Ron Crotty (December 31, 1929 – May 7, 2015), born Ronald O Crotty in San Francisco, raised in Oakland, and 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. He became known in the late 1940s and early 1950s for work with pianists

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

and

Vince Guaraldi Vincent Anthony Guaraldi (; birth name, né Dellaglio, July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976) was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the ''Peanuts'' comic strip. His compositions for this s ...

. He had a younger sister, Anne Crotty Dapper Wells, who died before him in Sidney, British Columbia.

Career

Crotty played the violin and sang as a child in the church choir. When the school orchestra needed a bass player, he started to master this instrument. He was gripped by the bebop and went to

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...

to teach. He played in a bebop band with, among others, Al Molina and met

Cal Tjader Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, often described as the most successful non-Latino Latin music (genre), Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, especially small group mod ...

, who later recommended him to

when the pianist wanted to start a trio. His work with Brubeck was interrupted by his military service. He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. After two years, Crotty returned to Brubeck, now in his quartet with

Paul Desmond Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer and proponent of cool jazz. He was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet and composed the group's biggest hit, " ...

and Lloyd Davis which became famous with the album '' Jazz at Oberlin'' (1953). After a year, he left Brubeck due to

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver parenchyma, liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), Anorexia (symptom), poor appetite ...

and returned to San Francisco after years of touring, where his music career was ruined by alcohol and amphetamine addiction. During his time in San Francisco, he performed with pianist

and guitarist

Eddie Duran Edward Lozano Duran (September 6, 1925 – November 22, 2019) was an American jazz guitarist from San Francisco. He recorded often with Vince Guaraldi and was a member of the Benny Goodman orchestra during the 1970s. Career Duran started on p ...

and appeared as the Ron Crotty Trio on '' Modern Music from San Francisco'' (1956). Crotty also worked odd jobs on the side to supplement his income. He finally beat his addictions in 1997. Crotty played regularly in the Oakland Museum café for years, with valve trombonist Frank Phipps and guitarist Tony Corman and other Bay Area jazz musicians. He also had his own group, Ron Crotty & Friends, with which he performed in San Francisco and the surrounding area. A trio album with Phipps and Corman was released in 2009. Crotty married Joan Joaquin in San Francisco on November 25, 1950. They were divorced within 2 years.

Death

Crotty died in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, on May 7, 2015.

Discography

* ''Crotty, Corman and Phipps'' (2009)

With Dave Brubeck

* ''Brubeck Trio with

Vol. 1 & 2'' (1950) * '' Jazz at Oberlin'' (1953) * ''Live in Concert'' (2002) * ''At Welshire Ebell: the Historic 1953 Los Angeles Concert'' (2006) Jazz at College of the Pacific. Released 1954

With Vince Guaraldi

*'' Modern Music from San Francisco'' (1956)

External links

Biography at AllMusic

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crotty, Ron American jazz double-bassists 1929 births 2015 deaths