Double Bass George Duvivier- Hook me up!

[Peck_Time]

Hi, just been listening to George with Erroll Garner on 'Feeling is Believing'. George swings like a mofo.

Anything else I should listen to?

Thanks- Daniel Y

 

[TroyK]

Bud Play's Bird is a good example of him in a trio format.

Drawing a blank on other sessions, but keep looking. Good stuff.

 

[Jake]

Eric Dolphy's Out There has George Duvivier on bass. It also has Ron Carter on cello. Roy Haynes is the drummer. The bass is recorded pretty well.

 

[Peck_Time]

Thanks, I'll look them up.

BTW, does anyone know what strings George was using? On the recording i've got (1970), he has a very gut-like sound.

-Daniel Y

 

[Silversorcerer]

I've got George D. on Out There (Dolphy), Cookin' Vol.1 (Eddie Davis), and Prestige Profiles: Eddie Davis (older vinyl will be "The Best of....") and on Screamin' The Blues (Oliver Nelson).
All of these are worth a listen and some of these CD's if not all of them are from those early Rudy Van Gelder recordings, which he has recently remastered himself into killer sounding CD's. I think Concord records had some of them on sale recently for about $8 each. Nice deal.

 

[greitzer]

Hi, just been listening to George with Erroll Garner on 'Feeling is Believing'. George swings like a mofo.

Anything else I should listen to?

Thanks- Daniel Y

You may have gotten all the recommendations you need by now, but I just spotted this thread so I'll throw in another one. If you want to hear George Duvivier in a much quieter setting than the Eddie Davis recordings, try a Sarah Vaughan recording called "After Hours". It's just Sarah, a guitar and bass, with Duvivier on the latter and Mundell Lowe on guitar. The CD reissue is on the Roulette label. Original recording is from 1961.

 

[Richard Whitema]

George is on a couple of good Hank Jones Trio Cds from the 70's: "Bop Redux"(Bird and Monk tunes), and "Live in Japan"(with Shelly Manne).
Also check out Sonny Stitt "The Last Sessions".

 

[Mark Carlsen]

+1 on the Bud Powell and Hank Jones stuff.
A few things I found in my collection...Sonny Clark trio on Time records w. Max Roach. Shelly Mann on Impulse "Two -Three-Four" w. Coleman Hawkins and Hank Jones, Jim Hall trio on Cd 'Blues on the Rocks' 2 sessions ,the first has George and some of his compositions on an old Chico Hamilton date on World Pacific from the 50's.
George played a Kolstien bass in his later years [ Jay Leonhart has his main bass he used in the studio's through the 50's-60's ] My guess ...and I saw George live a few times, is that he used Thomastic ropecores, possibly Super Sensitives or whatever string Kolstien was making in the late 70's early 80's.

 

[Mark Carlsen]

Just a follow up....I've been listening to George all week and if you want to see some killer video's just punch his name in at Yoiutube.com.
The stuff w. Ben Webster is priceless...he has the bass Jay owns now, He bows on 'Cheasea Bridge', they play the original 'C-Jam' like Duke w. the 4 bar solo break and back to the top of the form, And he opens on " Mop-Mop" wJoe Jones.His sound is recorded real well..A Great Player..

 

[Peck_Time]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
That youtube stuff is great! On the Ben Webster cuts, George is wearing sunglasses... must have been a long night!

-Daniel Y

 

[Pcocobass]

I don't think anyone mentioned it yet, but "Ben and Sweets" is another great album with George on bass. He swings like crazy on that one! Actually they all do....

 

[JazzDrummer]

Hi bass players. I am a little displaced here as a drummer but then... the bassist ist my most important man in any band so I don't feel uncomfortable here.

I have collected Mainstream Jazz for over 30 years now and funny enough, only recently I discovered the qualities of George Duvivier and I am embarrassed to say that I actually saw him with Mulligan in 1979. But there are so many good bass players out there, as there are drummers.

What got me on the hook actually was Garner's "Feeling Is Believing" mentioned in this thread: His presence & time, his tone and musical lines - outstanding! From my view he is totally underrated even though well recognized as a top player. IMO probably the best.
This is what I would recommend in addition to what has been mentioned to anyone who enjoys Mainstream Jazz:

Hank Jones - I Remember You
Hank Jones p, George Duvivier b, Oliver Jackson dr. Recorder in Paris July 28th, 1977. (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions)

Gerry Mulligan - Idol Gossip
Gerry Mulligan's New Sextet: Gerry Mulligan ss/bs, Dave Samuels vib, Tom Fay p, Mike Santiago g, George Duvivier b, Bobby Rosengarden dr. Recorded 1976.

John Lewis - Mirjana
John Lewis p, Christian Escoude g, George Duvivier b, Oliver Jackson dr. (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions 1978)

Dizzy Gillespie - The Perception Sessions
Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Hackett tp, Mary Lou Williams p, George Duvivier b, Grady Tate dr. Recorded January 1971.

If anyone can recommend recordings/CDs where George Duvivier plays without a drummer (I was very grateful for the Sarah Vaughan recommendation), please let me know, I play along with something like that. Good to develop/keep up routine.

Thanks!

 

[scott reed]

A very accessible example of George's playing is from "It's What's Happenin" - The Varitone Sound Of Clark Terry" on the Impulse label. Blues, rhythm changes, Take the 'A'
Train and others in various tempos. Lots of solid, swinging bass lines backing the trumpet and vocals of Clark Terry. George is recorded well if you want to transcribe him. A fun session!

 

[John Wiitala]

"Ben and Sweets" -+1!!

 

[BAJO]

Ben and Sweets !!!!! He plays a killing bass line on a blues in Eb wow!!! Learn that in all the keys and you will be the king!! hahhahahha

 

[JazzDrummer]

A very accessible example of George's playing is from "It's What's Happenin" - The Varitone Sound Of Clark Terry" on the Impulse label. Blues, rhythm changes, Take the 'A'
Train and others in various tempos. Lots of solid, swinging bass lines backing the trumpet and vocals of Clark Terry. George is recorded well if you want to transcribe him. A fun session!

I almost had mentioned that record as well but then Terry's electronic Selmer "Varitone" which adds an octave, may not be everyones taste (and I personally prefer the pure tp/flh sound and then Clark Terry is one of my all time favortites). BUT there is also worth mentioning piano player Don Friedman: His chorus on "Secret Love" IMO is one of the finest piano solos ever played, not "Peterson-like" really, kind of economical, but everything he does is in the right place and very tasteful - perfect! Dave Bailey on drums completes the quartet.

 

[JazzDrummer]

Since Sonny Stitt was mentioned, there is another one:
Hank Jones - The Good Life
Sonny Stitt ts, Hank Jones p, George Duvivier b, Grady Tate dr/voc. Recorded in Tokyo November 16th, 1980.

I just counted my tunes with GD, 148 or about 12 hours of finest double bass playing. No bad for a drummer!

 

[Will Kelly]

There is a book called Bassically Speaking: An Oral History of George Duvivier (Studies in Jazz Series). You might be able to get it on Amazon... amazing read. It is expensive (like 80 bucks) but worth it.

His discography is close to 70 pages long!!!!! Duvivier played on thousands of record dates with everyone from Lena Horne and Bud Powell to the The Drifters and Barry Manilow.

 

[ethnotime]

Ah! Yes, a George Duvivier appreciation thread/essential recordings thread. We need to have more of these of other players. You can always a full discography of who he's played with but it's nice to get some other people's opinions of their favorites.

I'll add some of my fave recordings with George Duvivier that haven't been brought up yet:

Bud Powell, The amazing, Volume 2, the one with "Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas"

Stan Getz with Laurindo Almeida

+1 on the Hank Jones recordings, he sounds great in spite of the 70's jazz bass ampy sound.

 

[Benrsbass1]

barry harris- vicissitudes

george plays very well on this mid 70s trio date