Milt Hinton's slap

JoeB · #1 06-23-2005, 12:00 AM

Hey folks,

I'm sorry if this is covered elsewhere, but my searches couldn't find anything...

I'd like to know which recording(s) contain essential Hinton slap listening? Heard a lot about him but ain't heard his thing yet.

Suggestions?

Thanks.

jonas · #2 06-23-2005, 04:03 AM

I have a recording of Cab Calloway feat. Milt: "Pluckin' the bass" (rec. ~ 40ies), and a CD of Milt with Terry Gibbs (vib), rec. in the 1980ies.
Jonas

Mike Goodbar · #3 06-23-2005, 06:44 AM

I haven't heard it in a while, but he appears on Branford Marsalis's "Trio Jeepy" and slaps on a couple tunes.

Pcocobass · #4 06-23-2005, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Goodbar

I haven't heard it in a while, but he appears on Branford Marsalis's "Trio Jeepy" and slaps on a couple tunes.

"Trio Jeepy" contains some great Milt slapping. His slap solo on "Three Little Words" is awesome, and it is easy to hear because there is no drummer, just Milt and Branford. His walking lines are also great. If you're looking to get into Milt, in general, check out his first solo album "Here Swings the Judge." He doesn't slap on this record but he plays some nice pizz solos and his walking bass lines are amazing! The band is also swinging hard with Papa Jo Jones on drums, Jon Faddis on trumpet, Frank Wess on tenor, among others.

andymseed1961 · #5 06-23-2005, 03:47 PM

Haven't heard Milt Hinton slap ? - you haven't lived !
Seriously though , the man didn't just slap bass LINES - he slapped MELODIES and TUNES ! It was a sad , sad day for the bass world when he died .
For a good CD of his slapping look out for "Laughing At Life" which came out on Columbia here in the U.K (# 478178 2) a few years back . It's got a lot of good stuff on it but the standout track has got to be "The Judge And The Jury" which is a call and reply track where Milt does the "call" and the "reply" is played (in order) by Lynn Seaton , Brian Torff , Santi Debriano and Rufus Reid - they're all O.K and "with" him until he starts slapping then they haven't got a clue ! He was 89 when he recorded it and he could out slap ALL of us then - even at that age .
Enjoy it , I know you will - Andy.

JoeB · #6 06-23-2005, 04:53 PM

hey this is great folks, keep it coming! Looks like I have some cool listening ahead of me.

Thanks,
JB

ctcruiser · #7 06-23-2005, 05:41 PM

Check out volume 1 of Ray Brown's "The art of playing bass" video.

It is all about Milt Hinton and shows him playing his slap style for about 20 minutes.

Lemur.com is selling the video

Pcocobass · #8 06-23-2005, 07:03 PM

There is also a documentary about Milt called "Keeping Time: The Life, Music, and Photographs of Milt Hinton." Milt also has an autobiography/photo book called "Bass Line" which is really great. He lived quite an incredible life and played with just about everybody in the jazz and pop world during his day.

He also was one of the first black studio musicians and is on well over 1000 recordings. He's definately worth checking out for any jazz bass player, and his walking lines and solos are great transcription material... Sorry if this is a bit off topic but Milt is one of my heros!

Marcus Johnson · #9 06-23-2005, 09:15 PM

Pete...good to have you here. Looks like you're coming from a good place, basswise.

Now, I have to get my PC speakers working, so I can listen to the clips on your website.

Pcocobass · #10 06-24-2005, 06:49 AM

Thanks, Marcus. My friend hipped me to this forum last week and I can't get enough! There's a lot of knowlegable folks here. My website only has a few clips from my new album, but I will try to upload a complete track for you guys to check out on TB soon.

hdiddy · #11 08-22-2006, 05:08 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOH-RmDiKtA

Basshole · #12 08-22-2006, 05:13 PM

While on tour, I had the pleasure of seeing Milt play live in the hotel I was staying at in Europe. To begin with, I have never heard anyone play with such perfect intonation as him, before or since, and second, when I heard this ancient cat slap the bass, I couldn't help but think how far ahead of the rest of the planet this old cat was.

Only later was I to learn how well known he was among those who really value music. He was a true asset to the world of music, and I hope that new generations can discover how amazing a player he was.

RIP, Milt. You were awesome.

rftbass · #13 08-22-2006, 05:55 PM

http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/scl/.../milthint.html

hdiddy · #14 08-22-2006, 06:03 PM

Hey thanks, RFT, that was the piece I was kinda missing. Anybody who's into Milt's slapping technique, you should get Ray Browns "Art of Playing Bass" vol. 1. You see alot of his slapping from several angles. He expounds on how to get there, but didn't get into the details about how to do it - like the wrist action thing.

mrpc · #15 08-22-2006, 08:08 PM

The thing I like about that video is that Milt made it all look so easy. (And it ain't!) Instead of beating the crap out of his instrument like all the young ones are doing now, he caressed and patted his bass like a long lost friend. And at his age, he still wasn't hurting from doing that slappin' stuff for 60 or 70 years.

The book of photographs "Bass Line" that Poco Bass mentioned is most valuable for Milt's commentary and observations on the realities of racism in America as well as his view of Jazz from behind the camera. IMHO it should be in every library, everywhere.