Performance · Other credits

Curly Russell

aka Curley Russell

real name Dillon Russell

Trinidad and Tobago

Curly Russell is credited on 1,501 releases across 407 albums tracked on Gatefold, active 1950–2026 — the collector-built map of who actually made the music.

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1,501

Credits

407

Albums

8

Decades active

243

In collections

Biography

Dillon "Curley" Russell was an American jazz double-bassist, who played bass on many bebop recordings.
Born March 19, 1917 in Trinidad, died July 03, 1986 in New York City, New York
A member of the Tadd Dameron Sextet, in his heyday he was in demand for his ability to play at the rapid tempos typical of bebop, and appears on several key recordings of the period. According to his New York Times obituary, "in the late 1950's, he started playing Catskills club dates, and in 1966 he turned primarily to nonmusical jobs."
According to jazz historian Phil Schaap the classic bebop tune "Donna Lee", a contrafact on "Back Home Again In Indiana", was named after Curley's daughter.

Bio from Discogs

Credited work

1,501 releases · 407 albums · active 1950–2026

  • Performance · 1,877
  • Other credits · 5

Studios: Birdland · Royal Roost (2) · Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey · WOR Studios

Discography

Records they worked on — most-collected first.

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