Mario Pavone (November 11, 1940 – May 15, 2021) was 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 ...

bassist, composer and bandleader. Jazz critic

Kevin Whitehead Kevin Francis Whitehead (born April 27, 1952) is an American jazz critic and author. Biography Born in New York City, Whitehead studied at Oswego State University in New York, then earned a Masters in American Literature and Culture at Syracuse ...

offers that Pavone was not only "great bass player ut also abig-hearted

mensch Mensch or mentsh () is a Yiddish word which literally translates to "person", and figuratively means "a person of integrity and honor".. Jewish American humorist Leo Rosten describes a as "someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble characte ...

Early life

Pavone was born in

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. The city is southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury i ...

. Pavone attended B. W. Tinker grammar school, Leavenworth High School, and the University of Connecticut at Storrs, where he graduated with a B.S. in engineering. When his Town Plot neighbor, world-renowned guitarist

Joe Diorio Joseph Louis Diorio (August 6, 1936 – February 2, 2022) was an American jazz guitarist. He performed with Sonny Stitt, Hal Crook, Eddie Harris, Ira Sullivan, Stan Getz, Pat Metheny, Horace Silver, Anita O'Day, and Freddie Hubbard. In recent y ...

, recognized him as an unrealized musician Mario was inspired to take up the bass. Primarily self-taught, he was a natural on his instrument. Pavone began playing bass soon after witnessing

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...

at the

Village Vanguard The Village Vanguard is a jazz club at Seventh Avenue South in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. Originally, the club presented folk music and beat poetry, but it became primarily a jaz ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

Career

Pavone's career took off in the 1960s when he toured Europe. In the 1960s he was also involved in the jazz loft era, playing in jam sessions nightly 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 ...

. He began performing in 1965. The

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

-based Creative Musicians Improvising Forum (CMIF) was founded in 1975 by Pavone,

Wadada Leo Smith Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith (born December 18, 1941) is an American trumpeter and composer, working primarily in the field of creative music. He was one of three finalists for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for ''Ten Freedom Summers'', released on ...

, and

Gerry Hemingway Gerry Hemingway (born March 23, 1955) is an American drummer and composer. Hemingway was a member of the Anthony Braxton quartet from 1983 to 1994. He has also performed with Ernst Reijseger, Anthony Davis, Earl Howard, Leo Smith, George E. ...

, influenced by Chicago's

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is an American nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. The AA ...

. His venture into composition began here. He was a member of

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

's trio during 1968–72 and

Bill Dixon William Robert Dixon (October 5, 1925 – June 16, 2010) was an American composer and educator. Dixon was one of the seminal figures in free jazz and late twentieth-century contemporary music. He was also a prominent activist for artist's right ...

's trio during the 1980s. He also performed with

Barry Altschul Barry Altschul (born January 6, 1943, in New York City) is a free jazz and hard bop drummer who first came to notice in the late 1960s for performing with pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea. Biography Altschul is of Russian Jewish heritage, ...

, Smith, and Hemingway. In 1979 Pavone recorded his first album as a leader. He co-led a group 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 ...

in the early 1990s, with Braxton on piano rather than his usual saxophones. In 1980 he began an 18-year musical relationship with saxophonist

Thomas Chapin Thomas Chapin (March 9, 1957 – February 13, 1998) was an American composer and saxophone, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. His music spanned the full range of 20th century creative music, from his time as Lionel Hampton's bandleader ...

. With drummer

Michael Sarin Michael Towne Sarin (born 20 September 1965) is an American jazz drummer noted for his work in New York City's avant-garde jazz scene. Early life and education Born in Stockton, California, Sarin moved as a child to the Puget Sound region. He stu ...

, the group recorded seven albums for

Knitting Factory Records Knitting Factory Records is an indie music, independent American music label that is notable for promoting a variety of artists, including the music of deceased Nigerian political activist Fela Kuti. The label promotes a variety of music artist ...

, which also released an eight-CD

box set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...

of these albums plus a live recording following Chapin's death in 1998. His groups have included Matt Wilson, Gerald Cleaver,

Peter Madsen Peter Langkjær Madsen (; born 12 January 1971) is a Danish convicted murderer and former entrepreneur. In April 2018, he was convicted of the August 2017 murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall on board his submarine, '' UC3 Nautilus'', and se ...

Joshua Redman Joshua Redman (born February 1, 1969) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman (1931–2006). Life and career Joshua Redman was born in Berkeley, California, to jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman a ...

Tony Malaby Tony Malaby (born January 12, 1964) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Malaby was born in Tucson, Arizona. He moved to New York City in 1995 and played with several notable jazz groups, including Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, ...

Dave Douglas David or Dave Douglas may refer to: Entertainment * David Douglas (director) (born 1953), Canadian cinematographer, director and writer * Dave Douglas (trumpeter) (born 1963), American jazz trumpeter * Dave Douglas (drummer) (born 1979), American ...

, Steven Bernstein,

George Schuller George Schuller (born December 29, 1958) is an American jazz drummer. He is the son of composer Gunther Schuller. Biography Schuller was born in New York City and raised in Boston. In 1982 he graduated from the New England Conservatory of Mus ...

Craig Taborn Craig Marvin Taborn (; born February 20, 1970) is an American pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer. He works solo and in bands, mostly playing various forms of jazz. He started playing piano and Moog synthesizer as an adolescent and was i ...

, and

Jimmy Greene James Sidney Greene, Jr. (born February 24, 1975) is an American jazz saxophonist, gospel musician, recording artist, record producer, and music professor. He started his music career in 1997, and has since released eight studio albums. His eigh ...

. Over 40 recordings and several films document his compositions and performances.

Death

Pavone died from

carcinoid cancer A carcinoid (also carcinoid tumor) is a slow-growing type of neuroendocrine tumor originating in the cells of the neuroendocrine system. In some cases, metastasis may occur. Carcinoid tumors of the midgut (jejunum, ileum, appendix, and cecum) a ...

Madeira Beach, Florida Madeira Beach ( ) is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, bordered on the west by the Gulf of Mexico, and on the east by St. Petersburg. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,895. The entertainment district of John's Pass ...

, on May 15, 2021, aged 80.

Awards and honors

* Doris Duke Foundation composer’s grant (2010)

Discography

As leader

* ''Digit'' (Alacra, 1979) * ''Shodo'' (Alacra, 1981) * ''Sharpeville'' (Alacra, 1988) * ''Toulon Days'' (New World/CounterCurrents, 1992) * ''Song for (Septet)'' (New World/CounterCurrents, 1994) * ''Dancers Tales'' (Knitting Factory, 1997) * ''Totem Blues'' (Knitting Factory, 2000) * ''Remembering Thomas'' (Knitting Factory, 1999) * ''Motion Poetry'' (Playscape, 2000) * ''OpEd'' (Playscape, 2001) * ''

Mythos Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

'' (Playscape, 2002) * ''

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

'' (Playscape, 2003) * '' Boom'' (Playscape, 2004) * ''

Deez to Blues ''Deez to Blues'' is an album by bassist/composer Mario Pavone recorded in 2005 and released on the Playscape label. Reception Allmusic called it an "excellent, forward-thinking date ... Mixing orchestral flourishes with a post-bop vocabulary a ...

'' (Playscape, 2006) * ''

Ancestors An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder, or a forebear, is a parent or ( recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from w ...

'' (Playscape, 2008) * ''

Trio Arc ''Trio Arc'' is an album by bassist Mario Pavone, pianist Paul Bley and drummer Matt Wilson recorded in 2007 and released on the Playscape label. Reception Allmusic stated it was "A must-have for lovers of this kind of spontaneous composition; ...

'' (Playscape, 2008) * ''Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po'' (Playscape, 2010) * ''Arc Trio'' (Playscape, 2013) * ''Street Songs'' (Playscape, 2014) * ''Blue Dialect'' (Clean Feed, 2015) * ''Chrome'' (Playscape, 2017) * ''Vertical'' (Clean Feed, 2017) * ''Philosophy'' (Clean Feed, 2019) *''Isabella'' (Clean Feed, 2021) *''Blue Vertical'' (Out of Your Head, 2021)

As sideman

With

* ''

Duets (1993) ''Duets (1993)'' is an album by American saxophonist and composer Anthony Braxton with bassist Mario Pavone recorded in 1993 for the Music & Arts label.

'' (Music & Arts, 1993) * ''

Seven Standards 1995 ''Seven Standards 1995'' is an album by pianist/improviser Anthony Braxton and bassist Mario Pavone's Quintet recorded in 1995 and released on the Knitting Factory Works label.

'' (Knitting Factory, 1995) * '' Six Standards (Quintet) 1996'' (Splasc(H), 2004) With

* ''The Bell of the Heart'' (Alacra, 1981) * ''Third Force'' (Knitting Factory, 1991) * ''Anima'' (Knitting Factory, 1992) * ''Insomnia'' (Knitting Factory, 1993) * ''Menagerie Dreams'' (Knitting Factory, 1995) * ''Haywire'' (Knitting Factory, 1996) * ''Sky Piece'' (Knitting Factory, 1997) * ''Night Bird Song'' (Knitting Factory, 1999) * ''Ride'' (Playscape, 2006) With

* '' November 1981'' (Soul Note, 1982) * ''

Thoughts In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, and delibe ...

'' (Soul Note, 1987) * ''

Son of Sisyphus ''Son of Sisyphus'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter Bill Dixon recorded in 1988 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.Stubenrauch, R.Bill Dixon discographyaccessed November 16, 2014 Reception In his review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow ...

'' (Soul Note, 1990) With others *

, ''Paul Bley Trio'' (Radio Canada, 1969) *

Bobby Naughton Robert Naughton (June 25, 1944 – December 3, 2022) was an American jazz vibraphonist and pianist. Biography Naughton was born in Boston on June 25, 1944. He studied piano from the age of seven through his teens. He played in rock bands and loun ...

, ''Understanding'' (Otic, 1972) *

Michael Pavone Michael "Mike" Pavone is an American screenwriter, television producer/writer, former actor and former executive vice president of WWE Studios with WWE before his departure from the company in August 2011. Career Film and television career Pavon ...

, ''Trio'' (Playscape, 2001) *

Annette Peacock Annette Peacock (born 1941) is an American composer, musician, songwriter, producer, and arranger. She is a pioneer in electronic music who combined her voice with one of the first Moog synthesizers in the late 1960s. Biography Annette Peacock ...

& Paul Bley, ''

Dual Unity ''Dual Unity'' is a live album by Annette Peacock and Paul Bley (credited as Annette & Paul Bley) which was released by Freedom Records in 1972.Alan Silva Alan Lee da Silva (born 22 January 1939, in Bermuda) is an American free jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known as a double bassist. He has recorded on keyboards, violin, cello and trumpet among other instruments. Biography Silva was born a ...

, '' Skillfullness'' (ESP Disk, 1969) *

Patty Waters Patty Waters (March 11, 1946 – June 29, 2024) was an American jazz vocalist best known for her free jazz recordings in the 1960s for the ESP-Disk label. Life and career Waters was born in Iowa on March 11, 1946. She started singing semi-profess ...

, ''Live'' (Blank Forms 2019) * Patty Waters, ''An Evening in Houston'' (Clean Feed, 2020)

References

External links

Official site

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pavone, Mario 1940 births 2021 deaths People from Waterbury, Connecticut 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Jazz musicians from Connecticut Knitting Factory Records artists Clean Feed Records artists