Bill Bickford

Bill Bickford (born 7 July 1956) is an American jazz and fusion guitarist and educator.

Besides co-leading his trio Bigfood and Paradox, he has performed, toured, and/or recorded with Joseph Bowie's group Defunkt, John McNeil, José Alberto, Ed Schuller, and Jack Walrath, among others.

Bill Bickford was born William Campbell Bickford on July 7, 1956, in Norwalk, Connecticut, into a musical family; his father was a pianist and his older brother played classical guitar. After studying with the famed Norwalk jazz guitarist Linc Chamberland, he began his professional music career with local rhythm & blues and soul bands at the age of 14. One of his favorite guitarists, and inspirations, at the time was the blues legend from Texas Lightnin' Hopkins.

A gifted musician, Bickford attended Berklee College of Music with a full scholarship in 1974-75. In 1977, he moved to New York City to attend the City College (1977-1979), also with a full scholarship. At City College, he studied arranging and composition with Argentine-American composer Mario Davidovsky, Modern Jazz Quartet pianist John Lewis, and saxophonist Ed Summerlin.

After completing his education, Bickford did freelance music work with organists Jack McDuff and Dr. Lonnie Smith. From 1977 to 1986, he was a member of the Larry Elgart Orchestras.

In November 1979, he made his first recording for the John McNeil Quartet's jazz album The Glass Room with drummer Mike Hyman and bassist Tom Warrington.

In 1982, Bickford joined Joseph Bowie's avant-garde punk-funk-jazz band Defunkt, went on many tours, and made several recordings with them alongside bassist Kim Clarke; drummer Kenny Martin; trumpeters John Mulkerin and Lester Bowie; and saxophonist Byron Bowie. He remained with Defunkt until 1992, toured internationally, and made many recordings, some released later:

• In America (released 1988)
• Heroes (released 1990)
• Live At The Knitting Factory NYC (released 1991)
• Crisis (released 1992)
• Live & Reunified (released 1994)
• Live In Europe (released 2002)
• Live At Channel Zero (released 2016)

In 1983, Bickford played guitar on the Dominican salsa singer José Alberto's album Típicamente (Sono Max Records). From 1984 to 1991, he worked with saxophonist and percussionist Jim Pepper. In May 1990, he performed live with Pepper's band at the International Jazz Festival Münster in Germany with Ed Schuller (bass), John Betsch (drums), and Caren Knight (vocals). The recording Remembrance is available on TUTU Records.

In 1988, Bickford formed a trio "Bigfood" with drummer Bruce Ditmas and bassist Kim Clarke. On April 17th and 18th, 1990, the trio recorded a funk/soul/jazz album Semi Precious Metal at Water Music Studios in Hoboken, New Jersey.

In the '90s Bickford was in Ed Schuller's group with Billy Hart (drums), Gary Valente (trombone), and Joe Lovano (saxophone), and recorded The Eleventh Hour (1992), Mu-Point (1993), and To Know Where One Is (1994). Around the same time, he was in the crossover funk/punk/noise/rap/art/hard-rock outfit Liquid Hips with bassist Kip Reed, drummer Kenny Martin, guitarist Jeff McErlain, trumpeter John Mulkerin, and percussionist Rob Reynolds. He was on two of their albums—Fool Injection (1993) and Static (1994).

In the mid-1990s, Bickford co-founded a fusion trio Paradox with Panamanian jazz drummer Billy Cobham and German bassist Wolfgang Schmid. They entered a contract with German recording label Tiptoe and released their eponymous debut album in 1996, followed by The First Second in 1998. Both were produced by German jazz producer Matthias Winckelmann.

In those years, he also collaborated with Jack Walrath and recorded Get Hit in Your Soul in September 1996 at WDR-Studio in Cologne, Germany. In 2001, Jack Walrath & The Masters Of Suspense recorded Invasion Of The Booty Shakers (2002) featuring Miles Griffith (vocals), Hilliard Greene (bass), and Cecil Brooks III (drums). It was engineered and produced by Will Schillinger of Pilot Recording Studios (New York City).

In the late 90s, Bickford performed in Friday jam sessions at Robin Hood's in Stamford, Connecticut with Connecticut and New York City area musicians Alan Eicher (keyboards), Kip Sophos (bass), Dave Anderson (bass), Kim Plainfield (drums), Ken Gioffre (saxophone), Charles Haynes (flute), and Herb Clay (percussion), organized by percussionist Gerard "Vito" Diacri. In 1998, the group of musicians recorded Cool Bop Phonics, an intense electric jazz album fusing bop, funk, Latin, reggae, and Brazilian styles.

In the early aughts, Bickford began working in a trio with drummer Jim Payne and organist Jerry Zaslavsky and recorded Sensei (2003) and énergie (2005).

Over the years, Bickford also did gigs with singer Mose Allison, Donald Byrd, Joe Henderson, and James Brown's band The JB Horns (Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, and Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis.)

Bickford has taught, or teaches, at New York University; Performing Arts Conservatory, New Canaan, Connecticut; and the State University of New York in Purchase, New York.

• With Jens Wendelboe & His New York Big Band
  • Letter From New York (1985)
• As Bill Bickford's Bigfood Trio
  • Semi Precious metal (1990)
• With Johannes Barthelmes Group
  • Blues For George (1996)
• With Ed Schuller
  • Snake dancing (1998)
• As Paradox trio with Billy Cobham and Wolfgang Schmid
  • Paradox (1996)
  • The First Second (1998)
• With Jack Walrath
  • Get Hit in Your Soul (1998)

• Richard Cook, Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings - 8th. Edition. Penguin, London 2006, ISBN 0-14-102327-9
• Leonard Feather, Ira Gitler: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz - Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X