Double Bass In refutation of the discriminatory idea that you cannot 'swing on a stool'

[wallyw]

Ok, I saw this meme on Jazz Memes and I am looking to disprove it.



He claims that one cannot swing whilst sitting! I am looking for empirical evidence to disprove this I submit a grainy video of myself sitting and I hope I am swinging enough in my solo to refute this claim (but open to criticism!):



Please submit your swingin' while sittin' examples!

 

[ardgedee]

He claims that one cannot swing whilst sitting! I am looking for empirical evidence to disprove this

Piano players and drummers can do pretty well. Not to mention guitarists like Joe Pass.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

That old trope is as old as the hills. People are just using it to chicken scratch for their 15 seconds of online virality these days, I guess. Having recently come back from ISB, my take is that all of this "there's one right way to play the bass" talk is a bunch of nonsense. I saw people sounding great using every imaginable technique, approach, and posture, and didn't hear anybody getting catty about any of it. The proof is in the results.

 

[ardgedee]

I forgot you wanted evidence... good luck to whoever has to tell Stanley Clarke he wasn't swinging on the first number here:

 

[Lee Moses]

 

[Low Main]

In the case of Miroslav Vitous, the concern is: will the stool burst into flames?

 

[Quentin MCB]

John Patitucci :




Marc Johnson :

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

I always sit when I swing, my mom almost killed me at the playground when she found me standing while swinging.

 

[Topkat13]

I ain't swinging any stool without rubber gloves.

 

[Earl]

Go tell Gary Peacock he cannot swing, and see what happens!

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

 

[Kevin Hailey]

I wouldn't be at all upset if the "jazz comedy meme" died. Usually not funny and with strong undertones of gatekeeping and bro culture.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I wouldn't be at all upset if the "jazz comedy meme" died. Usually not funny and with strong undertones of gatekeeping and bro culture.

Yes, it's stupid. You can either play or you can't. White, black, sit, stand, stand on your head or whatever. Just sound good and make it feel good.

 

[salmon256]

As always, people are shock by things being done forever, Salsa when players would use an Ampeg baby bass (Yes I know not a real Upright) but a lot of the footage of players sitting down they are grooving. A lot of Salsa shows with players using Baby Bass's almost always sitting down in my experience. Honestly it is against the law to not groove while playing Salsa with a baby bass.





As others said, Jazzer are shock by something that has been being done forever simply because it isn't jazz... this is why when I make friends with a jazz musician I'm careful b/c they'll be either politically extreme, make politics their life or jazz their life and gatekeep it... no matter who you are not fun to deal with. Just play and shut up.

 

[Kevin Hailey]

I mean, damn. Sometimes you need to sit down….

 

[JimmyM]

You can't do awesome bass stunts on a stool, but you can, indeed, swing.

 

[statsc]

Our own esteemed moderator @Chris Fitzgerald is ample evidence of the refutation of that claim! I will say that when I was studying with Santi Debriano he said that my intonation was better when I played standing…

 

[salmon256]

I love how a vibraphone player is trying to school us bassist on how we play our instrument.
These type of JO wonder why no one wants to play jazz anymore or go to school for jazz...
"I know some iconic bass players have in the past... but it is impossible end of story!" - god I love to just backseat drive your whole life... so bass players do play on stools oh but I say it's bad therefore it is bad and me right!

Sorry - I dealt with so many jazz musicians like this in my life, it makes me sad that it is common to see sadly.

 

[turf3]

I wouldn't be at all upset if the "jazz comedy meme" died. Usually not funny and with strong undertones of gatekeeping and bro culture.

I'm sorry, what is "the jazz comedy meme"?

 

[turf3]

As always, people are shock by things being done forever, Salsa when players would use an Ampeg baby bass (Yes I know not a real Upright) but a lot of the footage of players sitting down they are grooving. A lot of Salsa shows with players using Baby Bass's almost always sitting down in my experience. Honestly it is against the law to not groove while playing Salsa with a baby bass.





As others said, Jazzer are shock by something that has been being done forever simply because it isn't jazz... this is why when I make friends with a jazz musician I'm careful b/c they'll be either politically extreme, make politics their life or jazz their life and gatekeep it... no matter who you are not fun to deal with. Just play and shut up.

I'm sorry, who are these "jazzer" that are "shock" by "something that has been being done forever"?

I rather suspect you won't have to search very long to find photos of some or all of the following playing while sitting on a stool:

Ray Brown
Paul Chambers
Jimmy Garrison
Scott La Faro
Israel Crosby
Ron Carter
Brian Bromberg
Art Davis
Percy Heath

Photos of Mingus and NHOP are already posted above.

Maybe you could clarify what you're trying to say here?