Buell Neidlinger (March 2, 1936 – March 16, 2018) was an American cellist and double bassist. He has worked with a variety of pop and jazz performers, prominently with iconoclastic pianist Cecil Taylor in the 1950s and '60s.

Biography

Neidlinger was born in New York City to the former Jane Buell and Roger Nidlinger. He was raised in Westport, Connecticut, where his father ran a cargo shipping business. He played cello in his youth, and began studying double bass after a music teacher recommended it to strengthen his hands. He took lessons from jazz bassist Walter Page. In his teens, Neidlinger suffered a nervous breakdown which he attributed to the pressure of being perceived as a child prodigy on cello. While institutionalized, he met jazz pianist Joe Sullivan who was in treatment for alcoholism. Neidlinger dropped out of Yale University after one year, where he had been studying orchestral music. He moved to New York City and began playing in various jazz settings. He joined Cecil Taylor's group in 1955, played with Herbie Nichols and recorded extensively with Taylor's groups with Steve Lacy and with Archie Shepp among others until 1961. He was also involved with new directions in classical music (John Cage, Mauricio Kagel, George Crumb) and Gunther Schuller' s Third Stream music. In 1971, Neidlinger moved to California. He became the principal bassist for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and was also principal bassist in the Warner Bros. studio orchestra for 30 years. He worked extensively as an orchestral and as a session bassist before becoming a musical educator at the New England Conservatory and CalArts. Together with Marty Krystall he founded K2B2 Records. The sessions Neidlinger performed on as a strings player included Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" and the Eagles' "Hotel California". For a short time in the spring of 1974, Neidlinger played bass with Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and others in the Great American String Band. The Great American String Band played blue grass and American roots music in and around the Bay Area for about three months. A recording can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CF1Ff8SkbY In 1983, he performed on the Antilles Records release Swingrass '83. In 1997, Neidlinger moved to Whidbey Island, Washington State. There, he played in a band called Buellgrass, which included fiddler Richard Greene and featured their version of bluegrass music. Neidlinger's fourth wife, Margaret Storer, was also a bass player. They played baroque music with friends; he played cello, while she played violin. Neidlinger's final recording was The Happenings, accompanied by Howard Alden on guitar and Marty Krystall on bass clarinet and flute, released in December 2017.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Darol Anger With Bee Gees With Ruben Blades With Anthony Braxton With Natalie Cole With Ry Cooder With Stewart Copeland With Diane Schuur With Lionel Richie With Elvis Costello With Lindsey Buckingham With Earth, Wind, and Fire With Michael Bolton With Curtis Stigers With Duane Eddy With Yvonne Elliman With Neil Diamond With Richard Greene With Jimmy Giuffre With Kenny Rogers With Clint Black With David Grisman With Leo Kottke With Steve Lacy With Roy Orbison With Peter Allen With Jean-Luc Ponty and Frank Zappa With Van Dyke Parks With Sam Phillips With Bonnie Raitt With Peter Rowan With Bob Seger With Frank Sinatra With Pops Staples With Ringo Starr and Harry Nilsson With Barbra Streisand With Cecil Taylor With The Beach Boys

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