Tim Landers

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Tim Landers
Tim Landers Cosmopolite 2019 (211809).jpg
Tim Landers performing in 2019
Background information
Birth nameTimothy Gerard Landers
Born (1956-11-01) November 1, 1956 (age 67)
Taunton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres Jazz, rock
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Bass guitar, double bass
Years active1978–present

Timothy Gerard Landers (born November 1, 1956) is an American bassist best known for his contribution to the 1970s-80s jazz-fusion genre and his work with Al Di Meola, Billy Cobham, and Gil Evans. Landers is a session musician and was a member of Tom Scott's band on The Pat Sajak Show . [1] [2]

Contents

Born in Taunton, Massachusetts, Landers has worked with Tracy Chapman, Tori Amos, Crimson Jazz Trio, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, and Loreena McKennitt. He is also known for his contribution to bass guitar design with the Pedulla Buzz bass and Peavey Dyna Bass as well as his Signature Series, the Peavey TL-5 and TL-6.

Career

Musical beginnings

Landers was influenced to pursue music by his parents. His father played guitar, electric bass, and lap steel guitar professionally. His mother sang with church choirs and played piano. Landers took up the drums first, then guitar at 8 years old and by the time he was 11 had formed his first band in Brockton, Massachusetts called The Jordan Empire. The band members would each earn about $5 for playing songs by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix at private functions, then eventually at larger venues. At age 14 he shifted to bass in order to play with his high school big band and soon found himself busy playing with a number of bands in the Brockton area, most notably a southern Massachusetts rock group called Pledge.

Landers studied at the Berklee College of Music. During his second semester he was invited to tour with Al Kooper, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and trumpeter Stanton Davis. When he returned to Boston, he played with Tiger Okoshi, Mike Stern, Mick Goodrick, Mike Metheny and Dean Brown (guitarist).

Professional music career

Landers moved to New York City in 1978 and lived there until 1984. He worked with Gil Evans, Al Di Meola, Billy Cobham, Michael Brecker, Barry Finnerty, Horace Arnold, Sam Morrison, Tiger Okoshi, Mike Stern, Nicholas Pike, and Michael Shrieve. He was a founding member of the jazz-fusion group Vital Information with David Wilczewski and Journey drummer Steve Smith.

Landers shifted gears in 1984 and moved to Los Angeles. He worked with Joe Chiccarelli, Richie Wise, Paul Brown, and David Kershenbaum and recorded with Tori Amos, Tracy Chapman, Stan Ridgeway, Al Stewart, Vince Neil, Andy Kim, Graham Nash, Loreena McKennitt, Beyoncé, The Pointer Sisters, Stevie Nicks, and Jethro Tull. He continued to contribute to jazz recordings on the west coast for Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Tom Scott, Frank Gambale, Eric Marienthal, and Gannin Arnold.

He and former King Crimson drummer Ian Wallace and pianist Jody Nardone formed the Crimson Jazz Trio in 2005 and they recorded two albums before Wallace's death. Landers spent a number of years as musical director for pianist John Tesh and produced Tesh's recordings, including two big-band jazz albums, and was nominated for both a Grammy and GMA Dove Award. Landers has written for national commercials for Nike, MacDonald's, Sprint, and Coca-Cola.

As of 2023 Landers has been touring and recording with Billy Cobham and Randy Brecker in the "Crosswinds Project" and staying busy in the studios recording with independent artists; UK World Music group Secret Sky and up and coming guitar wizard John Philbrick.

Nominations

Basses

Landers uses the Pedulla "Nuance" model, a 5 string bolt-on electric bass custom built for Tim by M.V. Pedulla Guitars, and a Pedulla 4 string fretless "Buzz" bass that he helped Mike Pedulla with in the initial design along with Mark Egan. [4] [5] He also uses his own signature model basses designed by Landers and produced by Peavey Electronics from 1988 to 1996. [6] [7]

[8] == Discography ==

As band member

With Steve Smith and Vital Information

With Billy Cobham's Glass Menagerie

With Crimson Jazz Trio

As sideman

With Gil Evans

With Frank Gambale

With David Hallyday

With Pat Kelley

With Loreena McKennitt

With Secret Sky

With Tiger Okoshi

With Lee Ritenour

With John Philbrick and Steve Maggiora

With Robert Tepper

With Al Stewart

With Laurence Juber

With Naked

With John Tesh

With Steve Wynn

With others

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References

  1. ↑ "Tim Landers | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  2. ↑ Feather, Leonard (9 April 1989). "Tom Scott Makes the Sajak Connection". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  3. ↑ "Dove Awards 2000 :: CMnexus".
  4. ↑ Larson, Eric (31 January 2018). "Mark Egan & Arjun Bruggeman "Dreaming Spirits"". www.fretlessbass.com. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Larson, Eric (26 February 2015). "Pedulla Guitars 40th Anniversary Interview With Michael Pedulla". www.fretlessbass.com. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  6. ↑ "Peavey RJ-IV | Vintage Guitar® magazine". 23 October 2014.
  7. ↑ The Peavey Revolution book by Ken Archard 2005, pp. 69, 70 & 88
  8. ↑ "Naked - Naked". Discogs . 15 April 1997.
  9. ↑ "Revisiting STEVE SMITH's Vital Information". 12 February 2014.
  10. ↑ Steve Smith the Journey Never Ends [ dead link ]
  11. ↑ "BILLY COBHAM - Billy Cobham's Glass Menagerie: Observations & (1982)".
  12. ↑ "Smokin' - Billy Cobham, Billy Cobham's Glass Menagerie | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  13. ↑ "King Crimson Songbook, Vol. 1 - the Crimson Jazz Trio | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  14. ↑ "King Crimson Songbook, Vol. 2 - the Crimson Jazz Trio | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  15. ↑ "Secret Sky". Discogs .
  16. ↑ "Guitarist John Philbrick to Release New Album if You Say So Ft. Toto's Steve Maggiora on Vocals Set for Release July 14". 14 July 2023.
  17. ↑ "Naked by Naked - RYM/Sonemic".
  18. ↑ Masters of Music: Conversations with Berklee Greats (pp. 245 & 319) by Jonathan Feist
  19. ↑ Jazz on Film: The Complete Story of the Musicians and Music Onscreen (p. 24) by Scott Yanow
  20. ↑ Popular Science, January 2002: Rocking Photonics article by Paul Foglind
  21. ↑ The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. LP and Cassette by Richard Cook and Brian Morton
  22. ↑ "Carved in Stone - Vince Neil | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  23. ↑ "Tim Landers | Credits". AllMusic .
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