Cecil McBee (born May 19, 1935) is an American post bop jazz bassist, described by the Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (Second Edition, ed. Colin Larkin, 1995) as "a full-toned bassist who creates rich, singing phrases in a wide range of contemporary jazz contexts." McBee was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on 19 May 1935. He studied clarinet at school, but switched to bass at the age of 17, and began playing in local nightclubs. After gaining a music degree from Ohio Central State University