Joe Mudele

Joseph C Mudele (30 September 1920 – 7 March 2014), known as Joe Mudele and sometimes as Joe Muddel or Muddell), was a British jazz double bass player, one of the Club Eleven collective, where he first played with John Dankworth.

Early career Mudele grew up in Downham, South East London. He left school at the age of 14 and began singing and playing in local bands, but only began playing double bass at the age of 17 after buying an upright bass in a junk shop.

Club Eleven and after In 1948 Mudele became a founder member of Club Eleven, a Soho nightclub open between 1948 and 1950 which played a significant role in the emergence of the bebop jazz movement in Britain. The club was so named because it was a musicians cooperative with 11 founders – business manager Harry Morris along with ten British bebop players, including Mudele: the others were Lennie Bush, Leon Calvert, Tony Crombie, Bernie Fenton (1921-2001, piano), Laurie Morgan (1926-2020, drums), Johnny Rogers (1926-2016, saxophone), Tommy Pollard (1923-1960, piano and vibes), Ronnie Scott, and Hank Shaw. John Dankworth was also involved, heading up one of two house bands with Mudele on bass.

Final years In later life Mudele lived in Bromley and played weekly at the Bexley Jazz Club in Kent, taking over management duties after owner Les Simons died in 2004. In 2010 he recorded For All We Know, with Robin Aspland (piano) and Geoff Gascoyne (drums). He died aged 93, survived by his second wife Janet (who he married in 1991) and two daughters from his first marriage.