The Sierra Jazz Society is a California 501C3 non profit organization dedicated to Jazz education, presentation and promotion in Nevada County and the surrounding areas.  

Bill Douglass was the artistic director of the Sierra Jazz Society from its inception, around 2005, until sometime in early 2020. Bill is renowned in the Bay Area and the Sierras as a fine bass player and bamboo flute player.

Bill Douglass and Nora Nausbaum are the folks that launched the SJS and, after doing some research online, Nora helped us out by forwarding this bio that was on the previous SJS website. We’re maintaining a digital copy here with some links to content available on the internet so you can check out some of Bill’s work. If you have any additional content, links, stories, photos, etc. we’d love to see it!

In Memoriam:  Bill Douglass

Our beloved Bill Douglass, jazz master and co-founder of the Sierra Jazz Society, passed away quietly in his sleep at 5 AM on 2/25/24.  Bill’s wife, Nora Nausbaum, had been a steady presence at his side through his years-long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.  Starting from his childhood in Grass Valley, Bill developed a unique and remarkably deep immersion in jazz.  From the time he went to the Bay Area in his late teens, he was recognized as a strong and melodic bass player with a beautiful tone, and he had early successes in the late 1960’s, landing with the Mose Allison trio in 1970-73.  He went on to play and record with many jazz greats.  He was Marian McPartland’s bassist on her West Coast tours, and recorded with her numerous times, including several live CDs with her and other musicians such as Chris Potter.  He played at many international jazz festivals, including Eindhoven in 1974, Montreux in 1985, and closer to home at the Monterey Jazz Festival with Paula West in 2002.  He played at Davies Symphony hall in a trio with Bobby McFerrin.  He  also recorded with Tom Waits, with Hemispheres, and recorded a duet CD with Nevada County’s own John Girton.

In addition to his work on bass, Bill developed a high level of skill on the Bamboo Flute, and he both performed and recorded on this instrument as well.  This led to him recording on a number of major film scores on bamboo flute, including The Black Stallion, Never Cry Wolf, and Blue Velvet.

Bill was also a great educator, and shortly after he and Nora moved back to Grass Valley, they founded the Sierra Jazz Society and worked hard to offer a yearly summer jazz camp here.  Those of us who were able to attend this camp, as well as some of Bill’s master classes at his home over the years were fortunate indeed.  He was a warm and often humorous guide to jazz playing, and his welcoming attitude was always inspiring.  He spent a lot of time making sure everyone got the melody right.

In the spirit of Bill Douglass, the Sierra Jazz Society continues his mission to encourage jazz performance and education in Nevada County.  Our annual jazz picnic in June, summer jazz camp, and select live performances throughout the year will continue to be a tribute to Bill and his lived understanding of the powerful effect of music on  our lives.

Make a donation to the SJS in Memory of Bill Douglass

Bill Douglas Highlighted Discography & Performances

w/Marian McPartland – Single Petal of a Rose (CD)
w/Marian McPartland – Live at Yoshi’s Nitespot (CD)
w/Marian McPartland – Plays the Music of Mary Lou Williams (CD)
w/Marian McPartland – Live at Concord Jazz Festival w/Chris Potter (CD)
w/Mose Allison Trio – 1970 – 1973 and 2005 – 2018
w/Mose Allison Trio – American Legend – Live in California (CD)
w/Ian Dogole – Night Harvest (CD)
w/Ian Dogole – Ionospheres (CD)
w/IanDogole – Hemispheres (DVD)
w/Paula West – Temptation (CD)
w/Paula West – Restless (CD)
w/Shweta Jhaveri – Anahita (CD)
w/Gabriela Marrone – Detrás Del Sol (EP) featuring Bill Frisell & Alex Acuña
w/Tom Waits – The Black Rider (CD)

Filmwork, Bamboo Flute: