F Bass + Steve Swallow = Beautiful!

[7flat5]

First time I heard Steve was in Kansas City. They used to have free concerts in the big concrete spillway down-town. He was playing with Gary Burton. The show had already begun, and the first thing that hit me was "who's the guitar player soloing?"
Of course there wasn't one.. It was Steve...and the acoustics in the spillway really made his tone sound great. This was in 1980 I think..It struck me as very melodic playing and is one of the best live performances I have seen for bass.

I saw him play with Burton in Brush Creek in front of the Plaza, too. It was in the EB-2 days, and I think it was 1974 or 5 when I saw him, definitely way before 1980. I remember whenever he hit his E string it distorted in a very Gibson-ish way. But, I loved his playing.

I think I remember Pat Metheny, the local boy from Lees Summit, was in that band too.

 

[cnltb]

Steve swallow is one of my very few favourite bassists.
I like his writing too.

Does anyone know of any new recordings of his?
...Since "...believe in spring"

 

[RayO5421]

Never heard Mr. Swallow before - I like it! Thank you for posting.

 

[Bassmickeyd]

Roadkill 2309
"Citroen's still around. Cool cars, though I don't think they're sold anywhere in the Americas?"

They didn't make it in the Americas once they figured out the word Citroen translates into the word lemon. ........ What does EB-2 translate into French?
(Boy, am I gon'na hear about that one.)

 

[roadkill2309]

Roadkill 2309
"Citroen's still around. Cool cars, though I don't think they're sold anywhere in the Americas?"

They didn't make it in the Americas once they figured out the word Citroen translates into the word lemon. ........ What does EB-2 translate into French?
(Boy, am I gon'na hear about that one.)

LOL!

 

[Mark Wilson]

Mehh.

I respect Steve Swallow hugely. Great musician.
not my thing.

 

[Smallequestrian]

I am going to agree with JazzyJames it just seems like it could sound so much earthier for a better word with out the pick..

I will get nailed for this but I didnt think it was anything special to begin with.. My opinion of course..

But thats not what JazzyJames said. He said it sounded beautiful, but didn't like just because he used a pick. Nobody will complain if you don't like somebody's tone, it's your opinion. But it seems like JazzyJames was saying just because he was a pick player that he didn't like it.

 

[Debased]

Steve Swallow's one of those guys who I've always wanted to love

...but I just can't.

I admire the sh!t out of him: He's got an incredibly sophisticated ear, a bottomless knowledge of advanced jazz theory, a knack for piquant harmonies and clever yet subtle melodies, he's written some music that's ensconced in the jazz canon, and he's played with a vertible Who's Who of modern jazz.

But I can't stand the sound he gets out of his basses (any of 'em: I've heard him on a Gibson EB-2D, that F Bass, a Ken Parker, and the Citroen, and regardless of what instrument it always sounds tubby and lumbering to me), and I find the albums he records under his own name to be surprisingly lightweight and stylistically unimaginitive.

Anyway, that's my problem.

Well said. I have the same problem. Swallow is a great musician, but I've always found his tone well nigh unlistenable.

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

Interesting, I have said the same thing many times over the years on here and usually I have been the only one...

I'm not so bothered now - but before I took up DB and was trying to play Jazz on BG, it seemed like everybody I met when playing, used to say - oh you must like Steve Swallow and go on effusively about him and then it was awkward to say - well actually I don't like his tone... a real conversation killer!