Gerald Veasley
{{Short description|American jazz bass guitarist (born 1955)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Gerald Veasley
| image = Gerald Veasley.jpg
| caption = Veasley in 2007
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|07|28}}
| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| genre = Jazz, jazz fusion, R&B
| occupation = Musician, DJ
| instrument = Bass guitar
| years_active = 1980–present
| associated_acts = Joe Zawinul, Victor Wooten, George Duke
| website = {{URL|geraldveasley.com}}
}}
Gerald Veasley (born July 28, 1955) is an American jazz bass guitarist.
Veasley was born and raised in West Philadelphia,{{cite news |title=A jazzman's bass leads him all over: Gerald Veasley will celebrate his first live album when he returns to his West Philadelphia roots |last=Watson |first=Rob |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=20 August 2005 |page=D1 |id={{ProQuest|1908492347}} }} where he played in R&B groups as a teenager. He received a bass guitar for Christmas from his dad when he was 12 years old and his relatives drove him to music lessons. A strong student, Veasley was attending University of Pennsylvania with plans to go to get a Juris Doctor degree, but then his father died. After that, Veasley changed directions following his heart which was to pursue music. His uncle Ira Tucker, lead singer of the gospel quartet The Dixie Hummingbirds, took him under his wing providing him work at the beginning of his career. Veasley also worked in an R&B revue-carnival run by his cousin and his cousin's wife, and from this experience learned what it would be like to be a musician.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette-coming-from-a-ba/173265203/ |title=Coming from a bass place: Gerald Veasley brings the soul side of jazz out of Philly |first=Peter B. |last=King |date=July 4, 1997 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |via=newspapers.com }}
In the early 80's Grover Washington Jr. asked Veasley to work with him. He then connected with Joe Zawinul from 1988 to 1995, and began releasing his own records in 1992, with his debut album Look Ahead on which both Washington and Zawinul appear.{{cite news|first=Doug |last=Levine |title=Jazz Bassist Gerald Veasley's Patience Pays Off |date=1 August 2008 |publisher=Voice of America |url=http://voanews.com/english/archive/2008-08/2008-08-01-voa47.cfm |work=VOA News |accessdate=3 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201091631/http://voanews.com/english/archive/2008-08/2008-08-01-voa47.cfm |archivedate=1 December 2008 }} He has also done extensive work as a studio musician. His 2008 release Your Move hit No. 12 on the U.S. Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.[{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p42224/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}} Chart Positions], Allmusic.com Veasley has also worked as a smooth jazz DJ on WJJZ in Philadelphia.
Bass Bootcamp
In 2002 Veasley founded his own Bass Bootcamp in Philadelphia with Roxanne Veasley and Lee Patterson.{{cite magazine |title=Gerald Veasley's bass bootcamp |last=Jisi |first=Chris |magazine=Bass Player |volume=13 |issue=6 |date=June 2002 |page=14 |id={{ProQuest|199929450}} }} The camp has served over 700 bass players from all around world as well as other professionals like Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Michael Manring, Victor Wooten, and many more. The camp lasts for 2 days and students are taught many important musical skills by the instructors such as: learning how to groove, creating bass lines, improving your ear, optimizing practice time, and playing live with a drummer.{{cite web |url=https://bassbootcamp.com/classes/ |title=Bass BootCamp Classes: Combining Information and Inspiration |website=bassbootcamp.com |access-date=August 7, 2024 }} In addition, they also teach under music theory topics like covering scales, arpeggios, modes, etc.,as well as an “All-Star Concert” which takes place at The Ardmore Music Hall featuring Gerald and various special guests.
Collaborations
In 1988, Gerald joined a jazz fusion band called The Zawinul Syndicate featuring keyboardist Joe Zawinul, former member of the group Weather Report. The band blended the styles from many different cultures of music and combined tones of strange grooves, driving, swinging and toured from places like the U.S to Germany and continued on until the unfortunate death of Joe.
In June of 1999, Gerald was featured playing bass on an album with Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey called Dreams.{{cite news |title=Philip Bailey's 'Dreams' come true on new CD: Earth, Wind & Fire vocalist returns to first love - jazz |last=Roberts |first=Kimberly C. |publisher=Philadelphia Tribune |date=20 July 1999 |page=4-D |id={{ProQuest|337808617}} }} The album featured many artists such as George Duke, Marcus Miller, Pat Metheny, Gerald Albright, and many others. Veasley was featured on the song “Something To Remind You” with Duke and Metheny.
On April 1, 2008, Gerald was invited on stage as a guest with Victor Wooten, along with Anthony Wellington at The Keswick Theatre in Glenside, PA
Discography
=As leader=
- One Minute of Love (Gramavision, 1985)
- Look Ahead (Heads Up, 1992)
- Signs (Heads Up, 1994)
- Soul Control (Inak, 1997)
- Love Letters (Inak, 1999)
- On the Fast Track (Heads Up, 2001)
- Velvet (Heads Up, 2002)
- At the Jazz Base! (Heads Up, 2005)
- Your Move (Heads Up, 2008)
- Electric Mingus Project (Fanwave, 2011)
=As sideman=
With John Blake
- Twinkling of an Eye (Gramavision, 1985)
- Adventures of the Heart (Gramavision, 1987)
- A New Beginning (Gramavision, 1988)
With Odean Pope
- Almost Like Me (Moers Music, 1982)
- The Saxophone Shop (Soul Note, 1986)
- Out for a Walk (Moers Music, 1990)
- The Ponderer (Soul Note, 1991)
- Epitome (Soul Note, 1994)
With Special EFX
- Global Village (GRP, 1992)
- Play (JVC, 1993)
- Here to Stay (JVC, 1997)
- Strawberry Moon (Columbia, 1987)
- Then and Now (CBS, 1988)
- Time Out of Mind (Columbia, 1989)
- Next Exit (CBS/Sony, 1992)
- Soulful Strut (Columbia, 1996)
- Breath of Heaven (Columbia, 1997)
With others
- Chuck Anderson, Angel Blue (Anderson Music, 2002)
- Philip Bailey, Dreams (Heads Up, 1999)
- Jimmy Bruno, Midnight Blue (Concord Jazz, 2001)
- Suzanne Cloud, With a Little Help from My Friends (Dreambox, 2014)
- The Dixie Hummingbirds, Live in Philadelphia (Gospel AIR & Tapes, 1987)
- Nnenna Freelon, Tales of Wonder (Concord Jazz, 2002)
- George Jinda, Reliable Sources (JVC, 1991)
- George Jinda, George Jinda and World News (JVC, 1992)
- B.B. King, Here & There: the Uncollected B.B. King (Hip-O, 2001)
- Chuck Loeb, Between 2 Worlds (Heads Up, 2009)
- Bobby Lyle, The Journey (Atlantic, 1990)
- Jason Miles, To Grover with Love/Live in Japan (Whaling City Sound, 2016)
- Jaco Pastorius, Word of Mouth Revisited (Heads Up, 2003)
- Teddy Pendergrass, A Little More Magic (Elektra, 1993)
- Kim Pensyl, Eyes of Wonder (GRP, 1993)
- Phil Perry, The Heart of the Man (Capitol, 1991)
- Pieces of a Dream, Love's Silhouette (Heads Up, 2002)
- Harry Sokal, Voices of Time (Universal, 2005)
- Jamaaladeen Tacuma, The Night of Chamber Music (Moers Music, 1993)
- Jamaaladeen Tacuma, All Basses Covered (Moers Music, 2005)
- Mark Wood, Voodoo Violince (Guitar, 1991)
- Zawinul Syndicate, Black Water (Columbia, 1989)
- Zawinul Syndicate, Lost Tribes (Columbia, 1992)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.geraldveasley.com/ Official website]
- {{IMDB name|0891538}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110707213832/http://www.bass-musician-magazine.com/General/bass-musician-magazine-detail.asp?year=2007&month=10&article-id=122264763 Interview with Gerald Veasley - Part one, 10/01/2007]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110707213842/http://www.bass-musician-magazine.com/General/bass-musician-magazine-detail.asp?year=2007&month=12&article-id=728396755 Interview with Gerald Veasley - Part Two, 12/01/2007]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veasley, Gerald}}
Category:American jazz bass guitarists
Category:American session musicians
Category:Smooth jazz bass guitarists
Category:Heads Up International artists
Category:Guitarists from Philadelphia
Category:American male bass guitarists
Category:20th-century American bass guitarists
Category:Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania
Category:20th-century American male musicians