Bill Easley (born January 13, 1946)[1] is an American jazz musician who plays saxophone, flute, and clarinet.

Bill Easley
Born (1946-01-13) January 13, 1946 (age 78)
Olean, New York, U.S.
GenresJazz
InstrumentsFlute, saxophone, clarinet

Early life and education

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Easley was born and raised in Olean, New York.[2] He began playing music at the age of 13 and studied at Memphis State University during the 1960s.[3]

Career

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Easley worked with George Benson in the late 1960s and with Isaac Hayes in the 1970s. He also did sessions at Stax and Hi Records (with Ann Peebles and Al Green). He moved back to New York in 1980.

He has worked with Roland Hanna, Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy Smith, Ruth Brown, James Williams, Bill Mobley, George Caldwell, Mulgrew Miller, Grady Tate, Victor Gaskin, Panama Francis, Mercer Ellington, and Billy Higgins.[4]

Discography

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  • Wind Inventions (Sunnyside, 1986)
  • First Call (Milestone, 1990)
  • Easley Said (Evidence, 1997)
  • Business Man's Bounce (18th & Vine, 2007)
  • Hearing Voices (18th and Vine, 2008)
  • Love Stories (American Showplace, 2010)

As sideman

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With Mercer Ellington

  • Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies (RCA, 1981)
  • Music is My Mistress (Music Masters, 1988)

With Jimmy McGriff

With Warren Vaché

With James Williams

  • Flying Colors (Zim, 1977)
  • Alter Ego (Sunnyside, 1984)
  • Progress Report (Sunnyside, 1985)
  • Memphis Convention (DIW, 1992)

With others

References

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  1. ^ "WBSS Media-Bill Easley". wbssmedia.com. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  2. ^ Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (2007). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-532000-8.
  3. ^ "Bill Easley musician - All About Jazz". All About Jazz Musicians. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  4. ^ Wynn, Ron. "Bill Easley | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
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