Buell Neidlinger (March 2, 1936 – March 16, 2018) was an American

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

and

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

ist. He has worked with a variety of pop and jazz performers, prominently with iconoclastic pianist

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...

in the 1950s and '60s.

Biography

Neidlinger was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to the former Jane Buell and Roger Nidlinger. He was raised in

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...

, where his father ran a cargo shipping business. He played cello in his youth, and began studying double bass after a music teacher recommended it to strengthen his hands.Clifford Alle
Buell Neidlinger: From Taylor to Zappa to the Carpenters
AllAboutJazz.com, 2003; accessed 07 Nov 2017 He took lessons from jazz bassist Walter Page. In his teens, Neidlinger suffered a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

which he attributed to the pressure of being perceived as a

child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...

on cello. While institutionalized, he met jazz pianist

Joe Sullivan } Michael Joseph O'Sullivan (November 4, 1906 – October 13, 1971) was an American jazz pianist. Sullivan was the ninth child of Irish immigrant parents. He studied classical piano for 12 years and at age 17, he began to play popular music in s ...

who was in treatment for alcoholism. Neidlinger dropped out of

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

after one year, where he had been studying orchestral music. He moved to New York City and began playing in various jazz settings. He joined

's group in 1955, played with Herbie Nichols and recorded extensively with Taylor's groups with Steve Lacy and with

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

among others until 1961. He was also involved with new directions in classical music (

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and Extended technique, non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one ...

, Mauricio Kagel,

George Crumb George Henry Crumb Jr. (24 October 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical ...

) and

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City ...

' s Third Stream music. In 1971, Neidlinger moved to California. He became the principal bassist for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and was also principal bassist in the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

studio orchestra for 30 years. He worked extensively as an orchestral and as a session bassist before becoming a musical educator at the

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

and CalArts. Together with Marty Krystall he founded K2B2 Records. The sessions Neidlinger performed on as a strings player included

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

's " I Left My Heart In San Francisco" and

the Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles, six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in ...

' "

Hotel California "Hotel California" is a song by American rock band the Eagles, released as the second single of their album of the same name on February 22, 1977. The song was written by Don Felder (music), Don Henley, and Glenn Frey (lyrics), featuring H ...

". For a short time in the spring of 1974, Neidlinger played bass with

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 196 ...

, David Grisman, and others in the Great American String Band. The Great American String Band played blue grass and American roots music in and around the Bay Area for about three months. A recording can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CF1Ff8SkbY In 1983, he performed on the Antilles Records release '' Swingrass '83''. Allmusic review/ref> In 1997, Neidlinger moved to

Whidbey Island Whidbey Island (historical spellings Whidby, Whitbey, or Whitby) is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, Island County, Washington (state), Washington, in the United States, and the largest island in Washington stat ...

, Washington State. There, he played in a band called Buellgrass, which included fiddler Richard Greene and featured their version of bluegrass music. Neidlinger's fourth wife, Margaret Storer, was also a bass player. They played baroque music with friends; he played cello, while she played violin. Neidlinger's final recording was ''The Happenings'', accompanied by

Howard Alden Howard Vincent Alden (born October 17, 1958) is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. Alden has recorded many albums for Concord Records, including four with seven-string guitar innovator George Van Eps. Early life Ho ...

on guitar and Marty Krystall on bass clarinet and flute, released in December 2017.

Discography

As leader

* 1961: '' New York City R&B'' (Barnaby) with

* 1980: ''Ready for the 90's'' ( K2B2 2069) as Krystall Klear and the Buells * 1981: ''Our Night Together'' (K2B2 2169) as Krystall Klear and the Buells * 1983: ''Big Day at Ojai'' (K2B2 2369) as Buellgrass * 1983: ''Marty's Garage'' (K2B2 2269) * 1987: ''Thelonious'' (K2B2 2569) * 1987: ''Buell Neidlinger Quartet Live at Ravenna Jazz '87 with Special Guest Steve Lacy'' (K2B2 3969) with Steve Lacy * 1989: ''2 by 2'' (K2B2 4169) with

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...

* 1989: ''The Complete Candid Recordings of Cecil Taylor and Buell Neidlinger'' (

Mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

) with

* 1989: ''Aurora'' (

Denon is a Japanese electronics company dealing with audio equipment. The Denon brand came from a merger of Denki Onkyo (not to be confused with the other Onkyo) and others in 1939. It originally started as Nippon Chikuonki Shoukai in 1910 by Freder ...

73148) as Aurora * 1990: ''Big Drum'' (K2B2 3069) * 1991: ''Locomotive'' ( Soul Note) * 1995: ''Blue Chopsticks – A Portrait of Herbie Nichols'' (K2B2 3169) * 1996: ''Across the Tracks'' (K2B2 6923) * 1997: ''Rear View Mirror'' (K2B2 2969) * 2001: ''Thelonious Atmosphere'' (K2B2 3269) * 2005: ''All Strung Out. Adventures in Buellgrass.'' (K2B2 3569) * 2005: ''Krystall Klear and the Buells - This Way Is West'' (K2B2 3369) * 2009: ''Basso Profundo'' (Vivace 8001)

As sideman

With Darol Anger * 1999: ''Diary of a Fiddler'' (

Compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with No ...

) With

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

* 1968: ''I Started A Joke'' (

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

) With

Ruben Blades Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob. Variants include Reuvein in Yiddish or as an English variant spelling on th ...

* 1988: ''Nothing But the Truth'' ( Elektra) With

* 1987: '' Six Monk's Compositions'' (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italy, Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History ...

) With

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

* 1991: ''

Unforgettable Unforgettable may refer to: Film * ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta * ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film * ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film * ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...

'' (Elektra) With

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, and h ...

* 1987: '' Get Rhythm'' (Warner Bros.) With Stewart Copeland * 1983: Rumblefish (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) ( A&M) With Diane Schuur * 1992: ''In Tribute'' (GPR) With

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...

* 1982: ''

'' (Motown) With

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

* 1989: '' Spike'' (Warner Bros.) With

Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with ...

* 1992: '' Out of the Cradle'' ( Mercury) With Earth, Wind, and Fire * 1980: '' Faces'' ( Columbia) With

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin (born February 26, 1953), known professionally as Michael Bolton, is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton performed in the hard rock and heavy metal music genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, both on his early solo a ...

* 1992: '' Timeless: The Classics'' (Columbia) * 1996: '' This Is The Time: The Christmas Album'' (Columbia) With

Curtis Stigers Curtis Stigers (born October 18, 1965) is an American jazz singer. He achieved a number of hits in the early 1990s, most notably the international hit " I Wonder Why" (1991), which reached No. 5 in the UK and No. 9 in the US. Career S ...

* 1995: ''Time Was'' (Arista) With

Duane Eddy Duane Eddy (April 26, 1938 – April 30, 2024) was an American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" guitar sound, including ...

* 1987: ''Duane Eddy'' ( Capitol) With Yvonne Elliman * 1979: ''Yvonne'' (RSO) With

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

* 1977: '' I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight'' (Columbia) With Richard Greene * 1979: ''Ramblin (Rounder) * 1997: ''Sales Tax Toddle'' ( Rebel) * 1996: ''Wolves A' Howlin (Rebel) With

Jimmy Giuffre James Peter Giuffre (, ; April 26, 1921 – April 24, 2008) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He is known for developing forms of jazz which allowed for free interplay between the musicians, anticipating f ...

* 1960: '' The Jimmy Giuffre Quartet in Person'' (Verve) With

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...

* 1985: '' The Heart of the Matter'' (RCA) * 1994: ''

Timepiece A clock or chronometer is a device that measures and displays time. The clock is one of the oldest Invention, human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month, a ...

'' (143) With

Clint Black Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 1989, Black's debut album '' Killin' Time'' produced four straight number one singles ...

* 1993: '' No Time to Kill'' (RCA) * 1994: '' One Emotion'' (RCA) With David Grisman * 1978: '' Hot Dawg'' (

Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...

) With Leo Kottke * 1986: '' A Shout Toward Noon'' ( Private Music) * 1988: '' Regards from Chuck Pink'' (Private Music) With Steve Lacy * 1958: '' Soprano Sax'' (

Prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

) * 1959: '' Reflections'' ( New Jazz) With

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

* 1989: ''

Mystery Girl ''Mystery Girl'' is the twenty-second album by American singer Roy Orbison. It was his last album recorded during his lifetime, completed in November 1988, a month before his death at age 52. Released posthumously by Virgin Records on January 3 ...

'' (Virgin) * 1992: '' King of Hearts'' (Virgin) With Peter Allen * 1976: '' Taught by Experts'' (A&M) With

Jean-Luc Ponty Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French jazz and jazz fusion violinist and composer. He is considered a pioneer of jazz-rock, particularly for his use of the electric violin starting in the 1970s. He rose to prominence for his colla ...

and

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

* 1970: ''

King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...

'' ( World Pacific) * 1976: '' Cantaloupe Island'' (

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

) With

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, record producer, singer, and former Warner Bros. Records executive whose work encompasses orchestral pop, elaborate recording experiments, Ame ...

* 1972: '' Discover America'' (

) * 1989: ''

Tokyo Rose Tokyo Rose (alternative spelling Tokio Rose) was a name given by Allied troops in the South Pacific during World War II to all female English-speaking radio broadcasters of Japanese propaganda. The programs were broadcast in the South Pacific ...

'' (

) With

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American disc jockey, songwriter and record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, R ...

* 1988: '' The Indescribable Wow'' (

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

) With

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...

* 1994: '' Longing in Their Hearts'' (Capitol) With Peter Rowan * 1978: ''Peter Rowan'' (Flying Fish) * 1996: ''Bluegrass Boy'' ( Sugar Hill) With

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...

* 1991: '' The Fire Inside'' (Capitol) * 1995: ''

It's a Mystery ''It's a Mystery'' is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger, released in 1995 (see 1995 in music). As with his prior album, it is credited to the Silver Bullet Band, though many of the tracks feature a wide array ...

'' (Capitol) With

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

* 1993: '' Duets'' (Capitol) With Pops Staples * 1992: ''Peace to the Neighborhood'' (PointBlank) With

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

and

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experi ...

* 1988: Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films'' (A&M) With

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

* 1994: ''Ordinary Miracles'' (Columbia) With

* 1956: '' Jazz Advance'' ( Transition) * 1958: '' At Newport'' ( Verve) * 1959: '' Looking Ahead!'' (

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

) * 1959: '' Love for Sale'' (

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

) * 1959: ''In Transition'' (

) * 1960: '' The World of Cecil Taylor'' ( Candid) * 1960: ''

Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

'' (Candid) * 1961: '' Cell Walk for Celeste'' (Candid) * 1961: '' Jumpin' Punkins'' (Candid) With

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

* 1988: '' Cocktail (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' (Elektra)

Featured Classics

* Franz Schubert: Quintet in A op. 114 ("Trout") with Peter Serkin and Tashi (RCA ARLI1882) * Paul Chihara: GRASS Concerto for Bass and Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra (Turnabout 34372) * Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra with Neville Marriner (Angel 537081) * Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances Neville Marriner / Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (Angel CDC - 7471162) * Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra with Neville Marriner (Argo ZRG 792) * Basso Profundo. Solo bass and chamber music by Bussotti, Rosenman, Kagel, Xenakis and Ceely. (Vivace Records)

References

External links

Biography and 1983 interview

Extensive interview from 2003

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neidlinger, Buell 1936 births 2018 deaths Musicians from Westport, Connecticut Third stream musicians Avant-garde jazz musicians American jazz double-bassists American classical double-bassists American male double-bassists Candid Records artists Jazz musicians from Connecticut American male jazz musicians Eli's Chosen Six members 20th-century American classical musicians 20th-century American male musicians