Wayman Tisdale - Get Down On It

Let me first say, Wayman we'll miss you. Wayman Tisdale passed away on May 15th, at the age of 44, after a battle with cancer. After an All-American college career playing basketball at Oklahoma, Olympic gold medal and 13 years in the NBA, he began his second career as a jazz bassist.

He began playing bass at an early age in the church where his father was the pastor. He was completely self taught and could not read music. He even got Coach Tubbs to move the Sunday practice to evenings to accommodate Tisdale's bass playing in church.

Tisdale jazzes up a cover of Kool and the Gang's Get Down On It from his 2006 release Way Up! The album features a host of jazz stars like Jeff Lorber, Bob James, George Duke, Ricky Peterson, Kirk Whalum, Jonathan Butler, Dave Koz and Mel Brown.

We'll miss your jazz funk and your great smile. Keep playing on big man.