Max Bennett (musician)


Max Bennett was an American jazz bassist and session musician.

Early life

Bennett grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and Oskaloosa, Iowa, and went to college in Iowa.

Career

Bennett's first professional gig was with Herbie Fields in 1949, and following this he played with Georgie Auld, Terry Gibbs, and Charlie Ventura. He served in the Army during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953, and then played with Stan Kenton before moving to Los Angeles. There he played regularly at the Lighthouse Cafe with his own ensemble, and played behind such vocalists as Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez through the 1970s. He also recorded with Charlie Mariano, Conte Candoli, Bob Cooper, Bill Holman, Stan Levey, Lou Levy, Coleman Hawkins and Jack Montrose. In 1976 Bennett performed the bassline of "Gonna Fly Now", the theme song from the movie Rocky, composed by Bill Conti.
Bennett recorded under his own name from the late 1950s and did extensive work as a composer and studio musician in addition to jazz playing. Often associated with The Wrecking Crew, he performed on many records by The Monkees and The Partridge Family.
In 1969, Bennett served as the principal bassist for Frank Zappa's Hot Rats project. According to Bennett, "I was not familiar with Zappa’s music. Our paths never crossed. I was never a big fan of avant garde music in that sense. It was while I was working in the studio, what was it, 1967, I think? And I got a call from John Guerin. He said, ‘Get your stuff over to TTG’—that was in Hollywood—‘I got a double session for you with Frank Zappa.’ So we get there and we worked two double sessions for two nights. And that was the album, that was Hot Rats.” He also played on subsequent Zappa albums such as Chunga's Revenge.
His studio work also included bass on the 1969 Lalo Schifrin soundtrack to the 1968 film Bullitt as well as Greatest Science Fiction Hits Volumes 1-3 with Neil Norman & His Cosmic Orchestra.
In 1973, Guerin and Bennett joined Tom Scott's L.A. Express alongside Joe Sample and Larry Carlton. After recording their eponymous debut album, the jazz fusion quintet served as the core band for Mitchell's Court and Spark. A subsequent iteration of the group backed Mitchell on the live Miles of Aisles and recorded two smooth jazz albums for Caribou Records following Scott's departure in 1976. After the band's dissolution, Bennett formed his own group, Freeway. He continued to perform with his last group, Private Reserve, until his death in 2018.

Discography

As leader

Max Bennett Quintet Max Bennett Sextet Max Bennett Septet, Quartet & Trio Max Bennett with Charlie Mariano Interchange U.S. Top Contemporary Jazz #13The Drifter U.S. Top Contemporary Jazz #21Images Great Expectations
  • ''Max Is the Factor''

As sideman

With Hoyt AxtonSouthbound
With Joan BaezDiamonds & Rust
With Stephen BishopCareless
With Bobby BlandHis California Album
With David BlueCom'n Back for More
With Terence BoylanTerence Boylan
With Elkie BrooksRich Man's Woman
With Vikki CarrMs. America
With Keith CarradineI'm Easy
With David CassidyCherish Rock Me Baby Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes
With Ry CooderRy Cooder
With Bob CooperCoop! The Music of Bob Cooper
With England Dan & John Ford ColeyFables
With Bobby DarinBobby Darin Sings The Shadow of Your Smile
With The 5th DimensionLove's Lines, Angles and Rhymes Living Together, Growing Together
With Billy EckstineThe Modern Sound of Mr. B
With Don EverlyDon Everly
With José FelicianoJust Wanna Rock 'n' Roll
With Four TopsNight Lights Harmony
With Michael FranksMichael Franks
With The Friends of DistinctionGrazin'
With Art GarfunkelBreakaway
With Bobbie GentryThe Delta Sweete
With Cyndi GreccoMaking Our Dreams Come True
With Henry GrossHenry Gross
With Arlo GuthrieHobo's Lullaby
With George HarrisonDark Horse
With Johnny HartmanI Love Everybody
With Jack JonesHarbour What I Did for Love
With Barbara KeithBarbara Keith
With Raymond Louis KennedyRaymond Louis Kennedy
With Stan KentonContemporary Concepts
With Bill LaBountyPromised Love
With Peggy LeeThe Man I Love Pretty Eyes Christmas Carousel If You Go Sugar 'n' Spice Blues Cross Country Mink Jazz I'm a Woman In Love Again! Then Was Then – Now Is Now! Big $pender Guitars a là Lee Somethin' Groovy! Bridge over Troubled Water Make It with You Close Enough for Love
With Lori LiebermanA Piece of Time
With LuluLulu
With Barry MannBarry Mann
With Bette MidlerBroken Blossom
With Joni MitchellCourt and Spark The Hissing of Summer Lawns Hejira
With The MonkeesThe Birds, the Bees & the Monkees Instant Replay The Monkees Present
With Jack MontroseBlues and Vanilla The Horn's Full
With Walter MurphyRhapsody in Blue
With Michael NesmithNevada Fighter
With Wayne NewtonDaddy Don't You Walk So Fast While We're Still Young
With Jack NitzscheHeart Beat
With Kenny NolanA Song Between Us
With Tom PachecoThe Outsider
With Austin RobertsThe Last Thing On My Mind
With Howard RobertsAntelope Freeway
With Buffy Sainte-MarieSweet America
With Lalo SchifrinThere's a Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On Mannix
With Frank SinatraSinatra & Company
With O. C. SmithTogether
With Otis SpannSweet Giant of the Blues
With Suzanne StevensCrystal Carriage
With Barbra StreisandStoney End ButterFly
With Jim SullivanU.F.O.
With Gábor Szabó and Bob ThieleLight My Fire
With Mel TorméMel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire Mel Tormé's California Suite Mel Tormé Swings Shubert Alley
With ValdyCountry Man Landscapes
With Frank ZappaHot Rats Chunga's Revenge Studio Tan The Lost Episodes Läther Quaudiophiliac The Hot Rats Sessions Funky Nothingness
TV, film and motion picture soundtracks written by: