Cleveland Eaton
Cleveland Josephus "Sonny" Eaton II (born 1940 in Fairfield) is one of the greatest jazz bassists of all time. He is also a noted composer, arranger and producer.
After a prodigious start as a child musician in Birmingham, mastering his mother's piano, the trumpet and the saxophone before teacher John Springer introduced him to the tuba and string bass in high school, Eaton immersed himself in the working jazz world. By the time he was in 9th grade, he was a star for Leon Lucky Davis and the All-Stars, and had bought his own new 1955 Victoria Spatz roadster with cash earned as a musician.
He played in a jazz group at the Tennessee State University in Nashville while earning his Bachelor of Music degree, then moved to Chicago, hooking up first with the Ike Cole Trio. After a while he was asked to join the Ramsey Lewis Trio, with whom he went on to make 30 recordings over the next 10 years.
In the mid-1970's Eaton began exploring fusion on his own, releasing a few recordings on the Black Jazz label and Ovation. In 1979 Eaton filled in for a couple of weeks with the Count Basie Orchestra, but quickly earned the position of "the Count's Bassist" and remained with the group for the next 17 years. 1979 also saw his induction into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
While touring with Basie's orchestra, Eaton recorded 10 albums and toured all over the world at breakneck pace. He moved back to Birmingham in 1985 to form the UAB Jazz Ensemble for UAB's Department of Music. He also formed several groups of his own, such as the Garden of Eaton, the Cleve Eaton Orchestra, the R&B-flavored ensemble Cleve Eaton & Co. He has also performed regularly with Robert Moore & the Wildcats, and currently tours as Cleve Eaton & Standard Time.
Over the course of his career, Eaton has penned over 300 songs and appeared on over 100 recordings. He has performed with Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, the Temptations. John Klemmer, Miles Davis, Henry Mancini, Smokey Robinson, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Walter Jackson and many others.
Eaton's wife Myra manages bookings for Cleve and others through her Cee.Me Productions.
Discography (solo)
- Eaton, Cleveland (1973) Half and Half. Gamble 32131
- Eaton, Cleveland (1975) The Eaton Menu. Black Jazz
- Eaton, Cleveland (1975) Plenty Good Eaton. Black Jazz
- Eaton, Cleveland (1976) Instant Hip. Ovations
- Eaton, Cleveland (1979) Bama Boogie Woogie. Miracle
- Eaton, Cleveland (1980) Keep Love Alive. Miracle
References
- Short, Dale (Fall 1997) "UAB's Jazz Man: Cleveland Eaton" UAB Magazine Vol. 17, No. 4
External links
- Cleveland Eaton profile at All-Music Guide