Sideman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he is not formally a member. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit smoothly into the group in which they are currently playing. Many sidemen are famous in their own right, however, and may be highly sought-after by bands. Often sidemen go on to form their own groups and/or solo careers; for instance, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best acted as sidemen to Tony Sheridan before becoming famous as The Beatles. Other musicians may take time from their own bands to tour or record as a sideman for another artist, such as Mike Watt with J Mascis and the Fog or Iggy and the Stooges.

Famous sidemen include

• Eric Clapton, blues/rock guitarist, for Delaney & Bonnie and Friends
• Sonny Clark, hard bop pianist
• Bill Evans, jazz pianist
• Johnny Dodds, jazz clarinetist
• Bradley Joseph, keyboardist
• Chuck Leavell, keyboardist
• Fred Wesley, jazz and funk trombonist and author of the book Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman ISBN 0-8223-2909-3
• Phil Woods, jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist
• Wojciech Pilichowski bass guitar

Side Man also is the name of a Tony Award-winning play by Warren Leight, about the life and career of Gene, a fictional trumpet-playing sideman.

[edit] See also

• Session musician