Israel Crosby (January 19, 1919 – August 11, 1962) was a jazz double-bassist born in Chicago, Illinois. One of the finest to emerge during the 1930s,^[1] he is best known as a member of the Ahmad Jamal trio from 1957 to 1962. A close contemporary of fellow bassist Jimmy Blanton, Crosby is less considered as a pioneer, but his interactive playing in Jamal's trio and that of George Shearing shows how easily and fluently he displayed a modern approach to jazz double bass. He is credited with taking the first recorded bass solo on his 1935 recording of "Blues of Israel" with drummer Gene Krupa (Prestige PR 7644) when he was only 16.

One of Teddy Wilson's most celebrated instrumentals, "Blues In C Sharp Minor" from May 14, 1936 featured Crosby's prominent slap bass.

Crosby died of a heart attack at age forty-three, two months after joining the Shearing Quintet.^[1]

Discography

As sideman

With Ahmad Jamal

• Ahmad's Blues (1951, 1955)
• Ahmad Jamal Plays (Parrot, 1955) also released as Chamber Music of the New Jazz (Argo, 1955)
• The Ahmad Jamal Trio (Epic, 1955)
• Count 'Em 88 (Argo, 1956)
• At the Pershing: But Not for Me (1958)
• Live at The Pershing & The Spotlight Club (1958)
• Portfolio of Ahmad Jamal (1958)
• Moonlight in Vermont (1958)
• Happy Moods (Argo, 1960)
• Listen to the Ahmad Jamal Quintet (Argo, 1960)
• Ahmad Jamal's Alhambra (Argo, 1961)
• All of You (Argo, 1961)
• Ahmad Jamal at the Blackhawk (Argo, 1962)
• Cross Country Tour 1958-1961 (1962)
• Poinciana (1963)
• Extensions (1965)
• Heat Wave (1966)
• Standard Eyes (1967)

With others

• Lorez Alexandria: Deep Roots (Argo, 1962)
• Albert Ammons: 1936-1939 (Classics)
• Chu Berry: and his Stompy Stevedores (1937)
• Charlie Christian: Solo Flight (Topaz, 1939–1941)
• Vic Dickenson: Breaks, Blues and Boogie (Topaz, 1941–1946)
• Roy Eldridge: 1943-1944 (Classics), The Big Sound of Little Jazz (Topaz, 1935–41)
• Herb Ellis: The Midnight Roll (Eipc, 1962) (last recording session)^[2]
• Edmond Hall: 1936-1944 (Classics)
• Coleman Hawkins: The Complete Coleman Hawkins (Mercury, 1944), Rainbow Mist (Delmark, 1944 [1992]), Verve Jazz Masters 34 (Verve, 1944–62)
• Fletcher Henderson: 1934-1937 (Classics)
• Horace Henderson: 1940 (Classics)
• Sam Jones: Down Home (Riverside, 1962)
• Gene Krupa: 1935-1938 (Classics)
• Meade Lux Lewis: Boogie And Blues (Topaz, 1936–1941)
• George Shearing: Jazz Moments (Capitol, 1962) (Blue Note as of 2008)
• Jess Stacy: 1935-1939 (Classics)
• Earl Washington: (Classics) (Workshop - Motown Imprint, 1962)

References