Hill, Ernest (“Bass”)
Hill, Ernest (“Bass”)
Hill, Ernest (“Bass”), jazz bassist; b. Pittsburgh, Pa., March 14, 1900; d. N.Y., Sept. 16, 1964. He worked with Claude Hopkins in the summer of 1924, and sailed to Europe with him in 1925 accompanying the Josephine Baker Revue. He went back to the U.S. in 1926, then again worked with Hopkins from 1926 until 1928. He was bassist in a series of bands through the 1930s, including Benny Carter (1931, 1933-34). From June 1937-39, he performed in Europe as a member of Bobby Martin’s band; he remained with the group on its return to the U.S. when it was renamed the Cotton Club Serenaders. During the 1940s, he worked with various bands, including Claude Hopkins (1941-42; late 1943-14) and Zutty Singleton (with whom he traveled to L.A. in mid-1943). He returned to Europe in November 1949, where he worked with various bands before returning to the U.S. in January 1952. He gigged in the N.Y. area through the 1950s and early 1960s, and also worked at the local AFM office.
—John Chilton, Who’s Who of Jazz /Lewis Porter