The Japanese honor their most distinguished, and usually aged, artists with the title “Living National Treasure.” Bassist Bill Crow well deserves such a designation, and for far more than his age. While people often carry their years like a badly worn garment, his fit him like the finest garb from Brooks Brothers. He still drives, lugs his bass and amp to his gigs, and has an impressive memory which fan and fellow bassist Harvie S described as “100% there, and he tells amazing stories in great detail. And he was there at the best time.”
Crow is a bassist who has worked with such major artists as Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Marian McPartland, Terry Gibbs, and so many more. He seems to enjoy talking about the artists he knew and performed with, almost as much as he enjoyed playing with them, and his personality is such that he seems unimpressed by his own significance in all of it.
He was from the Seattle area, where he knew Ray Charles and Quincy Jones but came to the Big Apple in 1950 and put down roots that have endured. His mother started him in music very early, growing up; he played a number of instruments before he settled on the bass.
He spent one season touring in Claude Thornhill’s band, so I asked him about that leader whose personality seemed as distinctive as his music. The bassist told me that “He liked bizarre people, and his attitude was, ‘You can’t out-weird me. I can be weirder than any of you if I really try.’ He had a very quirky sense of humor. One day in New Orleans, he came up to me all smiles and shook my hand like he hadn’t seen me for a week. I said, ‘Claude what happened? Did you hit the numbers or something? You look like you are sitting on top of the world.’ He said, ‘No, I was starting to think that this band was pretty weird, but I was sitting in my hotel room looking at those people passing by, and, man, you want to see weird?’ Watching those people really cheered him up.”
Crow then joined Marian McPartland and drummer Joe Morello at New York’s famed Hickory House. That was a nightly gig lasting several years, and he got to know a number of McPartland’s friends such as Sal Salvador, Jackie and Roy, and Anita O’Day. He said, “Joe and I picked up work because we sounded good with Marian. We got a record date with Jackie and Roy, and one with Victor Feldman. Unfortunately, they lost Victor’s tape, so that never came out.”
Duke Ellington was also a friend that stopped in, and McPartland got him to take her place at the piano several times, which was thrilling for Crow as he was a fan of our great American duke. It also led to one of his great stories when later he was with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet.
They were part of a festival that included the Ellington Orchestra, and as Crow tells it, “We were waiting backstage for Duke to go on. Duke was looking at his watch and wondering where his bass player was. So, Duke came over and pulled me by the sleeve and said, ‘Come with me.’ He took me right out by the piano where the music stand was for the bass player. So, I stood there with my bass and felt like I’d just been kissed by angels. The whole band gave me a big welcome smile. I went to pick up the bass book from the floor, and Britt Woodman said, ‘Don’t do that; that’s all been changed.’ I said, ‘Well, what’s the first tune?’ Britt said, ‘Just hang around in B flat. We’ll tell you when to change.’ So, they talked me through where there were some other changes.”
“Duke was smart. He went back to the tunes that I would probably know, and he could see after the first couple that I did know them. So, he went about his business up front, but as soon as we came to a ballad where I really needed to know what the chords were, he was at the keyboard right beside me. As he played his part, he would just point on the keyboard to my note just before I needed it, and I would play it. He led me through the whole tune; never played my note, just pointed at it.
“I stood there grinning like an idiot, having such a wonderful time that Gerry got bugged. He said, ‘How come you don’t have that much fun when you are playing with me?’ I said, ‘You get to play with Duke all the time. This is my one chance. Let me have some fun.’
“Later that summer we were at a resort that George Wein had gotten to accept a jazz festival. I was standing in the lobby waiting to go up to my room, when the elevator door opened and Duke stepped out. He said, ‘Ah, Mr. Crow, I never had the opportunity to remunerate you for your excellent services there in New York.’ I said, ‘Duke, that was the thrill of my life. Please be my guest.’ He bowed graciously and went on into the dining room.”
For some years, drummer Nick Scheuble has hosted a weekly musical get together with Bill Crow and others at his home. Mostly, they are a core of musician friends and fairly often, at least one current student or graduate of the William Paterson University Jazz program. Scheuble explained, “It is very important for the young musicians to be able to experience Bill’s approach as they are probably not going to find it by any other bassist, anywhere—no exaggeration.
“He comes from an era when there was very little amplification for the bass, and he pulls on the strings in a certain way to project his sound. He also played in cutting edge piano-less groups where there was no chordal accompaniment from a piano, or guitar, for that matter. His bass playing had to help fill in this void and imply the rich harmony that the music required. He is a master of counterpoint!”
Out of this informal party grew The Three Generations Of Jazz Trio consisting of Bill Crow, Nick Scheuble and his daughter, and recent college graduate, pianist Leonieke Scheuble. One of their steady gigs is at Madison, New Jersey’s Shanghai Jazz restaurant. Since the esteemed bassist’s birthday falls close to one of their regular engagements, it was publicized as his birthday celebration. That made the popular event even more popular.
The December 2024 gig was on a Wednesday evening, and marked his 97th birthday. The restaurant was as stuffed with as many patrons as it could hold. They were all his attentive fans and a healthy number of his musician kin.
Many musicians were invited to sit in. One was the great saxophonist Jerry Weldon who said, “When I was a kid, my father’s record collection really got me started in the music. I knew who played on every record.
“He had a Gerry Mulligan record with Art Farmer, Dave Bailey, and Bill Crow. So, Bill Crow was always a big star to me. Then I got to work with him on quite a few jobs through the years. So, anytime I can play with him, if I can make it, I’m there, And, at age 97 he’s still playing great.
“And just his knowledge. He got to New York in 1950, I can’t even imagine what New York must have been like, but he’ll take you there if you ask him, because he’s got a million stories, and they’re interesting. He’s a living history of music.
“Two other great bass players were there, Harvie S, and Jay Leonhart. I was with Jay and he was just in awe. He’s like, ‘Man, he just sounds as great as ever.’”
Harvie S said, “He’s just an excellent bass player on all levels, and someone that I love to hear. When I hear him play the bass, I just get such a great feeling. It’s very inspiring. I brought along Kengo Nakamura, one of the top bass players in Japan. He’s played with Makoto Ozone, and pretty much everybody as he’s just one of the first call bass players in Tokyo. He had a great time. He loved it.”
While Bill Crow’s stories are wonderful, he is celebrated also for his great musical skill. As drummer Nick Scheuble explained, “Some bassists have a ‘traditional approach’ to the role of the bass player. That is, to state the most fundamental aspects of the harmony and provide a strong reliable pulse. Other bassists tend to take a very interactive approach. They may engage the soloist in a somewhat conversational manner, state more color tones of the harmony and imply the pulse rather than state it.
“Bill has the perfect integration of these two approaches. He states the ‘time’ very clearly and with confidence, and takes the role of the bassist in providing the foundation of the harmony very seriously. At the same time, he plays ‘counter melodies’ that are improvised and beautifully crafted. In any sense, he is like a one-man orchestra, you almost don’t need anything else, and his tone quality and intonation are beautiful.”
There was a second party at Crow’s weekly gig at New York’s Smalls jazz club. Harvie S was also there and even brought a cake. The club is named Smalls for a reason. Harvie S warned “It was jam packed and there was a line around the block trying to get in.”
Bill Crow’s 98th birthday gig at Shanghai Jazz is already being planned for Wednesday, December 17, 2025. I recommend making plans now.
Joe Bebco is the Associate Editor of The Syncopated Times and Webmaster of SyncopatedTimes.com
