John Lee (born June 28, 1952, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American bassist, producer, and recording engineer.
As a bassist, John Lee's career, starting in 1970, includes work with Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, James Moody, Jimmy Heath, Joe Henderson, Larry Coryell, Paquito D`Rivera, Gregory Hines, Claudio Roditi, Arturo Sanduval, Joachim Kuhn, and Philip Catherine. As a producer Lee has produced over 50 albums and CDs, and as a recording engineer he has recorded and mixed over 85 albums and CDs.
Life and career
John Gregory Lee is the son of an African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) minister, Rev. John W. Lee, and Harriet Holland Lee, who was a career social worker. He grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, Amityville, New York, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. John began String Bass lessons in 1962 with Carolyn Lush. At Philadelphia's Overbrook High School, John met drummer Gerry Brown, with whom he also studied with at the Philadelphia Musical Academy (which is now the University of the Arts) from 1970 to 1972. In 1971 Lee also began performing with Carlos Garnett and Joe Henderson, and toured with Max Roach thru the spring of 1972 while still a student in Philadelphia. In August 1972 he and Brown relocated to Europe, with Den Haag, Holland as their base. Together they toured Europe and recorded in bands led by Chris Hinze, Charlie Mariano, Philip Catherine, Joachim Kuhn, and Jasper Van't Hof. Lee moved to New York City in October 1974 and worked with Joe Henderson, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Norman Connors until joining Larry Coryell's 11th House in December 1974. In 1975 John Lee and Gerry Brown signed a recording contract with Bluenote Records and formed a working band of their own. In 1977 they moved over to Columbia Records. Lee also began producing records in 1977. From 1982 to 1984 Lee worked with the McCoy Tyner Quintet. In July 1984 Lee became Dizzy Gillespie's bassist, touring and recording with Dizzy's Quintet, his Big Band, his grammy winning United Nation Orchestra, and the Back to the Future Band that Dizzy co-lead with Miriam Makeba until January 1993 when he died.
Lee has performed at concert halls and jazz clubs in over 100 countries around the world. He has also toured in the bands of Sonny Rollins, James Moody, Jimmy Heath, Pharoh Saunders, Jackie McLean, Gary Bartz, Gregory Hines, Hank Jones, Walter Davis Jr., Wolfgang Lackerschmid, Alphonse Mouzon, Claudio Roditi, Jon Faddis, Slide Hampton, Roy Hargrove, and Roberta Gambarini. Lee was also a founding member of The Fantasy Band 1993-1996 with Chuck Loeb, Marion Meadows, and Dave Samuels. In 1996, at the bequest of Dizzy's wife Lorraine Gillespie and the Dizzy Gillespie Estate, Lee became the director and bassist of the Dizzy Gillespie™Alumni All-Stars as well as the Dizzy Gillespie™All-Star Big Band, and the Dizzy Gillespie™Afro-Cuban Experience. They have recorded five albums and toured extensively around the world.
www.dizzygillespie.org
In 2009 John Lee co-founded the jazz recording label JLP (Jazz Legacy Productions), with partner Lisa Broderick.
www.jazzlegacyproductions.com
Infinite Jones 1974 Keytone
Bamboo Madness 1974 Limetree
Mango Sunrise 1975 Bluenote
Still Can't Say Enough 1976 Bluenote
Medusa 1977 Columbia
Chaser 1978 Columbia
Brothers 1980 Mood
Brothers Reissue 1980 Hot Wire EFA12839-2
'With Chris Hinze
Virgin Sacrifice 1972 CBS
Mission Suite 1973 MPS
Sister Slick 1974 CBS
Parcival 1976 Philips 6629 006
With James Moody, Sahib Shihab, Jeremy Steig, Chris Hinze
The Flute Summit 1973 Atlantic ATL 50 027
With Wim Stolwijk
Clair-Obscure 1973 CBS S65234
With Charlie Mariano
Cascade 1974 Limetree
With Toots Thielemans
Philip Catherine and Friends 1974 Limetree
With Philip Catherine
September Man 1975 Atlantic
Guitars 1976 Atlantic
Niram 1976 Warner Brothers BS 2950
With Jasper Van't Hof
Eye-Ball 1974 Keytone
However 1977 MPS 15 513
With Joachim Kuhn
Cinemascope 1974 MPS/BASF
Hip Elegy 1975 MPS/BASF
Spring Fever 1976 Atlantic
With Toto Blanke
Spider's Dance 1975 Vertigo – 6360 623
With Piano Conclave w/Gruntz, Dauner, Van't Hof, Kuhn & Solal
Palais Anthology 1975 MPS/BASF 20 227863
With Larry Coryell & The 11th House
Level One 1975 Arista AL 4052
Aspects' 1976 Arista AL 4077
January 1975, The Livelove Series Vol.1' 2014 RadioBremen/Promising Music 441202 CD
The 11th House' 1985 Metronome – 829 252-2
With Luther Allison
Night Life 1976 Gordy G6-974S1
With Kalyan
Kalyan 1977 MCA VIM-6126
With Art Webb
Love Eyes 1977 Atlantic SD18226
With Bruce Fisher
Red Hot 1977 Mercury SRM-1-1168
With Tony Silvester & The New Ingredient
Magic Touch 1976 Mercury SRM-1-1105
With Mike Mandel
Sky Music 1978 Vanguard 79409
With The Visitors, Earl & Carl Grubbs
Moyherland 1975 Muse 5094
With Eddie Henderson
Runnin' To Your Love 1975 Capitol/EMI ST-11984
With Bluenote All-Stars
Live at the Sunset Grill 1976 Bluenote
With Alphonse Mouzon
Back Together Again 1977 Atlantic
Poussez - Leave That Boy Alone 1977 Vanguard VSD 79433
Star Edition 1979 MPS Records 0088.045
With CBS All-Stars
Havana Jam, vol.1 1977 Columbia
Havana Jam, vol.2 1977 Columbia
With Ellen McIlwaine
Ellen McIlwaine 1978 United Artists UA-LA851
With Danny Toan
Big Foot 1979 Sandra SMP 2105
With Stu Goldberg
Fancy Glance 1979 in-akustik inak 8614
With Bob Malach
People Music 1980 MPS 0068.258
With George Acogny
First Steps In" 1980 WEA/Strings 33.851
With Hubert Eaves
Esoteric Funk 1977 East Wind
With McCoy Tyner
Dimensions 1984 Elektra/Musician
With Dizzy Gillespie
Live at the Jazz Plaza Festival, Havana, Cuba 1985 Yemaya YY9438
Gillespie & Sanduval 1986 Habacan HABCD-2435
Endlessly 1988 Impulse MCAD42153
The Symphony Sessions 1989 Sion 181190
A Night In Tunisia 1989 First Choice FC 4502
Live at Blues Alley 1991 Blues Alley BAMSD 110003
With Dizzy Gillespie's Big Band
Live at Royal Albert Hall 1988 BBC
With Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra
Live at Royal Albert Hall 1989 ENJA - GRAMMY WINNER
Strangers in Paradise 1990 Jazz Door 1269
With Claudio Roditi
Samba Manhattan Style 1995 Reservoir
Double Standards 1997 Reservoir
Simpatico 2010 Resonance
With Fantasy Band
The Fantasy Band 1993 DMP
Sweet Dreams 1994 DMP CD-508
The Kiss 1997 Shanachie 5028
With Young MC
What's The Flavor? 1993 Capitol Records – CDEST 2198
With Mike Longo
Dawn of a New Day 1997 CAP 927
With Slide Hampton
Slide Plays Jobim 2002 Alleycat 20021
Spirit Of The Horn (World of Trombones) 2003 MCG Jazz
With LLL Mental (Wolfgang Lackerschmid, Chuck Loeb, Marilyn Mazur)
Mental 1997 HotWire 9029
With Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars
Dizzy's 85th Birthday Celebration Shanachie 5040
Dizzy's World Shanachie 5060
With Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band
Things to Come MCG Jazz MCGJ1009
Dizzy's Business MCG Jazz MCGJ1023
I'm Beboppin' Too 2009 Halfnote HN4540
With Nancy Wilson
A Nancy Wilson Christmas MCG Jazz MCGJ1008
With Roy Hargrove and the RH Factor
Hard Groove 2003 Verve
With Karl Latham
Dancing Spirits Edition Musikat EDM0032
With Wolfgang Lackerschmid
Gently But Deep
With Michael Urbaniak & Wolfgang Lackerschmid
With Stephanie Slesinger
Angel Eyes 2004 Enja ENJ-94702
With Johannes Mossinger
New York trio Serenade 2003 Waterpipe Records 977 464
With Yotam Silberstein
Brasil 2003 Jazz Legacy Productions JLP 1101016
The New Love Carlos Garnett 1977 Muse 5133
Fire Carlos Garnett 32 Jazz 32043
Red Hot Bruce Fisher 1977 Mercury Records SRM-1-1168
Love Eyes Art Webb 1977 Atlantic Records SD 18226
Zbigniew Seifert 1977 Capitol Records
Medusa 1998 Columbia Records
Chaser John Lee & Gerry Brown 1979 Columbia Records
Brothers (Eff Albers, Gerry Brown, John Lee, Darryl Thompson) 1980 Hot Wire EFA12839-2
Bigfoot Danny Toan 1979 Sandra SMP 2105
Private Concert Larry Coryell 1993 Acoustic Music Records
Sweet Dreams Fantasy Band 1994 DMP CD-508
The Kiss Fantasy Band 1997 Shanachie 5028
LLL Mental (Wolfgang Lackerschmid, Chuck Loeb, Marilyn Mazur) Mental 1997 HotWire 9029
Endless is Love Jon Lucien 1996 Shanachie 5031
Tongo Hip Pocket 1997 TRC 9702
Lavender Light Lavender Light 1994
Lavender Light Light In The House 1996
Once Upon A Time Shirley Marshall 1996 SAMA SO1-918
Laura Heumer
Judy Gajary
Dizzy's 85th Birthday Celebration Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars 1997 Shanachie 5040
Slide Plays Jobim Slide Hampton 2002 Alleycat 20021
Live Saundra Santiago
Soul Searchin' Winston Byrd 2004 D.Y.P. Limited
Gordon James After Hours 2004 Caress Music
Dizzy's World Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars 1999 Shanachie
Things to Come Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band MCG Jazz
Dizzy's Business Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band MCG Jazz
I'm Beboppin' Too Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band HalfNote HN4540
Relentless Sharel Cassity Jazz Legacy Productions JLP0901001
Spirit Cyrus Chestnut Jazz Legacy Productions JLP0901002
Eloquence Steve Davis Jazz Legacy Productions JLP0901003
Endurance Heath Brothers Jazz Legacy Productions JLP0901004
Incorrigable One for All Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1001005
Grace Michael Dease Jazz Legacy Productions JLP 1001007
Resonance Yotam Silberstein Jazz Legacy Productions JLP 1001008
Warriors The Cookers Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1001009
Musica Helio Alves Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1001010
Journeys Cyrus Chestnut Trio Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1001011
Uplift Monty Alexander Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1001012
Source Benny Green Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1001014
Resiliance Tim Mayer Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1101015
Brasil Yotam Silberstein Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1101016
Respect vol.1 Roy Assaf Jazz Legacy Productions JLP11017
Coexist Winard Harper Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1201018
Blackside Mark Gross Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1201019
Uplift 2 Monty Alexander Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1201020
Togetherness Jimmy Heath Big Band Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1201022
The Shadow Of Your Smile Roberta Gambarini 2013 Boundee Japan FNCJ-5553
Blessings Antonio Hart Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1501023
Angels Andy Scott Jazz Legacy Productions JLP1501021
Pulsation Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience featuring Machito Jr.
Melding Hank Jones & Steve Davis Jazz Legacy Productions JLP
Helio Alves featuring Airto Jazz Legacy Productions JLP
Coexisting Spirits Roberta Gambarini & Jimmy Heath Groovin' High Records
Randa Ghossoub
