The Bass Traditions

89 Pages·1985·3.546 MB·English

by  Coolman, Todd

CONTENTS
About The Author .............................................................................................................. l
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. l
Preface .............................................................................................................................. l
Ho w T o Use This Book .......................................................................................................... 2
JIMMY BLANTON .........................................•...................................................................... 3
"Body and Soul" .......................................................................................................... 3
"Sophisticated Lady" ................................................................................................... 5
"Mr. J.B. Blues" .......................................................................................................... 6
LEROY "SLAM" STEWART. ................................................................................................... 9
"Just You, Just Me" .................................................................................................... 9
MILT HINTON ........................................................................•............................................ lO
"Flyin' Home" ............................................................................................................ lO
GEORGE DUVIVIER ............................................................................................................. l3
"Sweet Loraine" ......................................................................................................... 14
OSCAR PETTIFORD. ........................................................................................................... 15
"Tricotism" ................................................................................................................ l5
"Stardust" ................................................................................................................. 17
"Falling In Love With Love" ........................................................................................ 18
RA Y BROWN ...................................................................................................................... 19
"Killer Joe" ..................................................... : ......................................................... 20
"Blues For Basie" ....................................................................................................... 23
"Kadota's Blues" ........................................................................................................ 25
ISRAEL CROSBY ................................................................................................................ 28
"But Not For Me" ....................................................................................................... 28
"Ali The Things You Are" ........................................................................................... 30
"Falling In Love With Love" ....................................................................................... 32
PAUL CHAMBERS. ............................................................................................................. 36
"Blue Spring" ............................................................................................................ 36
"This Can't Be Love" ................................................................................................. 38
"The Theme" ............................................................................................................ 41
KEITH "RED" MITCHELL. ................................................................................................... 43
"These Foolish Things" ............................................................................................... 44
"Will You Stili Be Mine?" ........................................................................................... 46
"Aprii In Paris" ......................................................................................................... 48
SCOTT LA FARO. .............................................................................................................. 50
"Nardis" ................................................................................................................... 50
"S'posin'" .................................................................................................................. 52
SAM JONES. ...................................................................................................................... 54
"It Could Happen To You" .......................................................................................... 55
"Stella By Starlight" .................................................................................................. 56
"Bittersuite". ............................................................................................................ 58
RON CARTER. ................................................................................................................... 60
"Now's The Time" ...................................................................................................... 60
"Last Resort" ............................................................................................................ 63
"Untitled Blues" ........................................................................................................ 65
RICHARD DA VIS ................................................................................................................ 66
"Shiny Stockings". ..................................................................................................... 67
"Like Someone In Love" ............................................................................................. 69
EDDIE GOMEZ .................................................................................................................... 71
"Samba Song" ..••...........................•.......................................•................•................... 71
NIEL8-HENNING 0RSTED PEDERSEN ................................................................................. 74
"Blues For Dorte". •.......•....••...•.•......•.....•.....•.•.......•...•••.........•..........•......•................. 75
STANLEY CLARKE. ........................................................................................................... 7 6
"500 Miles High" ....................................................................................................... 77
GEORGE MRAZ .................................................................................................................. 78
"Confirmation" .......................................................................................................... 79
MICHAEL MOORE ............................................................................................................... BO
"I Should Care" .......................................................................................................... 81
Selected Discography. . .. •. . .. .. .. .. •. . . ••. .. . ..•.•.. ... . .. . . .•. . .. .•.•. .. •. .. . ..•.. .•. . . . . .. .. . . . . . .. . . . . .. .. .. .. . . .. . ••. .. . .. 8 2
Bass Player List .................................................................................................................. 85
Bassists of The Future. ........................................................................................................ 86
Published by Jamey Aebersold
1211 Aebersold Drive, New Albany, IN 47150
Copying & Graphics by Pete Gearhart
Copyright ©1985 By Jamey Aebersold
lnternational Copyright Secured
i
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Todd Coolman received a B.M. in Double Bass performance from the Indiana University School of
Music in 1975. Since moving to New York in 1978, he has received criticai acclaim performing
and touring with major jazz musicians such as Horace Silver, Stan Getz, The Mel Lewis Jazz
Orchestra, Benny Goodman, Slide Hampton and many others. He is currently a regular member
of the James Moody Quartet.
Since 1979, Todd has been much in demand as a jazz educator and clinician. He is a member of
the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Clinics, and has made numerous clinic presentations at
colleges and universities world-wide. Since 1982, he has been an instructor of jazz studies at
William Paterson College and has had articles published in Downbeat and The National
Association of Jazz Educators Journal.
In the future, Todd plans to continue his performance schedule while devoting more time, through
clinics and lectures, to educating young people in the history and heritage of jazz music.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Dan Morgenstern and Ed Berger of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers
University for their kind assistance in research and use of their facility.
I would also like to thank my wife, Darla, for her continuing support, encouragement, and love.
PREFACE
The selected bassists and musical examples contained in this book are the culmination of three
years of research, including listening to numerous recordings and reading articles, interviews and
books on the history of jazz. To my knowledge, it is the first book of its kind which concentrates
on the major innovators of jazz bass playing from 1939 (Jimmy Blanton) to the present. Every
effort has been made to include as many important players as possible and not to omit anyone
who had a major impact on bass playing, past or present. If a certain player is not mentioned, it
is not to suggest that his influence was not important to the music community. A subsequent
volume will focus on other important players.
The purpose of this book is to instill a sense of heritage and tradition, especially to younger,
aspiring bassists who have not been exposed to a variety of music and styles. It is also expected
that this information can further the appreciation level of those already knowledgeable.
r~Xk~~
1985
1
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Many young bassists today exhibit serious deficiencies in their playing due to their lack of
understanding of the musical legacy of those who preceded them. Without adequate knowledge
of previous jazz bass styles and innovations, a young player will sound unseasoned, stylistically
misplaced, and ill-equipped to perform in the variety of musical situations that will confront
him/her. The great bassists throughout history have always been acutely aware of their heritage
and thus developed a mature and idiomatic playing style.
There are several levels a t which this book can be useful. Belo w, I ha ve outlined an approach
which I feel is the most logical, and will provide the reader with the deepest understanding and
appreciation of the subject. The outline should be followed step by step, in order.
l. Study each player in order, one at a time. Do not skip ahead. The players have been arranged
in a chronological/historical order which approximates their piace in the history of jazz bass
playing. By going in order, you will better understand the heritage of the instrument and can
trace its evolution.
2. Read the biographical sketch of the selected player. This will help you understand his
individuai contribution
3. Select a single transcription of the selected player and locate the recording that is listed.
4. Carefully listen to the recording several times, without the book.
5. After several listenings, test your familiarity with the music by seeing how much of the solo
(or bass line) you can sing from memory.
6. Find the transcription and listen severa! more times to the recording while following along
with the printed music.
7. Try to play the solo (or bass line) on your instrument. Begin a t a tempo slower than the
recording and gradually work up to tempo. You can extract particularly difficult passages and
work on them separately.
8. Once you can play the solo (or bass line) proficiently, use the transcription and try playing
along with the record simultaneously. Try to imitate and capture every nuance and musical
quality the selected player demonstrates.
9. Finally, try playing the solo (or bass line) from memory.
Jimmy Blanton
(1918- 1942)
Jimmy Blanton is regarded by most as the "father" of modern jazz bass playing, and is
unquestionably the centrai figure in the evolution of the bass. He was the first bassist to solo
in a "horn-like" fashion and liberate the bass from its basic four-notes-to-the-bar "walking"
function. He possessed an enormous, warm sound that was easily heard and felt in a big band,
without amplification.
Originally a violinist, Jimmy enrolled in Tennessee State College and switched to string bass.
After playing only a short while, he was heard by Duke Ellington in the fall of 1939 and
immediately hired.
In the span of just two years with the Ellington orchestra, Blanton revolutionized jazz bass
playing and, for that matter, the sound of jazz itself. His influence can stili be heard and
felt today. Many of the discoveries he made, especially evident on the duo recordings with
Duke, are being rediscovered and explored further by today's players.
Tragically, Jimmy died of tuberculosis at the age of 23 (July 30, 1942). In a career spanning
two short years, Jimmy did more than any other bassist before or since to influence the evolution
of jazz bass playing. Jimmy Blanton's piace in jazz history is strikingly similar to that of players
like Bix Biederbecke, Charlie Christian, Clifford Brown, Scott LaFaro and Booker Little, all
major innovators who died at an early age.
Body and Soul
3
Body and Soul - cont.
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Body and Soul - cont.
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l. Use of syncopation (1st chorus, bars 9 & 18; last half of 2nd
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2. "Double time" feel implied throughout entire pizzicatto section.
3. Chord substitutions last 2 bars of both bridge sections.
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8