Lonnie Plaxico


Lonnie Plaxico is an American jazz double bassist.

Biography

Plaxico was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a musical family, and started playing the bass at the age of twelve, turning professional at fourteen. His first recording was with his family's band, and by the time he was twenty he had moved to New York City, where he had stints playing with Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Junior Cook, and Hank Jones. He won the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award in 1978.
Plaxico first came to public attention through his work with the Wynton Marsalis group in 1982, though his first regular attachment was with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, with whom he recorded twelve albums.
In the mid-1980s Plaxico joined the M-Base collective and played on the debut-releases of Steve Coleman, Cassandra Wilson and Greg Osby. On Wilson's recordings he appeared regularly ever since and is the musical director and first bassist of her tour band for more than 15 years.
In 1986 Jack DeJohnette reformed his Special Edition and engaged beside guitarist Mick Goodrick the M-Base saxophonists Greg Osby and Gary Thomas and Plaxico on bass. The band existed until 1993, after three albums with pianist Michael Cain replacing Goodrick on the last.
Plaxico has also performed and recorded with a wide range of artists, including Dizzy Gillespie, David Murray, Alice Coltrane, Stanley Turrentine, Andrew Hill, Joe Sample, Abbey Lincoln, Bill Cosby, Lonnie Liston Smith, Ravi Coltrane, Scott Tixier, Barbara Dennerlein, Helen Sung and Nina Vidal.

Discography

As leader

With Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
With Cindy Blackman
With Cecil Brooks III
With Steve Coleman
With Ravi Coltrane
With Robin Eubanks
With Dizzy Gillespie
With Bunky Green
With Cassandra Wilson
With Greg Osby
With Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition
With Cindy Blackman
With Ron Jackson
With Cecil Brooks III
With Don Byron
With Bud Shank
With Carola Grey
With Lafayette Harris
With Hannibal Marvin Peterson
With Gust Tsilis
With Regina Carter
With Talib Kibwe
With Barbara Dennerlein
With Jean-Paul Bourelly, Harry Sokal, and Ronnie Burrage
With LaMont Johnson
With Ray Anderson
With Mark Ledford
With Ravi Coltrane
With Jason Moran
With Teri Thornton
With Bunky Green
With Brian Landrus
With Yukiko Onishi aka Yucco Miller