Cecil McBee

Musician

Forlisteners of post‑bop and free jazz; fans of bass-led ensembles and 1970s jazz records.
1 Reviews 0 Definitions 1 Charts

The Profile

American jazz double bass player and composer, noted for his work as a session musician and for leader albums including Mutima and Alternate Spaces.

Has played with Miles Davis, Andrew Hill, Sam Rivers, Yusef Lateef, Keith Jarrett, Jackie McLean and Wayne Shorter. First solo album cited as Mutima (1975); Alternate Spaces released around 1977.

A positive, admiring review of Cecil McBee's 1977 album Alternate Spaces. The review highlights McBee's double bass technique, compositional voice and the album's post‑bop/free‑jazz blend. Noted tracks include "Consequences", "Come Sunrise" and "Sorta, Kinda Blue", with contributions from Chico Freeman, Don Moye and Don Pullen.

Notable Quotes

❝ Cecil McBee is a great Session Man, with an overwhelming resume even by 1977 (see the names above, and they are not all), a double bass player of great technique and robust sound, and with a great desire to express his own compositional talent in a memorable record, to be passed down to posterity.