Buell Neidlinger

Bassist Buell Neidlinger demonstrated such breadth across musical idioms throughout his professional life that his command of any style seemed unlimited. He began by training on classical cello and later acquired trumpet and piano skills before concentrating on the bass. Upon relocating to New York in 1955, he performed in Dixieland and mainstream ensembles alongside such leading figures as Rex Stewart, Vic Dickenson, Coleman Hawkins, and Eddie Condon. That same year he became a member of the Cecil Taylor Quartet, an ensemble that performed only intermittently over the following six years. The demanding repertoire clearly stimulated Neidlinger, who participated in multiple Taylor sessions, among them a Candid date—later reissued in expanded form by Mosaic—that originally appeared under Neidlinger’s own name. Additional associations during this period included the Jimmy Giuffre 3, Steve Lacy, Gil Evans, and Freddie Redd, as well as a six-month engagement accompanying Tony Bennett.

In 1962 Neidlinger embarked on a two-year tenure with the Houston Symphony Orchestra. By the middle of the decade he had established himself as a sought-after studio player in New York, and over the ensuing ten years he contributed to fusion projects with Jean-Luc Ponty, rock sessions with Frank Zappa, and classical recordings involving Stravinsky. After settling in Los Angeles, he entered into a sustained collaboration with reedman Marty Krystall. Through their K2B2 imprint the pair documented work with the jazz-oriented bluegrass ensemble Buellgrass, post-bop material, a Thelonious Monk tribute, and striking readings of Herbie Nichols compositions on Blue Chopsticks, with Neidlinger featured on cello alongside a string trio and two horns. Vivace issued the 2009 album Basso Profundo, drawn from previously unreleased contemporary chamber recordings made by Neidlinger and various ensembles between 1964 and 1976. The final release issued during his lifetime, December 2017’s The Happenings: Music of Herbie Nichols, reunited him with pianist Howard Alden and longtime partner Krystall. Buell Neidlinger passed away at his residence on Whidbey Island, Washington, in March 2018 at the age of 82.