ello' all. Might be a bit off topic...

[Cippola]

Actually, I am pretty sure this is off-topic as far as bass guitars go. But this is a frequently viewed forum, and I couldn't find the general music thread (if there is one). Anyway.

In the last few month's, I've become real interested/fascinated with jazz and blues music. Problem is, I don't neccesarily know which artists to look for. Obviously, I want to find artists where the bass stands out, but more importantly, i just want some good blues and jazz.

I've been playing bass on and off for about a year and a half (my World of warcraft addiction often fights with my bass addiction). I listen to all sorts of music. My favorite artists include RHCP, Primus, Led Zeppelin, and pink floyd. But I like all genres of music with the exception of new rap (I liked the early 90s stuff, but nowadays it's all about makin the white abercrombie n fitch kids happy [I am white, btw]). I love classical, house, ect.

The only blues I really know is Stevie Ray Vaughn, the yardbirds (if you call that blues), and some random artists from the Blues Brothers. I really like the slow, but complex blues sound. Any artist/album reccomendations?

And as far as Jazz goes, I am totally in the dark. I am more focused on finding blues music, but i also want to get some good jazz in my collection.

Sorry if I rambled, and sorry for being off-topic. But thanks in advance for any help, and happy jamming.

[bassteban]

This would not be off-topic if it were in recordings.
For blues, The Blues Brothers did some really good stuff, but going for original versions of some of their material would be a tad bit more authentic, IMO.
Jazz I can't comment on(like it; don't really know anything ), so I won't.

[lomo]

For both blues and Jazz, find a series of Count Basie CDs called "Kansas City", especially numbers 5 and 6!

[superfunk47]

for blues, check out cream, eric clapton (from the cradle is a great blues record), and go further into zeppelin and stevie ray vaughan.

for jazz, id start with miles davis and john coltrane, and since youre a bassist, id throw in jaco pastorius, ray brown, and charles mingus.

if you actually check out everything worth checking out from all of them, that should keep you busy for a LONG time.

[MyUsernameHere]

Originally Posted by bassteban

For blues, The Blues Brothers did some really good stuff,

Weird...don't know if I'd put that out there as an example. However, the more I think about it, the more I remember that being a really good record.

[will.i.am]

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=902lcDB3i2E

Give it all you got by Chuck Mangione

[Illbay]

Originally Posted by Cippola

Sorry if I rambled, and sorry for being off-topic. But thanks in advance for any help, and happy jamming.

First of all, know this: ALL modern pop music, from the turn of the Twentieth Century to today, is about "Jazz," no matter what genre we think of. That goes for Blues as well as Rock 'n' Roll, R&B, theater music, you-name-it. It's all some manifestation of "Jazz."

One important thing about Jazz, like all SERIOUS music, is that in order to really understand and appreciate it, it's important to know its history. And I don't mean "social" history (like the seven-part "Ages of Rock" series that came on VH1 recently - that was SOCIAL history). I mean the history of the development of the music itself.

I STRONGLY suggest getting the DVD set of the 2001 multi-part documentary KEN BURNS' JAZZ. It costs around $170; if the price is an issue, see if you can borrow it from your local library, or rent it from something like Netflix.

There is also the 5-disc Audio CD soundtrack to the film, but I strongly recommend taking the time to view the entire documentary. You will always feel kind of "lost" until you can identify the major movements and genres that together come under the Jazz umbrella. And this will give you a sampling of the names that go with the styles, so you can begin to choose whom you wish to study more about.

Jazz is SERIOUS music. That doesn't mean it isn't fun, or has all the air sucked out of it. It just means that to appreciate it - een more, play it - you MUST put in some serious study. Most "rock 'n' roll" musicians don't have that kind of discipline - and just forget about "hip-hop," which is just a silly anti-social fad featuring stupid suburban kids who like to be "dangerous" instead of intelligent, and "ethnic" kids who think they know one tiny thing about "being oppressed," all of them being exploited by the music business machinery just like always. Bah. But I digress...

If you want a challenge, learn to play it. If you take the challenge, and make even a modicum of progress, you'll find a level of satisfaction that just doesn't come from knowing how to slide "power chords" around the neck.