Hassan JJ Wiggins Shakur | Bass

Son of pianist Gerald Wiggins, Sr., Hassan was born in 1956 in Los Angeles, CA. He learned to play bass at age four (standing on a chair) and with his father as a guide, developed a high sensitivity and wide range of expression in jazz. At age twelve he became the bassist for the Craig Hundley Trio, appearing on television shows such as The Today Show and Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. The Trio also recorded an album for World Pacific Records. At age eighteen, Hassan joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Mercer Ellington. Hassan has shared his talent with jazz greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson, Loretta Devine, Billy Eckstine, Al Grey, Sarah Vaughan, Joe Williams, and Herb Ellis. Hassan regularly performs with Monty Alexander in the United Stated, and on tours worldwide, as well as with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He is also featured on a number of Monty Alexander’s recordings with whom he shares a musical friendship that has lasted now for nearly 30 years.

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