Pierre Michelot

Widely considered the premier European jazz bassist of his generation, Pierre Michelot collaborated with a veritable who's who of postwar giants, including Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. Born in St-Denis, France, on March 3, 1928, Michelot studied piano as a child but moved to classical bass at age 16 -- in the years following World War II, he regularly performed for American troops stationed in France, and word of his natural, clear tone and impeccable rhythmic sense traveled fast through the ranks of American jazz musicians. By the late '40s his recording credits included ...