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Walter Bishop Jr

Biography

Walter Bishop Jr. (October 4, 1927 – January 24, 1998) was an American jazz pianist born and raised in lower Harlem, New York, whose father Walter Bishop Sr. was a renowned songwriter and colleague of Fats Waller. Growing up in Harlem's Sugar Hill neighborhood during the 1930s and 1940s, Bishop was surrounded by musical talent, developing friendships with future jazz legends including pianist Kenny Drew, saxophonist Sonny Rollins, and drummer Art Taylor. After dropping out of high school, he served two years in the Army Air Corps during World War II, where he encountered touring bebop musicians near St. Louis. Upon returning to Manhattan in 1947, Bishop quickly established himself as a bebop virtuoso, becoming a regular at the legendary Minton's Playhouse jam sessions alongside Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk.

Bishop's professional career flourished throughout the bebop and hard bop eras, establishing him as a valuable utility pianist on numerous modern jazz sessions. His most significant association was with Charlie Parker, whom he joined in 1951 and recorded with until Parker's death in 1955, appearing on Parker's later Verve sessions, Bird's Quintet recordings, and Bird with Strings projects. During the 1950s, he also recorded with Miles Davis on the seminal 1951 'Dig' session and returned to the studio with Miles and Sonny Rollins in 1953 for a date that produced 'Serpent's Tooth.' Despite his musical brilliance, Bishop struggled with drug addiction during this period, resulting in imprisonment and the revocation of his New York City Cabaret Card. By the late 1950s, he had become a Muslim and adopted the name Ibrahim ibn Ismail, though he did not use it publicly. He formed his own trio in 1960 with bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer G.T. Hogan, recording his debut as a leader with 1961's 'Speak Low' on the Jazztime label.

In the late 1960s, Bishop relocated to Los Angeles, where he performed with Supersax and trumpeter Blue Mitchell while studying with composer Lyle Spud Murphy. He returned to New York in 1974 to study at Juilliard with Hall Overton, subsequently formulating his own harmonic theory documented in 'A Study in Fourths,' a neglected but insightful book on jazz improvisation based on cycles of fourths and fifths. Beginning in the early 1980s, he taught jazz theory at the University of Hartford, while also discovering a talent for poetry and incorporating witty, insightful poems into his performances. In 1983, he performed a solo concert at Carnegie Hall. Bishop continued recording and performing actively into the 1990s, regularly touring Europe and Japan and appearing at the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival on New York City's Lower East Side. He died of a heart attack on January 24, 1998, at age 70 at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Manhattan.

Fun Facts

  • Bishop adopted the Islamic name Ibrahim ibn Ismail in the late 1950s after becoming a Muslim, though he did not use it publicly during his performing career.
  • In addition to his accomplished piano career, Bishop discovered a talent for poetry later in life and incorporated witty, insightful poems with titles like 'Max the Invincible Roach' and 'Thelonious and the Keyboard Bugs' into his performances.
  • Bishop's childhood friend group in Harlem's Sugar Hill neighborhood included future jazz legends Sonny Rollins and Jackie McLean; Jackie McLean remained his lifelong friend and helped him secure a teaching position at the University of Hartford in the early 1980s.
  • His theoretical work 'A Study in Fourths' (1976) presented an insightful but neglected technique of chromatic improvisation based on the use of cycles of fourths and fifths, representing a unique contribution to jazz pedagogy.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

  • Bud Powell - Stylistic influence and bebop piano technique (General bebop piano approach) [1940s]
  • Hall Overton - Formal composition and music theory instruction at Juilliard (Jazz harmony and composition studies) [Late 1960s]
  • Lyle Spud Murphy - Musical studies and development in Los Angeles (General musical instruction) [Late 1960s]

Key Collaborators

  • Charlie Parker - Primary recording artist and bandleader collaboration (Parker's Verve sessions, Bird's Quintet, Bird with Strings) [1951-1955]
  • Miles Davis - Recording sessions and performances ('Dig' session (1951), 'Serpent's Tooth' (1953)) [1951-1953]
  • Art Blakey - Early career band membership and recording (Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (17-piece big band)) [Late 1940s]
  • Sonny Rollins - Childhood friend and recording collaborator ('Dig' session (1951), 'Serpent's Tooth' (1953)) [1940s-1950s]
  • Oscar Pettiford - Recording and performance collaborations (Various sessions) [1950s]
  • Kai Winding - Recording and performance collaborations (Various sessions) [1950s]
  • Milt Jackson - Recording collaborations (1949 recordings) [1949]
  • Stan Getz - Recording collaborations (1949 recordings) [1949]
  • Jackie McLean - Childhood friend, lifelong collaborator, and teaching support ('Dig' session (1951), various performances) [1940s-1990s]
  • Curtis Fuller - Trombonist collaboration (Curtis Fuller's group) [1960]
  • Terry Gibbs - Vibist collaboration and touring (Terry Gibbs group tours) [1964]
  • Clark Terry - Trumpeter collaboration in big and small bands (Clark Terry's big and small bands) [1977]
  • Blue Mitchell - Trumpeter collaboration in Los Angeles (Blue Mitchell's band) [Late 1960s]
  • Supersax - Group performance and collaboration (Supersax performances) [Late 1960s]
  • Jimmy Garrison - Bassist in Bishop's own trio (Bishop's trio, 'Speak Low' (1961)) [1960-1961]
  • G.T. Hogan - Drummer in Bishop's own trio (Bishop's trio, 'Speak Low' (1961)) [1960-1961]

Artists Influenced

  • Students at University of Hartford - Jazz theory and performance instruction (Teaching curriculum based on 'A Study in Fourths') [Early 1980s-1998]
  • Jazz improvisation practitioners - Theoretical framework through published book ('A Study in Fourths' - jazz improvisation technique based on cycles of fourths and fifths) [1976 onwards]

Connection Network

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Discography

Albums

Title Release Date Type
The Greatest Jazz Albums of 1956, Vol. 1 2019-02-01 Album
Blues in the Closet 2021-02-26 Album
Milestones 1985-08-31 Album
Out of the Blue 2014-09-22 Album

Top Tracks

  1. Compulsion (The Greatest Jazz Albums of 1956, Vol. 1)
  2. The Serpent's Tooth (Take 2) (The Greatest Jazz Albums of 1956, Vol. 1)
  3. 'Round Midnight (The Greatest Jazz Albums of 1956, Vol. 1)
  4. The Serpent's Tooth (Take 2) (The Greatest Jazz Albums of 1956, Vol. 1)
  5. Speak Low (Take 6) (Milestones)
  6. Speak Low (Blues in the Closet)
  7. Sometimes I'm Happy (Blues in the Closet)
  8. Blues in the Closet (Blues in the Closet)
  9. On Green Dolphin Street (Blues in the Closet)
  10. Alone Together (Blues in the Closet)
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Heard on WWOZ

Walter Bishop Jr has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.

DateTimeTitleShowSpotify
Nov 25, 202508:04Blue BossaThe Morning Setw/ Fox Duhon or Mark LaMaire