Red Mitchell

Known for his exceptional skill on the double bass, which kept him constantly in demand, Red Mitchell began as a pianist and continued to double on that instrument from time to time across his professional life. He took up the bass during his service in an Army band stationed in Germany. Early associations included stints with Jackie Paris from 1947 to 1948, Mundell Lowe, Chubby Jackson’s big band, and Charlie Ventura in 1949. He then toured with Woody Herman’s Orchestra between 1949 and 1951 before joining the well-regarded Red Norvo Trio for the period 1952–1954. A brief engagement with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet followed in 1954. Relocating to Los Angeles, Mitchell spent the years 1954 through 1968 working alongside nearly every prominent figure on the West Coast scene, especially Hampton Hawes, while also appearing on a 1959 recording by Ornette Coleman and serving in the MGM studio orchestra. Between 1961 and 1962 he co-led a quintet with Harold Land that produced an Atlantic session. In 1968 he relocated to Stockholm, where he directed his own ensembles, collaborated with local European players, and backed visiting Americans such as Dizzy Gillespie and Phil Woods. He returned to the United States only sporadically and, shortly before his death, settled in Oregon. Beyond the Atlantic date, Mitchell led sessions for Bethlehem in 1955 as well as for Contemporary, Pacific Jazz, Mercury, SteepleChase, Caprice, Gryphon, Phontastic, Enja, Capri, and several smaller European imprints.