Gary Willis (born 28 March 1957) is an American bassist and composer known foremost as the co-founder (with Scott Henderson) of the jazz fusion band Tribal Tech. Aside from his work in Tribal Tech, Willis has worked with numerous other jazz musicians including Wayne Shorter, Dennis Chambers, and Allan Holdsworth. "Slaughterhouse 3", released in 2006, continued his collaboration with drummer Kirk Covington as well as saxophonist Llibert Fortuny to form a modern jazz/funk/groove power-trio. Willis's latest solo CD Larger Than Life was released on the Abstractlogix label in 2015.
In addition to "Larger Than Life", Willis's solo career includes Retro from 2013, Actual Fiction from 2007, No Sweat from 1996 and Bent in 1998. Willis is also the author of four books for bass guitar, "Fingerboard Harmony for Bass", "The Gary Willis Collection", "Ultimate Ear Training for Guitar and Bass" and "101 Bass Tips" all published by Hal Leonard.
Willis, a Texas native, studied composition and improvisation at The University of North Texas College of Music, where he switched from guitar to bass. [1] He is currently an instructor at the Catalonia College of Music in Barcelona, Spain. [2]
Gary Willis uses his signature model Ibanez fretless 5-string bass guitar, Aguilar Amplifiers and D'Addario strings. [3]
He is currently an instructor at Berklee's campus in Valencia, Spain.
The double bass, also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched chordophone, in the modern symphony orchestra. Similar in structure to the cello, it has four or five strings.
John Scofield is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in the band of Miles Davis, and has toured and recorded with many prominent jazz artists, including saxophonists Eddie Harris, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson and Joe Lovano; keyboardists George Duke, Joey DeFrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Larry Goldings and Robert Glasper; fellow guitarists Pat Metheny, John Abercrombie, Pat Martino and Bill Frisell; bassists Marc Johnson and Jaco Pastorius; and drummers Billy Cobham and Dennis Chambers. Outside the world of jazz, he has collaborated with Phil Lesh, Mavis Staples, John Mayer, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Gov't Mule.
Gary Burton is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be heralded as an innovator, and his sound and technique are widely imitated. He is also known for pioneering fusion jazz and popularizing the duet format in jazz, as well as being a major figure in music education from his 30 years teaching at the Berklee College of Music.
Steve Swallow is an American jazz bassist and composer, known 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.
A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music, pre-written to be played on a classical, electric, or acoustic guitar. In 20th and 21st century traditional music and popular music such as blues, swing, jazz, jazz fusion, rock and heavy metal, guitar solos often contain virtuoso techniques and varying degrees of improvisation. Guitar solos on classical guitar, which are typically written in musical notation, are also used in classical music forms such as chamber music and concertos.
John Patitucci is an American jazz bassist and composer.
Scott Henderson is an American jazz fusion and blues guitarist best known for his work with the band Tribal Tech.
Tribal Tech was a progressive fusion band, originally formed in 1984 by guitarist Scott Henderson and bass player Gary Willis. From 1993 forward the band included Scott Kinsey on keyboard and Kirk Covington on drums, and released ten albums that stretched the borders between blues, jazz, and rock. The band dissolved following the release of 2000's Rocket Science, with the various members pursuing solo careers. However, they re-formed to release another album, X, in 2012. In 2014, Henderson and Willis decided to band once again.
Kaffe was a Bulgarian jazz band who represented their home country in the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest. The group, who sung the song "Lorraine", finished 19th in the semi-final.
Thomas William Ellis Smith is a Scottish jazz saxophonist, composer, and educator.
Victor Bailey was an American bass guitar player. He was the bassist for Weather Report during their final years from 1982 to 1986, and launched a solo career in 1988. As a musician, Bailey was known for his signature scat-bass solos.
Nomad is the third album by fusion band Tribal Tech, a project led by guitarist Scott Henderson and bassist Gary Willis. The album was recorded in April 1988, but not released until 1990.
Niels Lan Doky is a Danish jazz pianist, composer and producer. He is the older brother of jazz bassist Chris Minh Doky.
Scott Kinsey is a keyboardist and member of the band Tribal Tech. He is a 1991 graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Kirk Covington is a drummer best known for his work with the jazz fusion group Tribal Tech.
Alex Machacek is an Austrian jazz fusion guitarist.
Polish jazz has a history that spans periods of both acceptance and political repression.
Peter Askim is an American composer of modern classical music, conductor, music educator and a double bassist.
David Dyson is an American bassist, songwriter, arranger, and producer. Throughout his career he has performed with an array of artists including New Kids on the Block, Meshell Ndegeocello, Lalah Hathaway, Pieces of a Dream, George Duke, Regina Bell, Jonathan Butler, Najee, Candy Dulfer, Rick Braun, Gerald Albright, Norman Brown, Bobby Lyle, Doc Powell, and Michael Franks.
Alex Bailey is an American multi-instrumentalist. He is most known for performing with bassist Marcus Miller. He is also known for his drumming on the Walt Disney movie, Safety.