Lonnie Plaxico

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 (playing both double bass and bass guitar). 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 (1983–86), 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 (Motherland Pulse, 1985), Cassandra Wilson (Point of View, 1986) and Greg Osby (Sound Theatre, 1987). 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.

As leader

As sideman

With Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers

With Steve Coleman

With Robin Eubanks

With Dizzy Gillespie

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 Teri Thornton

With Bunky Green

With Brian Landrus

With Yukiko Onishi aka Yucco Miller