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cool solo jazz pieces...

basspirate777

basspirate777

Mar 21, 2009
116
19
Latrobe, Pa
www.soundcloud.com
#1
Hey folks, quick plea for some suggestions...want to add some new material to my rep. Currently I've been working a lot of Bach but hope to break out to some new horizons.

So...besides Jaco, what are some decent melodic pieces? Also, I lean more towards the melodic/linear/harmonic side and less towards the wooten-esque show piece side (which is totally cool too if that's your bag!).

Thanks for any ideas!
 
#2
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#3
Thanks malcom! I def. Need to pick up a real book. At present though, I'm trying to find pieces that are specifically composed for the purpose of being solo works.

I love working w jazz tunes and playing chord melody stuff-actually that's an area I want to really dig into. However, i'd like to see if there's any rep for solo ebg akin to bachs cello suites...

If not, I see a fun comp. Project there 8)

Thanks again for your reply!
 
#4
Well that's not really how jazz works. Sure there are plenty of solos to transcribe but, unlike classical music or rock music, the idea is to take a composer's melody and the harmonic framework (chord changes) of a piece and create your own interpretation of that "in the moment".
So unlike classical bassists (or any of us really) who will play the Bach Cello Suites, it's not really that jazz bassists will play Oscar Pettiford's solo arrangement of STARDUST.
For a strictly solo repertoire in the jazz idiom, well the only limits are your imagination and ability. You can take ANY tune and do ANYTHING with it.
 
#5
The book "The Bass Tradition" has transcribed songs/solos from many of the jazz pioneers and greats on upright bass. It can also be used for electric bass (to an extent) . I've messed around with a few of the songs and gotten some good out of the study. I'm nowhere even close to being a good soloist but it's cool to see how the bass has developed through the years and there is a lot to be gained with a serious study of this book.

Amazon.com: The Bass Tradition: Past Present Future [Biographies - 36 Transcribed Solos - Discographies] (9789995896287): Todd Coolman: Books
 
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#6
Cool stuff folks.

Ed, I didn't mean solo pieces as in the "improvising over changes" definition but rather the "composed for one instrument def. 8) I do however have an interest in doing theme and variation stuff as well as improving my musical vocabulary/improv skills.

I will have to check out the DB book, that sounds like a step in the direction I'm going. Thanks for the suggestion 8)
 
#7
While it might not be exactly what you're looking for, I think it is quite beneficial to start learning melodies to jazz standards. This is of course good reading practice, plus it just gets those melodies into your head and under your hands. I play a lot better on songs when I have gone beyond learning just the changes.
 
#8
That's a good point, I think it's essential to know what's goin on up top if you want to support it well...

I should know better than to post while at work 8) but I may have steered things wrong when I mentioned jazz in the title...

I want to find some solo material written specifically bass... portrait of tracy is a good example. Bach's cello suites are a good example too (and conveniently work for bass)

I am definitely a jazz guy but like any style really...

I'm thinking about maybe making a good ele arrangement of froglike by edgar meyer this weekend... anyone know where to get some transcriptions of his stuff?
 
#9
Brian Bromberg and Rufus Reid have both come out with solo bass albums in the past which I think is what your looking for. I don't know of any official transcriptions of them though. Both are great classical players and both will teach you a lot. In a request like this, specifically for jazz, transcription will teach you more than just learning off the page.
 
#11
Maybe I'm missing the point here, but the Rufus and Bromberg aren't "solo material wriiten specifically (for) bass", they are taking tunes (even original compositions) and improvising over them. Likewise The Bass Tradition, it's bassist's improvisations over specific standards.
 
#13
I didn't realize you were talking electric. In that case check out Steve shallow and I know that patitucci has a book called something like "25 etudes for solo bass" ment for both the upright and electric. Also there's no harm in playing bop heads. Jaco make a name for himself doing that!
 

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