William "Spaceman" Patterson is a guitarist and producer, who has collaborated with

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

and

Frank Ocean Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music journalism, music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a B ...

History

Spaceman Patterson was one of the musicians in Miles Davis' touring line-up in the 1980s. In 1992, Patterson provided music for

Ntozake Shange Ntozake Shange ( ;
FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018. October 18, 1948 – October 27, 2018 ...

's ''The Love Space Demands'', an adaptation of some of her poetry. In 1995, Patterson produced

Melvin Van Peebles Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. He worked as an active filmmaker into the early 2020s. His feature film debut, ''The Story of a Three-Day Pa ...

' 1995 album '' Ghetto Gothic''. In 2003, he was musical director for the play Dream on Monkey Mountain presented at the Harlem School of the Arts. In 2008, Patterson was enlisted to produce a hip hop album for

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

. Known at that time for his comedic work and not for performing hip hop, Cosby's album came as a surprise to some. Patterson told the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

that when Cosby contacted him about making the album, "people started speculating, is he going to rap about Jell-O Pudding Pops or what?" The resulting release, titled ''The Cosnarati: State Of Emergency'', came out on November 14, 2009, on World Alert Music. In 2016, Spaceman Patterson played guitar on multiple Frank Ocean recordings, including the albums '' Endless'' and ''

Blonde Blond () or blonde (), also referred to as fair hair, is a human hair color characterized by low levels of eumelanin, the dark pigment. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can be ...

''. As of 2018, at least 20 hours of outtakes from Patterson's Frank Ocean sessions have not been released.

Discography

Per each album's liner notes.

Studio albums

With Jamaica Boys

* 1987: ''Jamaica Boys'' (Warner Bros) * 1989: ''J Boys'' (Warner Bros) * 1990: ''Shake It Up'' (Warner Bros)

With J-Funk Express

* 1993: ''Getting Back To My Roots'' (Pioneer) * 1995: ''This is Rare Groove'' (99 Records)

As producer

* 1983: Trademark – ''Uh-huh!'' (Move'n Groove Records) * 1995:

– ''Ghetto Gothic'' (Capitol Records) *1996:

Monifah Monifa Carter (born January 28, 1972), also known as Monifah, is an American R&B singer. She is best known for her association with the late rapper Heavy D and her music from the mid-1990s, including "I Miss You (Come Back Home)", "You" and " ...

– ''Moods... Moments'' (Universal) * 2009:

– ''The Cosnarati State of Emergency'' (World Alert Music)

As sideman

With
James Blood Ulmer James "Blood" Ulmer (born February 8, 1940) is an American jazz, free funk and blues music, blues guitarist and singer. Ulmer plays a Gibson Byrdland guitar. His guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging". His singing has been ...

* 1980: ''Are You Glad to Be in America?'' (Rough Trade) * 1993: ''Blues Preacher'' (Columbia)

With
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

* 1989: ''Amandla'' (Warner Bros) * 2001: ''1986-1991: The Warner Years'' (Warner Bros)

With
David Sanborn David William Sanborn (July 30, 1945 – May 12, 2024) was an American alto saxophonist. He worked in many musical genres; his solo recordings typically blended jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He began playing the saxophone at the age o ...

* 1992: ''Upfront'' (Elektra) * 1994: ''Hearsay'' (Elektra)

With
Frank Ocean Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music journalism, music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a B ...

* 2016: ''Endless'' (Def Jam) * 2016: ''Blonde'' (Boys Don't Cry) With others * 1976:

Hamiet Bluiett Hamiet Bluiett (; September 16, 1940 – October 4, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His primary instrument was the baritone saxophone, and he was considered one of the finest players of this instrument. A membe ...

- Wildflowers: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions *1989:

Sly and Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separat ...

– ''Silent Assassin'' (Island Records) *1990: Toshinobu Kubota – ''Bonga Wanga'' (CBS) * 1993:

Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American Soul music, soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pendergrass lived most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initial ...

– ''A Little More Magic'' (Elektra) *1997:

Ultramagnetic MCs The Ultramagnetic MCs is an American hip hop group based in the Bronx, New York City. Founded by Kool Keith, the group also includes Ced Gee, TR Love, and Moe Love. Tim Dog became an unofficial member in 1989. In 1990, DJ Jaycee was added as ...

– ''The B-Sides Companion'' (Next Plateau) * 2010:

Jaheim Jaheim H. Hoagland (born May 26, 1978), known mononymously as Jaheim, is an American R&B singer. He was signed by Naughty by Nature's Kaygee to Divine Mill Records in 2000 and released his debut album '' Ghetto Love'' in 2001. His second effo ...

– ''Another Round'' (Atlantic)

References

External links

* * Musicians from New Brunswick, New Jersey {{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Spaceman American male composers 21st-century American composers Living people 1954 births 21st-century American male musicians Jamaica Boys members