Bill Ware III born William Anthony Ware III (b. January 28, 1959,

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was List of municipalities in ...

) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

vibraphonist The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

Musical career

Ware played bass and piano early in his career, playing at the Harlem

Jazzmobile Jazzmobile, Inc. is based in New York City, and was founded in 1964 by Daphne Arnstein, an arts patron and founder of the Harlem Cultural Council and Dr. William "Billy" Taylor. It is a multifaceted, outreach organization committed to bringing "A ...

. After spending several years playing

Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave, and Afro-Brazilian jazz, whic ...

, he formed his own Latin Jazz group, AM Sleep. He joined the

Jazz Passengers The Jazz Passengers are an American jazz group founded in 1987 by saxophonist Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes. The band grew out of a partnership between Nathanson and Fowlkes in 1987, after the two had played with John Lurie's band ...

in 1987, and in 1990 put together a group of sidemen as the Club Bird All-Stars, who accompanied him on a tour of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

.Steve Huey,

Bill Ware Bill Ware III born William Anthony Ware III (b. January 28, 1959, East Orange, New Jersey) is an American jazz vibraphonist. Musical career Ware played bass and piano early in his career, playing at the Harlem Jazzmobile. After spending several ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Alongside this, he played with Groove Collective and

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...

in the first half of the 1990s. Later in the decade he teamed up with fellow former Jazz Passengers, Brad Jones and E. J. Rodriguez, in the ensemble Vibes. His 2001 tribute to

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

was recorded with

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Wait ...

on guitar.

Deborah Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

guested on his 2002 effort ''Four''. In the mid-2000s, Ware did several projects blending

with Western

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

as well as 5 film scores (with fellow

bandmate Roy Nathanson).

Discography

As leader

* ''Long and Skinny'' (Knitting Factory, 1993) * ''The Adventure'' (Eightball, 1994) * ''This Is No Time'' (Eightball, 1997) * ''Keeping Up with the Jones'' (Cathexis, 1999) * ''Sir Duke'' (Knitting Factory, 2001) * ''Wonder Full'' (Random Chance, 2008) * ''Played Right'' (Cheetah, 2009) With Groove Collective * ''Groove Collective'' (Reprise, 1994) * ''Nerd'' (Reprise, 1994) * ''We the People'' (Giant Step, 1996) * ''Dance of the Drunken Master'' (Shanachie, 1998) * ''Declassified'' (Shanachie, 1999) * ''It's All in Your Mind'' (Shanachie, 2001) With

The Jazz Passengers The Jazz Passengers are an American jazz group founded in 1987 by saxophonist Roy Nathanson and trombonist Curtis Fowlkes. The band grew out of a partnership between Nathanson and Fowlkes in 1987, after the two had played with John Lurie's band ...

* ''Implement Yourself'' (New World, 1990) * ''Live at the Knitting Factory'' (Knitting Factory, 1991) * ''Plain Old Joe'' (Knitting Factory, 1993) * ''In Love'' (High Street, 1994) * ''Individually Twisted'' (32 Records, 1996) * ''Re-United'' (Justin Time, 2010) * ''April 1990'' (Promising Music, 2015) * ''Still Life with Trouble'' (Thirsty Ear, 2017) With Vibes * ''Vibes'' (Knitting Factory, 1998) * ''With Drawn'' (Knitting Factory, 1999) * ''Liebe Tunina'' (Knitting Factory, 2000) * ''Vibes 4'' (Knitting Factory, 2001)

As sideman

With

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

* ''When I Was Cruel'' (Island, 2002) * ''Tear Off Your Own Head'' (Mercury, 2002) * ''North'' (Deutsche Grammophon, 2003) * ''The Juliet Letters'' (Rhino, 2006) With

Roy Nathanson Roy Jay Nathanson (born May 17, 1951) is an American saxophonist, composer, bandleader, actor and teacher. He became the leader and principal composer of the Jazz Passengers, a six piece group that he founded with Curtis Fowlkes in 1987. They have ...

* ''Broken Night Red Light'' (Crepuscule, 1987) * ''Deranged & Decomposed'' (Crepuscule, 1988) * ''Little Fred'' (Crepuscule, 1990) * ''Fire at Keaton's Bar & Grill'' (Six Degrees, 2000) With others *

Rez Abbasi Rez Abbasi (born August 27, 1965) is a Pakistan-born American jazz guitarist, composer, and record producer based in New York City. Biography Abbasi was born in Karachi, Pakistan. When he was four, his family moved to Los Angeles, and at eleven h ...

, ''Natural Selection'' (Sunnyside, 2010) * Rez Abbasi, ''Intents and Purposes'' (Enja, 2015) *

Eve Beglarian Eve Beglarian (born Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S., July 22, 1958) is a contemporary American composer, performer and audio producer of Armenian descent. Her music is often characterized as postminimalist.Woodard, Josef"A Bird’s Eye, a Wonderer’s ...

, ''Tell the Birds'' (New World, 2006) * Brooklyn Funk Essentials, ''Cool and Steady and Easy'' (Dorado, 1994) * Brooklyn Funk Essentials, ''Big Apple Boogaloo'' (Dorado, 1996) * Tom Browne, ''S' Up'' (Cheetah, 2010) *

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

, ''

'' (Luaka Bop, 1994) *

Camp Lo Camp Lo is an American hip hop duo, formed in 1995, which hails from The Bronx, New York. The duo consists of rappers Sonny Cheeba (Salahadeen Wilds) and Geechi Suede (Saladine Wallace). The duo is perhaps best known for their 1997 hit "Luchi ...

, ''Uptown Saturday Night'' (Profile, 1997) *

Marshall Crenshaw Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as " Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, " Cynical Girl," and "Whenever You're on My Mind." He i ...

, ''What's in the Bag?'' (Razor & Tie, 2003) *

DJ Logic DJ Logic (born 1972 as Jason Kibler) is an American turntablist active primarily in nu-jazz/ acid jazz and with jam bands. Kibler was born and raised in The Bronx, NY. Because of an early interest in hip hop, Kibler started using the turntabl ...

, ''Project Logic'' (Ropeadope, 1999) *

David Gilmore David Gilmore (born 5 February 1964) is an American jazz guitarist. Gilmore studied at New York University with Joe Lovano and Jim McNeely. In 1987 he began working professionally with the M-Base Collective and Ronald Shannon Jackson. In the ...

, ''Transitions'' (Criss Cross, 2017) *

Corey Glover Corey Glover (born November 6, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the rock band Living Colour and has toured as the vocalist for the funk band Galactic. As an actor, he played Francis in the 1986 war movi ...

, ''Hymns'' (LaFace, 1998) *

Jerome Harris Jerome Harris (born April 5, 1953) is an American jazz musician specializing in electric and acoustic bass guitar, electric guitar, voice, and occasionally lap steel and small percussion. He came to prominence in 1978 playing bass guitar and gui ...

, ''Hidden in Plain View'' (New World, 1995) *

, ''Necessary Evil'' (Eleven Seven Music, 2007) *

Yuka Honda Yuka Honda is a Japanese-American musician who resides in New York City. She is a multi-instrumentalist (mainly piano, synthesizer, sampler and other keyboards), composer, record producer, and co-founder of the band Cibo Matto. Throughout her c ...

, ''Memories Are My Only Witness'' (Tzadik, 2002) *

Katell Keineg Katell Keineg (born February 1965), is a Breton- Welsh singer-songwriter, based in Wales. Early life Born in Brittany and raised first there and later in the Rhymney Valley, Katell Keineg is the second child and only daughter of Breton poet and ...

, ''Seasons Castles'' (Elektra, 1994) *

Los Amigos Invisibles Los Amigos Invisibles (Spanish for "The Invisible Friends") is a Venezuelan band which plays a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms. In addition to releasing eleven critically acclaimed albums, the band have been lauded ...

, ''The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera'' (Luaka Bop, 1998) *

J. D. Parran J. D. Parran is an American multi-woodwind player, educator, and composer specializing in jazz and free improvisation. He plays the soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass saxophone, as well as the E-flat clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, ...

, ''J. D. Parran & Spirit Stage'' (Y'All of New York, 1997) *

Mario Pavone Mario Pavone (November 11, 1940 – May 15, 2021) was an American jazz bassist, composer and bandleader. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead offers that Pavone was not only "great bass player ut also abig-hearted mensch." Early life Pavone was born i ...

, ''Song for Septet'' (New World, 1994) *

CeCe Peniston Cecilia Veronica "CeCe" Peniston (; born September 6, 1969) is an American singer and former beauty queen. In the early 1990s, she scored five number one hits on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Club Play. Her signature song "Finally" rea ...

, ''Thought 'Ya Knew'' (A&M, 1994) *

Bobby Previte Bobby Previte (born July 16, 1951 in Niagara Falls, New York) is a drummer, composer, and bandleader. He earned a degree in economics from the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979 and began ...

, ''Set the Alarm for Monday'' (Palmetto, 2008) *

Raw Stylus Raw Stylus was a London-based dance music outfit whose core members were Donna Gardier, Jules Brookes and Ron Aslan. In 1995, they released the single, "Believe in Me", which reached number 1 on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was a minor ...

, ''Pushing Against the Flow'' (BMG, 1995) * Repercussions, ''Earth and Heaven'' (Warner Bros., 1995) * Repercussions, ''Charmed Life'' (Canyon, 1997) *

, '' Shoe String Symphonettes'' (Tzadik, 1997) *

Janis Siegel Janis Siegel (born July 23, 1952) is an American jazz singer, best known as a member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. Musical career In 1965, Siegel made her recording debut with a group called Young Generation on Red Bird Records. A ...

, ''I Wish You Love'' (Telarc, 2002) *

, ''

Alive in America ''Alive in America'' is a live album by the American rock group Steely Dan, released in 1995. It is Steely Dan's first live album. The album comprises recordings from their 1993 and 1994 tours, which were the first live Steely Dan performances ...

'' (Giant, 1995) *

Andy Summers Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942), is an English guitarist who was a member of the rock band The Police. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a band member in 2003. Summers has recorded solo albums, collaborated w ...

, ''Peggy's Blue Skylight'' (BMG, 2000) *

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

, ''John Zorn's Cobra: Live at the Knitting Factory'' (Knitting Factory, 1995)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ware, Bill 1959 births Living people American jazz vibraphonists Musicians from East Orange, New Jersey The Jazz Passengers members Groove Collective members Knitting Factory Records artists Pony Canyon artists Tzadik Records artists