Jazz recordings with electric bass

[lsbland]

Looking to listen to some jazz with electric bass... Just getting in to it, and hoping you have some advice.

[lsbland]

I was hoping for whole albums if possible...

[251]

Originally Posted by lsbland

Looking to listen to some jazz with electric bass... Just getting in to it, and hoping you have some advice.

Anything with Steve Swallow playing to hear more traditional treatments with EB. He has 5 or 6 solo albums, too.

John Patitucci plays EB on many Jazz albums.

Christian McBridge usually uses his URB for Jazz. I remember some EB on Jazz tunes but will have to listen to his recordings again to give album names. Thx for the fun project. I'll load those up to iTunes today. 8-)

Marcus Miller played on Jazz albums in the 80's. Look for his work on a Miles Davis disc?

More on the Fusion side, Richard Bona's playing is fresh & interesting.

Create your own discography(s) by searching Names on Amazon. Remember to search your local library, too.

[Tampabass]

+1 on Swallow, Patitucci, Marcus Miller, Bona.
Not sure if you mean straightahead jazz - if so, Jeff Berlin's latest is a great example of el. bass in that genre.

if you mean jazz/jazz fusion, there are a million out there - Bunny Brunel, Kai Eckhardt, Chris Wood, Anthony Jackson, Jimmy Haslip, and, of course, Stanley and Jaco.

www.allmusic.com is a great place to search for artists, with bio info and full discographies.

[lsbland]

I was hoping for like straight-ahead standards ... Maybe that's crazy.

[Tampabass]

Jeff Berlin's latest - "High Standards" - http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/JeffBerlin1

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by lsbland

I was hoping for like straight-ahead standards ... Maybe that's crazy.

Well generally - most players use bass guitar for fusion or latin styles and Double Bass for straight-ahead.

So - John Patitucci does this and just about everything he has recorded has been BG for Latin/Funk/Rock feels and DB for straight ahead Jazz.

There is almost a sense in which Jazz with bass guitar is by definition classed as fusion - but there are some guys who have used BG in straight ahead Jazz - like Bob Cranshaw.

The thing is that if you are looking at the best straight ahead Jazz albums - then they are 99.9% with Double Bass.

So then you have a dilemma - do you want to listen to the best Jazz albums, or are you going to listen to albums of a lower "standard" - just because they have a bass guitar in there..?

I think you are better off listening to the masters of straight-ahead and they are all DB players.

[bassballs_dk]

Buddy Rich Big Band, always EB

[Tampabass]

yep, a lot of the name big bands, particularly in the '70s and '80s, used electric bass. Or the bassist at least doubled on electric.

[Will Kelly]

Jaco Pastorius with Brian Melvin- Standards Zone

The best work from the end of Jaco's life, with tunes like The Days of Wine and Roses and If They Could See Me Now

This is a piano trio jazz album and totally straight ahead

[lsbland]

I like the Brian Melvin with Jaco stuff a lot. Wow. Darryl Jones, I've found, did some pretty cool "jazz" with Herbie H ... google it.

[projectMalamute]

There is a Buddy Rich record called 'Tuff Dude' from 1974. 6 or 7 piece band doing straight ahead jazz. Sonny Fortune on sax, Jack Wilkins on guitar, Kenny Baron on piano. And Anthony Jackson playing bass, he even takes a couple solos.

Great example of really well played, hard swinging, straight ahead jazz with electric bass.

[mstott25]

I gave my recommendations before in this thread which you should also check out.

[RHFusillo]

+1 on the recommendations for Steve Swallow ("Home," "Deconstructed," "Real Book," and especially "We Three: Three for All" with Dave Liebman and Adam Nussbaum) and Jaco on Brian Melvin's "Standards Zone."

You might also look for a CD by The Mastersounds, called "Water's Edge" (originally released as "Jazz Showcase Introducing The Mastersounds"). This was a group led by Monk and Buddy Montgomery -- the brothers of Wes Montgomery. Monk was an upright player who adopted the Fender bass very early on. "Water's Edge" was recorded in 1957 and Monk's electric bass has a nice, natural sound. Otherwise, The Mastersounds sounded a little like The Modern Jazz Quartet.

[christoph h.]

anthony jackson on the michel petrucciani records!

[mstott25]

Speaking of this, quite a few years ago Jazztimes did a great article with Bob Cranshaw discussing some of the differences between Electric bass and upright in a jazz setting including why Sonny Rollins prefers the electric bass. It's worth reading and Sonny Rollins album with Bob Cranshaw +3 is worth picking up!

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by mstott25

Speaking of this, quite a few years ago Jazztimes did a great article with Bob Cranshaw discussing some of the differences between Electric bass and upright in a jazz setting including why Sonny Rollins prefers the electric bass. It's worth reading and Sonny Rollins album with Bob Cranshaw +3 is worth picking up!

That was an interesting article - thanks for that - I never realised that Steely Dan bassist Tom Barney was his son! That explains a lot!

I also loved the way he called bass guitar "the Pork Chop" !!

[mstott25]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

I never realised that Steely Dan bassist Tom Barney was his son! That explains a lot!

I heard somewhere that Tom Barney was raised by Bob Cranshaw although I don't have any specific details. From everything I've ever read or heard about Cranshaw he seems like an incredible human being. If I'm not mistaken Tom Barney's dad was a bass player as well named...Tom Barney.

If you look at a couple of bios on Barney it seems to confirm this.
Steely Dan Bio it says that Tom Barney's dad is Tom H. Barney!

Miles Davis Band Info says Bob Cranshaw was his foster father.

Bob Cranshaw is the one in the jazztimes article to say "My son" so it makes complete sense that he took an active role in raising him.

Speaking of underrated bass players though...Tom Barney can do anything!

and to bring it back on topic...
Bob Cranshaw playing an Alleva-Coppollo
Horace Silver track featuring Bob Cranshaw on Electric

[Tampabass]

Originally Posted by christoph h.

anthony jackson on the michel petrucciani records!

or with Michel Camilo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLdKObM2OJ8

[flyman]

Quincy Jones "Walking in Space" album has Ray Brown on EB.

Joe Henderson's "Power to the People" - Ron Carter on EB on a few tracks

Some of Wes Montgomery's recordings has his brother Monk on EB.