Wayman Tisdale: out of basketball and now at the top of his game as a jazz musician

To say that Wayman Tisdale is special is a bit of an understatement. While most of us are trying to excel in one job or profession, he has distinguished himself in two--first as an NBA All-Star and now as an award-winning bass guitarist who is taking the jazz world by storm.

His latest release, Way Up!, one of the top 10 contemporary jazz albums of 2006, debuted at No. 1 on the Contemporary Jazz Charts and remains in the Top 10. It's the seventh album of his music career. "I feel like I've grown up with this album," Tisdale says. "The way I matured as a basketball player is the same way I'm evolving as a musician, taking more control of this album and gaining the confidence to do this on my own."

Incredibly, many of his music fans don't even know that this is his second career. "There are a lot of people now who have no idea that I played in the NBA!" he says with an infectious laugh. "All they know is my music. They can tell me every song I ever made, and believe me that is a great feeling. It means that I've been able to make just as big of an impression doing something totally different."

As a college player at the University of Oklahoma from 1983 to 1985, Tisdale was a three-time All-American, and he won a gold medal as a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team. In the NBA, Tisdale, a center and power forward, averaged more than 15 points and 6 rebounds a game in a 12-season professional career with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns.

Tisdale released his debut CD, Power Forward, in 1995 while he was still in the NBA. "It was the start of something big, and I could tell it was going to be bigger than a novelty. I just feel blessed that people loved the music from day one. To do one thing and to be respected, honored and paid for it is one thing, but to do two things--it's just another whole level," he says.

The multitalented entertainer retired from basketball 10 years ago to focus entirely on music, and he says he's just beginning to hit his stride.

Music industry executive Hyman Katz, co-founder and president of Rendezvous Entertainment, says Wayman "is one of those 'dream' artists. When Rendezvous co-founder [and recording artist] Dave Koz heard that Wayman was available, he insisted on a 'full court press' to sign him." Katz says that with Tisdale's "complete and total dedication" to his goals, it's not surprising he is on top. "What I love most about Wayman is he is always seeking ways to improve himself," he says. "He is driven to be the best he can be, whether it's in basketball music, or his other entertainment ventures."

It's that single-minded drive that has helped the 6-foot-9 former Olympian develop his chart-topping style. Label-mate and friend Kirk Whalum says Tisdale's playing "disarms" the listener. "He's a big guy with a big sound and an incredibly warm and gentle heart. It takes you totally off guard," Whalum says. "Wayman Tisdale has a gift of touching people's hearts."

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in Tulsa, Okla., Tisdale is the son of a minister. He says he first fell in love with the bass guitar while watching the bass players in his hometown church, led by his father, the late Rev. Louis Tisdale. "I thought they were the coolest cats. They got to stand and do their thing in the back," he says. "I'd watch their fingering and how they played." After his father bought him and his two brothers a Mickey Mouse guitar, he began to teach himself to play. "It's the greatest gift my dad ever gave me," he says.

During his musical maturation, he has taken the advice of mentors Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller, who told him to develop his own unique sound. "They told me that within two notes [listeners] have to know who is playing," Tisdale says. "And I try to let them know right away."

Tisdale, who was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 2002, writes many of his songs, but is also the "self-appointed ambassador of old school." His funky covers of "If You Want Me To Stay" and the first single from his latest album, "Get Down On It," have been blowing up on the radio. The 11-track set features collaborations with such artists as Dave Koz, Eric Benet, George Duke, Bob James, Kirk Whalum, Jonathan Butler and Jeff Lorber.

"It's pretty rare that you can identify an artist simply by hearing one or two notes of their sound--but such is the case with Wayman Tisdale," says Koz. "He's that rare breed of artist who has it all...incredible, infectious energy, huge star power, a megawatt personality and, most importantly, real chops on his instrument."

Reviewer Jeff Winbush of All Aboutjazz.com agrees with Koz. "Early on, it was legitimate to wonder if Wayman Tisdale wasn't just a basketball player dabbling with playing jazz bass," he wrote. "Way Up! removes all doubt and establishes Tisdale as a seasoned pro in his own right and one of the brightest talents in music today."