Walter Bishop Jr.

A gifted journeyman pianist who emerged out of the New York bebop scene, Walter Bishop, Jr. first appeared on numerous modern jazz recordings before leading his vital hard bop sessions. Building upon the influence of Bud Powell, Bishop was noted for his swinging, behind-the-beat style and deft use of tension and release. Following vital recordings with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Stan Getz, he made his solo debut with 1961's Speak Low. He also spent several years on the West Coast, teaching and releasing albums on the Black Jazz label including 1971's Coral Keys. Moving back East, he continued teaching and releasing albums for the last two decades of his life, including 1977's Soul Village, 1988's Just in Time, and 1990's What's New. Born in 1927 in New York City, Bishop grew up in Harlem's Sugar Hill area, the son of composer Walter Bishop, Sr. He started on piano at a young age and counted among his friends future jazz icons Sonny Rollins, Kenny Drew, and Art Taylor. Influenced by players like Art Tatum, Bud Powell, and Nat King Cole, Bishop started playing jazz and eventually dropped out of high school to play professionally. From 1945 to 1947, he was in the Army Air Corps based near St. Louis. Following his discharge he returned to New York, where he first attracted notice on the Manhattan club circuit. He was part of the vital bebop jam sessions at Minton's Playhouse and recorded early on in 1949 with Milt Jackson and Stan Getz. From 1951 to 1954, he played and recorded with Charlie Parker, Oscar Pettiford, and Kenny Dorham. He was also a member of Miles Davis' band, appearing on such classic sessions as Blue Period, Dig, and Miles Ahead. During this period, he also suffered drug addiction and was incarcerated for a time, with his New York City Cabaret Card getting revoked. By the late '50s, he had become a Muslim and adopted the name Ibrahim ibn Ismail, but didn't use publicly. In 1960, he played in trombonist Curtis Fuller's group before forming his own trio the next year with bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer G.T. Hogan. It was with this trio that he made his recorded debut as leader with 1961's Speak Low on the Jazztime label. More albums followed, including 1963's Summertime with bassist Butch Warren and drummer Jimmy Cobb, and Bish Bash, the latter recorded in 1964 and 1968 and featuring bassist Eddie Kahn and drummer Dick Berk with saxophonist Frank Haynes, as well as tracks with bassist Reggie Johnson and drummer Idris Muhammad. Also in the '60s, he toured with vibist Terry Gibbs and recorded with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Stitt, and others. In the late '60s, Bishop studied at Juilliard with composer/pianist Hall Overton, before moving to Los Angeles. There, he taught music theory at several colleges into the '70s while working as a freelancer and leading his own groups. He was a member of Supersax and recorded regularly with trumpeter Blue Mitchell's band. In 1971, he released Coral Keys on Gene Russell's Black Jazz label, showcasing his quartet with reedist Harold Vick, bassist Reggie Johnson, drummers Alan Shwaetz Benger and Idris Muhammad, as well as guest trumpeter Woody Shaw. A second Black Jazz album arrived in 1973, Keeper of My Soul, with flutist/saxophonist Ronnie Laws, vibraphonist Woody Murray, bassist Gerald Brown, drummer Bahir Hassan, and percussionist Shakur M. Abdulla. In 1975, he returned to New York where he authored an insightful book on jazz theory, A Study in Fourths, in which he proffered a technique of chromatic improvisation based on the use of cycles of fourths and fifths. That same year, he made his Muse label debut with Valley Land, a trio album with bassist Sam Jones and drummer Billy Hart. He recorded several more highly regarded, if lesser-appreciated albums for the label, including 1977's Soul Village and 1978's Cubicle, both featuring trumpeter Randy Brecker. He also worked with Clark Terry's big and small bands, saxophonist Archie Shepp, trombonist Curtis Fuller, and others. Bishop continued to lead his own groups, and in the early '80s began teaching at the University of Hartford. In 1983, he played a solo concert at Carnegie Hall. He released more trio albums, including 1988's Just in Time with bassist Paul Brown and drummer Walter Bolden, and 1990's What's New with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. Also in the mid-'90s, he appeared to great acclaim at the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival on New York City's Lower East Side. Bishop died of a heart attack on January 24, 1998.
© Matt Collar /TiVo