 and 1967 he again worked extensively with Kenton while also maintaining a long association with Les Brown, yet still found opportunities to record in 1957 and 1958 alongside Jimmie Rowles, Shelly Manne and Phil Woods. Additional appearances included Pete Fountain in 1959 and Ben Webster in 1961. During the 1970s and 1980s the world of television and film drew him toward numerous arrangements and original scores, and from 1976 to 1984 he served noted pop songwriter Burt Bacharach.