Malcolm Cecil Quartet On The Main Stage at The Falcon

Although he initially made his name in the British jazz scene, Malcolm Cecil was a key figure in the development of the synthesizer and his best-known work was made in collaboration with soul legends.

After playing bass in a series of ’50s and ’60s jazz bands, Cecil was a founding member of Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated. But it was the possibilities provided by synthesizers that really excited him, and with Bob Margouleff he formed TONTO’s Expanding Head Band, releasing two albums of highly original music in 1971 and 1972. Interesting Note:
TONTO is an acronym for "The Original New Timbral Orchestra", the first, and still the largest, multitimbral polyphonic analog synthesizer in the world, designed and constructed over several years by Malcolm Cecil. ...

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Although he initially made his name in the British jazz scene, Malcolm Cecil was a key figure in the development of the synthesizer and his best-known work was made in collaboration with soul legends.

After playing bass in a series of ’50s and ’60s jazz bands, Cecil was a founding member of Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated. But it was the possibilities provided by synthesizers that really excited him, and with Bob Margouleff he formed TONTO’s Expanding Head Band, releasing two albums of highly original music in 1971 and 1972. Interesting Note:
TONTO is an acronym for "The Original New Timbral Orchestra", the first, and still the largest, multitimbral polyphonic analog synthesizer in the world, designed and constructed over several years by Malcolm Cecil.

A dazzled Stevie Wonder instantly recruited Cecil and Margouleff to his cause, making them co-producers on the series of classic albums Wonder recorded, from Music Of My Mind through Fulfillingness’ First Finale. Malcolm won a Grammy for engineering on Stevie Wonder’s greatest record, Innervisions.

Cecil was principal bassist with the BBC Radio Orchestra, and was resident bassist at London’s Ronnie Scott Jazz Club, where he performed and recorded albums with Stan Getz, J. J. Johnson, Johnny Griffin and Roland Kirk. He has also collaborated with such artists as Quincy Jones, Bobby Womack, the Isley Brothers, Billy Preston, Gil Scott-Heron, Weather Report, Stephen Stills, the Doobie Brothers, Dave Mason, Little Feat, Joan Baez and Steve Hillage.

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