Delbert Felix – Bass

Delbert Felix (born c. 1958 in St. Helena) is an American jazz bassist.

Felix’s father was a bandleader; in high school, he first played euphonium before switching to electric bass, influenced by George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic. After studying at Florida A&M University, he transferred to the Berklee School of Music in Boston. There he met Branford Marsalis. After graduating in 1981, he moved back to the southern states. After completing his military service in the U.S. Navy, where he played in a band and taught bass, he worked with Wynton Marsalis and toured with Joe Henderson. Felix participated in eleven recording sessions between 1980 and 2005, including the Branford Marsalis albums Random Abstract (1988) and Trio Jeepy (1989), as well as recordings with Billy Cobham, Freddy Cole, Courtney Pine, and Chris Potter.  Felix lives on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. 

(biographical details from Wikipedis)

This transcription is from the Branford Marsalis album, ‘Random Abstract’ and features Felix’s complete performance of the short Monk tune ‘Crepuscule With Nellie’. Not overly difficult to play but the piece requires some discipline in terms of rendering a sensitive and musical performance. Lots of hanging pauses where the instinct forces you to come in too early. The secret is to listen and listen hard.