Dezron Lamont Douglas 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

double bassist, composer and producer.

Biography

Douglas was raised in Hartford, Connecticut and studied tuba and bass at the Hartford Conservatory of Music. He attended

The Hartt School The Hartt School is the performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford, a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and Moshe Paranov, Hartt has been part of the University of Hartford since it ...

at the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. It enrolled approximately 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students as ...

majoring in African American Music and History under the tutelage of alto saxophonist

Jackie McLean John Lenwood McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator. He is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their death. Bio ...

. He is the nephew of drummer and composer Walter Bolden. Douglas has released six albums as a leader. His 2012 debut record, ''Live at Smalls'', earned a positive review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', which wrote: "Learned as it may be, this is living-language music — jazz as it’s practiced, more than as it’s studied." As a sideman, Douglas has recorded with

Cyrus Chestnut Cyrus Chestnut (born January 17, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer. In 2006, Josh Tyrangiel, music critic for ''Time'', wrote: "What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is a willingness to abandon notes ...

Michael Carvin Michael Wayne Carvin (born December 12, 1944) is an American jazz drummer. Biography Born in Houston, Texas, Carvin began his musical training at the age of six with his father, one of the top drummers in Houston. By the age of twelve, Carvin be ...

Louis Hayes Louis Hayes (born May 31, 1937) is an American jazz drummer and band leader. He was with McCoy Tyner's trio for more than three years. Since 1989 he has led his own band, and together with Vincent Herring formed the Cannonball Legacy Band. He i ...

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, Papo Vasquez,

Enrico Rava Enrico Rava (born 20 August 1939), is an Italian jazz trumpeter. He started on trombone, then changed to the trumpet after hearing Miles Davis. Career He was born in Trieste, Italy. His first commercial work was as a member of Gato Barbieri's ...

, Eric Reed,

Abraham Burton Abraham Augustus Burton Jr. (born March 17, 1971) is an American saxophonist and bandleader. Biography Burton was born in New York City on March 17, 1971, and was raised in Greenwich Village. He studied at the Hartt School from 1989 to 1993, gra ...

, Eric McPherson,

Tomasz Stańko Tomasz Ludwik Stańko (; 11 July 1942 – 29 July 2018) was a Polish trumpeter and composer associated with free jazz and the avant-garde. In 1962, Tomasz Stańko formed his first band, the Jazz Darings, with saxophonist Janusz Muniak, pianist ...

, Makaya McCraven and

Brandee Younger Brandee Younger (born July 1, 1983) is an American harpist, composer, and educator. Early life and education Younger was born and raised in Hempstead, New York. She developed an early interest in music, leading her to pursue undergraduate deg ...

. In April 2019, Douglas' playing was featured in the documentary ''

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States and Canada. United St ...

'', by

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

. The recording used was from an ''

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

Music'' field recording released in 2013. He is longstanding member of the

Ravi Coltrane Ravi Coltrane (born August 6, 1965) is an American jazz saxophonist. Co-owner of the record label RKM Music, he has produced music for pianist Luis Perdomo, guitarist David Gilmore, and trumpeter Ralph Alessi. Biography Ravi Coltrane is t ...

Quartet and has performed with the

Jazz Communicators. In 2019, Douglas was the winner of the ''Downbeat'' critics poll in the category of "Rising Star bassist". Douglas was featured on ''

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' magazine's July 2020 cover along with Brandee Younger and six other artists. In 2021, Dezron joined the

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, replacing the late

Tony Markellis Tony Markellis (10 September 1952 – 29 April 2021) was a bassist and record producer, born in Helena, Montana, to a Greek immigrant, Constantine Markellis, and the daughter of Greek immigrants, Victoria Carkulis, residing in Saratoga Springs, N ...

Discography

As leader

*2012: ''Underground'', Independent *2012: ''Walkin' My Baby Back Home'', Venus Records *2012: ''Ganbare Nippon'', Venus Records *2013: ''Dezron Douglas Live at Smalls'', Smalls Live *2016: ''DE3: Live at Maxwells'',

Sunnyside Records Sunnyside Records is an American jazz record company and label initially established by François Zalacain in 1982 to release an album by pianist Harold Danko. Albums by Kirk Lightsey and Lee Konitz soon followed, beginning a sequence of releases ...

*2017: ''Soul Jazz'', Venus Records *2018: ''Black Lion'', Independent *2019: ''Solomon Grundy'', Independent (single) *2020: ''Cobra'', Independent (single) *2020: ''Force Majeure'' (with

), International Anthem *2021: ''Meditations on Faith'', Independent (single) *2022: ''Freeway'', Independent (single) *2022: ''Atalaya'', International Anthem

As sideman

With

*2007: ''Cyrus Plays Elvis'' *2010: ''Journeys'' *2010: ''The Cyrus Chestnut Quartet'' *2010: ''Plenty Swing, Plenty Soul: Live at Dizzy's'' with Eric Reed *2011: ''Moonlight Sonata'' *2013: ''Soul Brother Cool'' With

*2008: ''Outlook'' *2011: ''Images: The Hartford Suite'' *2019: ''Correlations'' With

*2014: ''Return of the Jazz Communicators'' *2014: ''Live at Cory Weeds Cellar Jazz Club'' *2017: '' Serenade for Horace'' With Makaya McCraven *2018: ''Universal Beings'' *2020: ''Universal Beings E&F sides'' With

Leslie Odom, Jr. Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. (; born August 6, 1981) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He made his acting debut on Broadway theatre, Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical ''Hamilton (m ...

*2016: '' Simply Christmas'' With

*2011: ''Prelude'', Independent *2014: ''The Brandee Younger 4tet, Live at the Breeding Ground'', Independent *2015: ''Supreme Sonacy'',

Blue Note Records 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 History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it deriv ...

/ Revive Music *2016: ''Wax & Wane'', Independent/ Revive Music *2018: ''A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper'', Impulse! *2019: ''Soul Awakening'' Independent *2021: ''Somewhere Different'', Impulse!

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Dezron Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American jazz double-bassists African-American jazz musicians University of Hartford alumni Musicians from Hartford, Connecticut 21st-century African-American musicians International Anthem Recording Company artists