Larry Ridley facts for kids

Larry Ridley, born on September 3, 1937, is a famous American jazz bassist and music teacher. He helped create new ways to teach music. Because of his important work, he was honored in the Jazz Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Music

Larry was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 3, 1937. Music became a big part of his life when he was just five years old. His mother paid for him to take violin lessons from Ruth McArthur. Ms. McArthur was well-known in Indianapolis for helping African American musicians. She even opened a music school for students who faced challenges because of segregation. This school gave Larry a chance to learn classical music.

Larry also learned about jazz and blues from Ben Hollman, a family friend. At that time, jazz was becoming very popular in the United States. Understanding the blues was important because it greatly influenced jazz music. To become an even better musician, Larry also asked bassist Monk Montgomery for lessons. Even at a young age, it was clear how much Larry valued learning about music.

After high school, Larry went to Indiana University in 1955. He received a scholarship for violin, which helped him study music there. At the university, Larry played in jazz groups, including the David Baker Band. Back then, it was unusual for universities to have jazz programs. Larry said that only the Berklee College of Music, started in 1947, had a program like that. He quickly realized that Indiana University offered many chances to improve his skills. He performed with the school's symphony and opera orchestras. Larry learned about different music styles but always focused on jazz. He and other students would practice jazz together in the rehearsal halls. He also met many famous musicians from around the world who taught classes at the university.

Career as a Musician

In 1957, Larry started his own jazz band called the Jazz Contemporaries. His bandmates included Freddie Hubbard, James Spaulding, Paul Parker, and Walter Miller. Even though they were young, they played six nights a week at George's Bar. In the early 1960s, Larry moved to New York to become a jazz musician. He became very active in the New York jazz scene, helping it grow.

During the 1960s, Larry played on many records with famous musicians like Hubbard, Roy Haynes, Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Jackie McLean, and Dexter Gordon. In the 1970s, he recorded his first album as the bandleader. Larry also played as a sideman (a supporting musician) for James Moody and Duke Ellington. He even became the bassist for Thelonious Monk.

Larry especially loved his yearly concerts at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City. These concerts honored three pianists he had played with: Duke Pearson, Sonny Clark, and Kenny Drew. Since these musicians had passed away, Larry felt it was important to keep their music alive. He believed that holding these tribute concerts would make sure they were not forgotten.

The Schomburg Center was very special to Larry. He saw it as one of the best places for information about African and Black culture. He called it a great display of "intellectual and artistic artifacts." To show his respect for the Schomburg Center, Larry often combined education with his performances. He would write notes in his concert programs, giving information about the musicians he was honoring.

Career as an Educator

As we know, music education was very important to Larry from a young age. In 1971, he became a music professor at Rutgers. He worked hard to make the Rutgers Institute for Jazz Studies as important as the Schomburg Center for history and knowledge. Larry was one of the first active African American musicians to teach music at a university. He was also a founding member of the jazz faculty at Rutgers.

He brought many talented jazz musicians to the program, including Ted Dunbar, Kenny Barron, Don Friedman, Jimmy Giuffre, Freddie Waits, Michael Carvin, and Frank Foster. Larry was inspired to create this program because jazz programs were not common when he was in school. He had seen ads for "jazz degrees" that promised study with great musicians, but he often didn't recognize the names. So, he made sure to bring well-known musicians to Rutgers who could share their professional and personal experiences.

Larry felt that other jazz programs often missed the "spiritual aesthetic" of jazz. He believed this feeling came from African roots and the African American experience. For him, true jazz needed soul and spirituality in every song. He saw jazz as a way to show the world what life was like for African Americans trying to achieve their dreams.

Larry had the right background to create the jazz performance programs at Rutgers. He had transferred from Indiana University to New York University to earn his Bachelor's in Music Education. He also earned his Master's in Cultural Policy and a Doctor of Performing Arts degree. He was inspired to get his degree in music education because he felt jazz needed a program like general music education. He believed that music schools often didn't accept jazz as a serious art form.

One important lesson Larry taught his students was to stay humble. He would tell them, "Take your ego and put it in your back pocket and sit on it." He believed that too much ego could stop a musician from learning. Humility helps musicians listen to feedback and learn new things. Larry also taught that music should tell a story. While good technique is impressive, the life experiences behind the songs are what truly matter. This spiritual side shows the audience who you are as a musician.

Influence and the African American Jazz Caucus

In 1977, Larry was the main founder of the Black Jazz Music Caucus. This group is now called the African American Jazz Caucus (AAJC), and Larry later served as its executive director. The goal of this group was to increase the number of African American jazz artists and teachers in the larger Jazz Educators Association. Larry was motivated by his love for music and the help he received from mentors like Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, and Horace Silver. He wanted to use this group to give others the support he had received.

One of the early goals of the AAJC was to help African American artists and teachers at all school levels. Larry also helped organize workshops and performances at conferences for jazz educators. Just like at Rutgers, he invited famous African American artists to provide good mentorship for young musicians and teachers. The AAJC worked to solve problems that members faced when teaching students. These problems included creating job opportunities, protecting jobs and programs, getting enough resources, and making sure school lessons recognized the history and contributions of African Americans as the creators of jazz.

Larry and the AAJC made sure that jazz educators across the country understood the African American cultural influences on jazz. He wanted teachers to know all the ways African Americans helped jazz grow in the United States. This included spirituality, individuality, diversity, improvisation, and music theory.

Discography

As leader

• 1975: Sum of the Parts (Strata-East)
• 1989: Live at Rutgers University (Strata-East)

As sideman

With Chet Baker

• Chet Baker Quartet/Live in France 1978, one track only, (Gambit Records, 2005)

With Bill Barron

• Hot Line (Savoy, 1962 [1964])

With Kenny Burrell

• Groovin' High (Muse, 1981 [1984])

With Al Cohn

• Play It Now (Xanadu, 1975)

With Dameronia

• To Tadd with Love (Uptown, 1982)
• Look Stop Listen (Uptown, 1983)
• Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt Paris (Soul Note, 1989 [1994])

With Teddy Edwards

• The Inimitable Teddy Edwards (Xanadu, 1976)

With Red Garland

• The Nearness of You (Jazzland, 1961)

With Dexter Gordon

• The Panther! (Prestige, 1970)

With Stéphane Grappelli and Joe Venuti

• Venupelli Blues (Affinity, 1969)

With Bunky Green

• My Babe (Vee-Jay, 1960 [1965])

With Slide Hampton

• Somethin' Sanctified (Atlantic, 1960)

With Roy Haynes

• Cracklin' (New Jazz, 1963)
• Cymbalism (New Jazz, 1963)

With Freddie Hubbard

• Hub Cap (Blue Note, 1961)
• Blue Spirits (Blue Note, 1965)
• The Night of the Cookers (Blue Note, 1965)

With Jackie McLean

• Destination... Out! (Blue Note, 1963)
• Jacknife (Blue Note, 1965)

With Hank Mobley

• Dippin' (Blue Note, 1965)
• Straight No Filter (Blue Note, 1989)

With James Moody

• Feelin' It Together (Muse, 1973)

With Wes Montgomery and Wynton Kelly

• Maximum Swing: The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings (Resonance, 1965)

With Lee Morgan

• Cornbread (Blue Note, 1965)

With Horace Silver

• The Jody Grind (Blue Note, 1966)

With Lucky Thompson

• Goodbye Yesterday (Groove Merchant, 1973)

With Gerald Wilson

• New York, New Sound (Mack Avenue, 2003)