| Don't know where you live so it's difficult to point you to a good shop to try some basses. For the type of music you will be playing, my advice is to buy a quality plywood (laminated) bass. Brand names aren't terribly significant, but as Drurb said, stay away from future kindling.
Chinese kindling may be branded Cremona, Palatino or relabled by the shop. I have seen kindling labeled as something sounding Italian sold through on-line mass merchandisers for the price of a quality instrument available through a local shop. Educate yourself.
American Standard and Kay basses CAN be good basses for your desired use, but beware. Loose neck joints and/or neck damage are common problems. A healthy, well set up plywood bass will cost you somewhere between $1k and $2k. There are occasional deals below that range and some very nice basses above that, but that is probably reasonable. Don't forget to budget for a pickup and suitable strings.
You must spend some time playing a variety of instruments in order to know what you are looking for.
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You forget sometimes that you are playing music, not just playing jazz. ....Charlie Haden
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