Frank Tusa (born April 1, 1947) is an American jazz double-bassist, composer, educator.
Tusa played guitar before switching to bass at age ten. He worked in a Broadway pit orchestra and then played while serving in the Army. Tusa worked with Paul Bley (1970–71), Horacee Arnold (1971), and in the Open Sky trio with Dave Liebman and Rakalam Bob Moses in 1972-74. Early in the 1970s he also played with Dave Holland, Collin Walcott, and Dom Um Romão, the last on electric bass. In the middle of the decade he toured Europe in Dave Liebman's Lookout Farm ensemble with Richard Beirach, Jeff Williams, and Badal Roy. [1] He recorded around this time with Barry Miles, Booker Ervin, Don Cherry, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Konitz, and Harold Mabern.Tusa has had a wide variety of recording, and performing experiences with such diverse artists as Art Blakey, Buddy Montgomery, Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Pepper Adams, Shelly Manne, Bobby Hutcherson, Johnny Griffin, Herb Ellis, Art Farmer, Randy Brecker, Freddie Hubbard, John Abercrombie, George Cables and many other great jazz artists. Tusa’s early recordings are with jazz legends Paul Bley, Don Cherry and Dave Liebman. Frank was one of the original members of Dave Liebman’s critically acclaimed group “Lookout Farm”. [2]
In 1980 Frank relocated to San Francisco after spending many years learning and working through the ranks of his native New York City scene. After arriving in San Francisco he very quickly became known as one of the finest musicians in the bay area and has been in constant demand for his solid rhythmic anchoring and eloquent melodic lines. He has also been very active in music education teaching at San Jose State University and Stanford University.
His first album as a leader was released on Enja Records in 1975 which has been remastered in 24 bite and re-released in 2006. 1977 saw him collaborating with Art Blakey. and working in the Eon trio. He played in San Francisco in the 1980s.
Steve Swallow is a jazz fusion bassist and composer noted for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar.
Dave Holland is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years.
Hyman Paul Bley, CM was a Canadian pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live performance on the Moog and Arp audio synthesizers. Bley was a long-time resident of the United States. His music has been described by Ben Ratliff of the New York Times as "deeply original and aesthetically aggressive". Bley's prolific output includes influential recordings from the 1950s through to his solo piano records of the 2000s.
Barry Altschul is a free jazz and hard bop drummer who first came to notice in the late 1960s for performing with pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea.
David Liebman is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach.
John Laird Abercrombie was an American jazz guitarist. His work explored jazz fusion, free jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Abercrombie studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He was known for his understated style and his work with organ trios.
Richard Alan Beirach is an American jazz pianist and composer.
Jeffrey Lawrence Williams is an American jazz drummer, composer, and educator.
Adam Nussbaum is an American jazz drummer.
George Mraz is a jazz bassist and alto saxophonist. He was a member of Oscar Peterson's group, and has worked with Pepper Adams, Stan Getz, Michel Petrucciani, Stephane Grappelli, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Raney, Chet Baker, Joe Henderson, John Abercrombie, John Scofield, Richie Beirach and many other important jazz musicians.
Ron McClure is a jazz bassist.
"Like Someone in Love" is a popular song composed in 1944 by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was written for the 1944 film Belle of the Yukon, where it was sung by Dinah Shore. It was a hit for Bing Crosby in March 1945, reaching #15, and has since become a jazz standard.
Michael Formanek is an American jazz bassist born in San Francisco, California and associated with the jazz scene in New York City.
Bob Moses is an American jazz drummer.
Lookout Farm is an album by American jazz saxophonist Dave Liebman recorded in 1973, his first released on the ECM label.
Eon is an album by American jazz pianist and composer Richard Beirach recorded in 1974 and released on the ECM label.
This is the discography for American jazz musician Dave Liebman.
Pendulum is a live album by saxophonist David Liebman which was recorded at the Village Vanguard in early 1978 and originally released on the Artists House label. In 2008 the album was rereleased by Mosaic Records as part of a 3 CD box set with eight additional unreleased recordings from the same performances.
Sweet Hands is an album by saxophonist David Liebman which was recorded in California in 1975 and released on the Horizon label.
Forgotten Fantasies is an album of duets by saxophonist David Liebman and pianist Richard Beirach which was recorded in New York in 1975 and released on the Horizon label.