Ike Isaacs

Who was Ike Isaacs?

Ike Isaacs was an American jazz bassist from Ohio.

Isaacs played trumpet and tuba as a child before settling on bass. He served in the Army during World War II, where he took lessons from Wendell Marshall. Following this he played with Tiny Grimes, Earl Bostic, Paul Quinichette, and Bennie Green. He led a band locally in Ohio in 1956, then played for two years in the trio of Carmen McRae, whom he married late in the decade. He worked with Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, then with Count Basie, Gloria Lynne, and Erroll Garner, as well as with his own small groups. He recorded only once as a leader, in 1967 for RGB Records. On this recording he plays in a trio with Jack Wilson on piano and Jimmie Smith on drums.