Double Bass Big Band Essential Albums

[Fredrik E. Nilsen]

Well excuse me!

You are excused.

 

[notabene]

Gil Evans "Out of the Cool".

 

[brianrost]

It's a long list because there are so many important big bands. There's also so many big band styles...Glen Miller, Count Basie, Gil Evans and Buddy Rich don't have a lot in common.

So as far as recommendations on what to listen to, the only real answer is "big bands playing in the style of the band you will be joining". So ask the leader of the band.

 

[pbass888]

Some time ago in NYC I was in a big band that was directed by Ronald Horton and had a few of Basie's ex hornmen in it. I was told to get deep into

1.Atomic Basie





2. Anything by Lester young and Basie ( Walter Page, Jo Jones, Freddie Green). Its been 80+ years and Ive yet to hear anyone swing as hard!!!!

3, Cleveland Eaton with Basie . Great walking lines in the big band...



Hope that helps and best of luck. We obviously did basie and thad jones charts ....
Pbass888

Edit: I also spent a lot of Monday's at the Vanguard listening to the (at the time Dick Oates, Rich Perry, Ralph LaLama...maybe Martin Wind bass) Vanguard Big band to learn more about dynamics and supporting a section .Check out the bands in your area!!!

 

[jj.833]

I don't think you can prepare by listening to a few albums. I tried myself and failed. Too many of the essential ones. The bigband world is still alive today, it changes and develops. Check WDR Big Band, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, for a quick overlook of today's top bigband. You'll find many more if you look.
You might also benefit from browsing Invalid Link Removed, there's thousand of good classic songs listed, even with a sheet.
When I started playing in bigband, some 2 years ago, I didn't know much about it. I could read quite alright, and had to read much harder sheets than I was used to. But I went for it and I don't regret at all. Good luck!

 

[Ed Fuqua]

Just looking at the few other posts by the OP, 1. it doesn't sound like he's been playing jazz/DB that long and 2. he's not in a major metropolitan area. All to say, without any further specificity on their part, we can probably rule out an ensemble doing Maria Schneider/Vanguard Orchestra/Either Orchestra/etc. and is likely to be a more "meat and potatoes" Swing era repertoire. So Ellington, Basie, Henderson (which will cover the Goodman band, since most of those arrangements were done by Henderson), should suffice to get the sound and vocabulary in one's ear. And reading anything and everything is ALWAYS a good idea, just don't think because you're reading through a Thad chart that you are in some way rehearsing material for an audition or performance.
If you walk in and can read a part that has both notated lines and chord changes and you can improvise a line on and through those chord changes that are stylistically "correct" (based on the"meat and potatoes" model referenced above), you'll be OK. But like someone said up the thread, any chance you have to actually hear the group to identify where they are coming from stylistically, the more folks hear can respond with some specific recommendations ...

 

[Ed Fuqua]

Some time ago in NYC I was in a big band that was directed by Ronald Horton....

Just did a session with Ron on Monday, he's still playing great.

 

[snowdenwald]

Just looking at the few other posts by the OP, 1. it doesn't sound like he's been playing jazz/DB that long and 2. he's not in a major metropolitan area. All to say, without any further specificity on their part, we can probably rule out an ensemble doing Maria Schneider/Vanguard Orchestra/Either Orchestra/etc. and is likely to be a more "meat and potatoes" Swing era repertoire. So Ellington, Basie, Henderson (which will cover the Goodman band, since most of those arrangements were done by Henderson), should suffice to get the sound and vocabulary in one's ear. And reading anything and everything is ALWAYS a good idea, just don't think because you're reading through a Thad chart that you are in some way rehearsing material for an audition or performance.
If you walk in and can read a part that has both notated lines and chord changes and you can improvise a line on and through those chord changes that are stylistically "correct" (based on the"meat and potatoes" model referenced above), you'll be OK. But like someone said up the thread, any chance you have to actually hear the group to identify where they are coming from stylistically, the more folks hear can respond with some specific recommendations ...

You stalked me well, very accurate! I sadly don't live in the land of the free or any comparable area with some appreciation for jazz music. And I've only started playing DB two years ago. Even though I have improved a lot I'm not even sure if I have the required skills. But since it's not that professional of a band it might be possible. I can walk and also read quite ok so let's see. Your opinion is very encouraging.

And to all the others, I appreciate your advice and also for not fighting over it

 

[jmlee]

After playing in some terrific big bands in a big city, I currently play in a “community” big band in a mid-sized city. The band was pretty iffy when I joined but 5 years later is getting to be really quite good. I’d echo some of the others here that you need to first figure out how a big band’s rhythm section works—and swings! To that end you can’t listen to too much Basie, and there you’ll learn the essentials of maybe the finest swing rhythm section ever. Then Glenn Miller will teach seamless texture and via Ellington the big band as a sophisticated tool for art. After that I personally learned most from Chick Webb, Woody Herman, and Harry James with Buddy Rich. After that, well...there’s so much. One album (really a pair of bookends) I always return to is this. It’s a tutorial on how to feel so loose yet swing so beautifully.

 

[oren]

I find the Ellington band with Blanton and Ben Webster to be essential listening.

The Blanton-Webster Band (Hd Remastered Edition, Doxy Collection) - YouTube

 

[kerrycares]