Wayman Tisdale was a phenomenal professional basketball player and a sensational jazz bass player. He was an innovative genius with his approach to playing the bass, and used it as a melodic instrument. His mentor and teacher was the great Marcus Miller who evolved out of the Stanley Clarke School of playing the bass.
Tisdale was a great professional basketball player who played with three teams, the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Indiana Pacers. He played 12 years in the NBA, and averaged 15.8 points a game. His best season was with the Kings where he averaged 22.8 points and 8 rebounds during the 1989-90 season.
He died on Friday, May 15, 2009, at the age of 44 at a hospital in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is survived by his wife and 4 children.
Tisdale always had a smile on his face and he was living out the purpose of his life. He recorded eight albums and once anyone heard the first bars of any of his songs, you had to pat your foot or get up and move. His music was extremely funky, but it was always cool.
He traveled the world as a jazz missionary with some of the greatest musicians of our time. Several of his albums made the top 10 on the Billboard charts, and his album “Way Up” hit #1 for 4 weeks. By sharing his gift of love for music, he inspired and motivated the world to enjoy themselves.
He was a three-time all-American for Oklahoma, and he averaged 25 points a game for the duration of his college career. He set numerous records and his records still stand. He won a gold medal in the Olympics in 1984, and his awards are numerous.
In February 2007, Tisdale broke his leg and it was determined that he had a cancerous cyst below his right knee. He had his leg amputated in 2008, in order to curtail and control the spread of the disease. As he struggled with his health challenges, he continued to record beautiful music.
His new album is entitled “Rebound” and it is jamming. Do yourself a favor and pick up the work of a genius. As usual, a genius leaves this physical plane, too early, but his work is here for future generations.
The Basketball world and the jazz world have lost a giant. The great ones leave their footprints on the people they love, and the world they have helped changed. Wayman was a leader, and jazz musicians will spend the next generation trying to copy his licks.
Profound innovation is given to the ones with the strength to survive and the power to succeed. Wayman made his vision a reality and left us with a smile.
