Great Jazz Bassists 1964-1965
Bassist and educator Michael Formanek zeroes in on a fertile period for modern jazz recordings and for the jazz bass. He highlights five great examples of jazz bass playing during this time, and regrets leaving out more; yet you can hardly go wrong starting with his picks.
The article highlights a selection from Mosaic’s recent release, Charles Mingus - The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65. This set is still in stock, and you can order here.
-Nick Moy
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Charnett Moffett: Solo
This is a great interview with Charnett Moffett, a superb bassist and a great personality with a wonderful sense of humor. I first got to know him when we put together the Tony Williams Quintet in 1987. Charnett tells stories of his years with Tony, but omits the one unforgettable night that Moffett ended his bass solo with an inspired moment of insanity by twirling his bass. Now, either you find that very funny or very offensive. Tony fell on the side of offensive and chewed Charnett out mercilessly after the set. But the next day, Tony was laughing about it too.
-Michael Cuscuna
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Charnett Moffett: Solo
Jimmy Garrison, After John Coltrane
Wow, a nice nod to Jimmy Garrison by Doug Ramsey, on what would have been his 79th birthday, plus a posted 1968 video of the Elvin Jones trio with Joe Farrell and Garrison. I had no idea there was any footage on this trio. A lovely discovery. I only worked with Jimmy Garrison once on an Archie Shepp album about a year before he died. For such a large talent on his instrument, he was modest and kind person.
-Michael Cuscuna
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Esperanza Spalding on NPR Piano Jazz
Is it too early to think of this as a retrospective? Probably; yet Esperanza Spalding has done a lot since this 2008 visit to Marian McPartland’s piano jazz, so let’s just consider this an interesting listen, documenting where this quickly evolving artist was in her (relative) youth \u2014 including her take on “Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ but Soul.”
-Nick Moy
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Percy Heath: Bass Giant in the Background
Bassist Percy Heath was a modest, often self-deprecating gentleman, seemingly content to hover in the background, behind a host of jazz greats. His modesty was unjust. In this two-part All About Jazz interview with R.J. DeLuke, many bass giants parade by — Mingus, Ray Brown, Oscar Pettiford, Ron Carter. Anyone who heard him, especially live, knows that Percy Heath easily belonged up there among all of them.
-Nick Moy
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Read MoreThe Christian McBride Trio
If you haven’t checked out Christian McBride’s exciting trio, with piano phenom Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, we’d like to offer you the opportunity to sample their easy, youthful brilliance and exuberance. Recorded At Scala, in Leverkusen, Germany.
-Nick Moy
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Ray Brown: Chasing Perfection
The core of this compendium of Ray Brown by Ted Panken is a 1996 interview with Brown on WKCR, posthumous tributes to Brown by his storied compatriots follow. The range of greats Ray Brown met worked with is surely staggering, but throughout, he was always looking forward, in his quest for perfection.
-Nick Moy
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Ron Carter Gets to the Point with Ethan Iverson
At least at first, Ethan Iverson can scarcely contain his awe of interviewing Ron Carter. Fortunately, that doesn’t deter the two from some penetrating comments on the essential attributes of some great drummers and bassists — including Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, Billy Higgins, Wilbur Ware and Percy Heath — and what Carter sees as his role in working with drummers.
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Christian McBride: bass roots in Philly
An extended interview with bassist Christian McBride: his roots in Philadelphia, the hot house for so many jazz greats, and the musical cross pollination that produced a bassist who seems to be in so many places that count.
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Charlie Haden Chats with Ethan Iverson
Ethan Iverson’s 2008 interview with Charlie Haden, in its longer form in Iverson’s blog Do the Math, is a constantly fascinating encounter between two of the most probing and committed figures in jazz. Haden seems to leap at Iverson’s questions to talk about his history in the music, from Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come to the Liberation Music Orchestra, Old and New Dreams and Quartet West. Especially illuminating: Haden’s take on the bass greats.
-Nick Moy
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