What's the best way to introduce myself to jazz bass?

[Fassa Albrecht]

I'm thinking of going seriously into jazz bass. What is the best way to go about this?



Any advice appreciated!

[Bass Mule]

Shhh... Listen.

Seriously. Go out and by some jazz recordings and just listen to them. Take the time to let them marinade. Slowly digest them.
Don't go nuts and buy a bunch of random recordings in the jazz section of your music store. Do a search here, and you'll find other threads about this topic.
Personally, I'd go out and buy Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. Best jazz primer for anyone looking to get into jazz.

[doctorjazz]

+1 for Kind of Blue.

I was introduced to jazz through bebop, so you might also go check out some Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie stuff. Your mileage may vary though, I really latched on to Bird because I'm a sax player, so it might not work for you like it did for me. Kind of Blue is an all-around great record though, can't go wrong there.

[drew_bassmore]

In addition to "Kind Of Blue" (which seems to be a natural bridge from present day styles to jazz), I would highly recommend some Duke Ellington compositions- Satin Doll, C Jam Blues. Try to find recordings of these songs from studio albums produced in the 50's, as the sound quality is better than when they were first recorded.

Wes Montgomery "Four on Six" from the Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery.

Cannonball Adderley's version of "Autumn Leaves", from Somethin' Else.

Also, for more of an ostinato feel, try "Song for My Father" by Horace Silver.

There is a lot more to explore, but these might be good primers as you may be able to dive into the material pretty quickly.

Finally, I say proceed to explore more once you have found a qualified instructor with the appropriate credentials to teach you the foundations of jazz harmony to really get inside the music and play the material.

Then the world of jazz can begin to open up into all kinds of great players from all era's for your listening pleasure- from Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Clifford Brown, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery to Roy Hargrove, Terence Blanchard, John Scofield, Branford Marsalis, etc. etc. (too many to list)

oh, and...Did I mention find a teacher who can help you traverse jazz harmony, etc.?

[cowsgomoo]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

I'm thinking of going seriously into jazz bass. What is the best way to go about this?



Any advice appreciated!

are you listening to much jazz at the moment?

I think in order to really get into any style of music you have to be drawn to the sound of it... Kind of Blue is great and popular because it sounds relaxed & classy, harmonically & rhythmically it doesn't tax your ear like a lot of other stuff... and if it gives people a taste for jazz, then that's great

but I think a lot of musicians feel they 'ought to get into jazz' because they see it as the next step on the learning curve, rather than it being something they get into because they like the sound of it...

or maybe they think it'll be good for them, like going to the gym regularly or eating their greens... and like those things it WILL be good for them, but without the love for the idiom it'll become a chore really quickly...

i'm not saying 'don't get into jazz', but 'get into it for the right reasons'

and there are other ways to develop your musicianship and artistry without becoming a jazz musician

[soong]

I think fusion is a good path into getting into jazz bass.
If you come from a relatively mainstream (rock, metal, blues etc) background
Bands such as Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra will make a smooth transition.

I got so scared when i first started on Miles Davis after listening to Metallica for several years.
Just a thought

[locolobo85]

Depends on how you define jazz. lol Good luck with that one.

I like the fusion idea also. My additions to WRS and MO as mentioned would be Return to Forever, Jean Luc Ponty, Al Di Meola, etc....

[chasfr]

I'm no expert, but it seems to me that the signature element of (traditional) Jazz bass is the walking bass line. Get a feel for it in your listening, and maybe pick up a book on the subject. "Building Walking Bass Lines" by Ed Friedland is the one I know...

Have fun!
Chas

And +1 to everybody on drew bassmore's list at #4, along with Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

[Chazinroch]

Try a Jamey Aebersold Jazz Camp. Good way to immerse yourself in jazz for a week. You audition the 1st day (about 2-3 minutes over a blues, then reading a simple chart). Then they place you in the appropriate group. It's okay if you can't read. The camp is intense and you'll get to hear and learn from some of the top players in Jazz. If the camp isn't for you, try some of the Aebersold play along books. Google Aebersold Jazz Camp and you'll find a lot of info there.

[Ostinato]

There is no best way. If you don't listen to any jazz then you're not going to play it very convincingly.

Play what you want to play, not what you think you're supposed to play.

[Darkstrike]

Originally Posted by chasfr

I'm no expert, but it seems to me that the signature element of (traditional) Jazz bass is the walking bass line. Get a feel for it in your listening, and maybe pick up a book on the subject. "Building Walking Bass Lines" by Ed Friedland is the one I know...

Have fun!
Chas

And +1 to everybody on drew bassmore's list at #4, along with Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

This book is fantastic, helps with reading music too as there is no tab. Everything is explained really well.

[j.a.e.r.i.p]

LISTEN.

I'm sixteen and i listen to jazz all hours of everyday and it makes me a better player. I started listening to jazz like Kind of Blue and a TON of miles, MINGUS (not only the bass playing, but mingus' songs are arranged in such a way and with such low end power from brass etc. it's just a total killer listen), Bird and Dizzy (i would say the best way to get better is to listen to dizzy and bird because they changed everything), Herbie Hancock (start with head hunters stuff and work back to more traditional jazz, i recently saw herbie and it was frikkin' unbelievable.)


Listen and copy, thats the best thing to do, learn every body elses stuff and use it.

[soong]

Originally Posted by chasfr

I'm no expert, but it seems to me that the signature element of (traditional) Jazz bass is the walking bass line. Get a feel for it in your listening, and maybe pick up a book on the subject. "Building Walking Bass Lines" by Ed Friedland is the one I know...

Have fun!
Chas

And +1 to everybody on drew bassmore's list at #4, along with Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

+1 again.
ALso, check out "Building A JAZZ Bassline" by Ron Carter. This book has served me so well.

[soong]

p.s
Ooh! How did i forget! MARCUS MILLER.

ok, so not the most walky walky jazz basslines, but FANTASTIC fusion stuff once again.