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Double Bass jazz bass 'riffs' you need to know

oliebrice

oliebrice

Apr 7, 2003
1,281
801
Hastings, UK
www.oliebrice.com
#1
I was listing in my head the tunes that have bass parts you would be expected to know and play on a pickup gig/jam session, and came up with these:
So What
Cantaloupe Island
Night in Tunisia
Footprints
The Sidewinder

anyone think of any others? I'm thinking specifically of parts all jazz bassists should be expected to know, rather than every tune wih a composed bassline.
 
#6
You should also know the bass parts to these tunes, some fake books have it written ,some don't :

Star Eyes,
Dear Old Stockholm
Manteca
Little Sun Flower
Song for My Father
Chitlins Con Carne
Chameleon
Equinox
Stolen Moments

Another thing to consider is learning the heads to several tunes you may be asked to play in unison with a jazz band. The ones I been asked to play in various jazz groups and have seen others play are:

Oleo
Cute
Scapple from the apple
Blues By Five
Blue Monk
Straight No Chaser
 
#14
Right Killer Joe . I play that Afro cuban, 6/8, the A section then to 4/4 on B section. Montuno the C to Bf, 6/8. So Fred, Angel Eyes, I often play the AA section in unison and let whoever blow the B section and last A or are you saying there is a figured bass line? I never seen one written out in any of the books I have.

Another great unsion song( monks version of rythm changes) is Rythm -A -Thing. I first heard it by Chick, Miroslov and Roy Haynes, fun to play, but you have to be careful or you might have a train wreck!
 
#17
hotdbass said:
Afterthought on my previous post reply. I also recommend the intro to All the Things You Are(and ever wanted to be) alot of jazz groups like the piano player and bass to play that intro in unison, it's also fun to play with the bow, gives it a very classical like feel.
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:) :) :)
Nice one! I'm assuming you mean the gorgeous "original" intro/verse in G ("Time and again I've longed for adventure...") & not that ugly Db - C thing horn players seem to get off on.
 
#19
Hey hotdbass, In angle eyes I pretty much play the chord tonics from the form to start then shift to patterns centering on Cm and Ab till the turnarounds of the A parts. I sometimes start it out soloing the melody. I’ll give playing in unison for the head a try, should sound cool. I love angle eyes it’s such a dramatic tune you expect Sam Spade to walk out in his fedora. And yea, killer joe works great afrocuban but I never tried changing the time sig for the B part, give that a try too. Thanks for the tips…
 
#20
Aaron Saunders said:
Jay, where can I find a version with that intro on it? The only one I'm familiar with is the Db-C thing.

I'm going to second the motion for the head to Billie's Bounce. It just lays out SO nicely on DB, too :D.
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Never heard it on a recording myself - in fact, I didn't know it existed until a couple of years back when a veteran (83 yr old) pianist I work with played it and blew me away. Probably more likely to find it on a vocal recording. I think a vocalist I work with - who always does the intro - first came to the tune from hearing Jack Jones :hmm:. I'm sure there will be others out there though. If i get hold of a scanner i'll write it out & post it.
 

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