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Double Bass Jazz heads suitable for double bass...

punkjazzben

punkjazzben

Jun 26, 2008
1,711
206
Australia
#1
Hi all,

Listening to the Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden album the other night, I was inspired to play jazz double bass again. So I'm thinking of putting together a trio or duet with piano, bass, drums, or just piano and bass.

I've played in this setup before, back when I wasn't proficient enough to play melodies convincingly. So, I just let the piano play all the heads and walked through most of the material - but I still did a few solos.

I'm a better player now and can handle playing written melodies. I'd like to take turns with the piano as the leading instrument. I've been flipping through my books trying to pick tunes, but there's just so many.

Obviously there's So What, and this morning I've run through Blue Moon (slowed down) and Prelude To A Kiss. They sound pretty good.

I'm wondering if anyone could suggest a few tunes that would suit the double bass? Also, tunes that work bowed?

Cheers,
Ben
 
#2
Not to sound like a weenie, but they all work for bass. My suggestion is to pick tunes that you like, tunes that speak to you, and make them sound good on your instrument.

If you're still developing proficiency, you might want to steer clear of Donna Lee or Freedom Jazz Dance, but I think most jazz standards lie in the realm of possibility.

Tunes I've recently played the melody on:

Beautiful Love
Yardbird Suite (with bow)
Estate
Lullaby of the Leaves
 
#3
here is a small list of tunes that work great with a bow:

Misty
Have You Met Miss Jones?
Someday My Prince Will Come
Bye Bye Blackbird
I Fall In Love To Easily
Days of Wine and Roses

I prefer to play the above tunes with a bow for really only one general reason. With a bow, I can control the note after the attack. Pizzacato is at the mercy of the strings and instrument after the note is plucked. The above tunes require lyricism that can't be artistically quantified otherwise.
 
#8
Mike Goodbar said:
...you might want to steer clear of Donna Lee or Freedom Jazz Dance...
Click to expand...

Awww, I was going to make a Donna Lee joke. I can't do it, but I've heard it done on the double bass, and it was impressive, but the guy who did it is very good.

Mike is right, all of them are possible, you just have to pick ones that you can handle. The other guys on this thread have made some great suggestions. Here are three tunes that I like:
Afternoon in Paris
Out of Nowhere
Softly As In a Morning Sunrise
 
#14
Heh, I thought this was an amp thread...

I'd check out some duet records and see what moves you. The Jarret/Haden record is a great place to start, I'd also recommend the two Hank Jones/Charlie Haden records. My personal favorite duet record is Jim Hall/Ron Carter "Alone Together", there are some great ideas on there and Carter takes a completely different approach to standards than Haden (obviously).
 
#16
Sam Sherry said:
All of them. These kinds of limits are entirely self-imposed.
Click to expand...

I get your point. Of course they're all suitable... eventually.

But, I was asking as someone starting out with duets and the double bass as lead instrument.

Melodic intervals, tempo, pitch range, and style are all factors to take into account when choosing a tune to play. On different instruments, some melodies are initially easier to pick up than others. Anything can sound good if you try, of course, but some tunes will take less work to get to that point. I'm not saying I want to be lazy, but I am wondering if people believe there are some jazz standards that sound great on DB from the get-go, just so that I can give myself a good starting point for exploring the possibilities.

Anyway, thank you all for the suggestions. I absolutely love Jasmine and it's what I'm going for. The call-and-response suggestion is a useful one, too, so I'll keep that in mind when arranging.
 
#17
Duke tunes and Monk tunes tend to work well on bass.

Yes they all work and one's developement as a player will expand their options. However from a purely orchestration standpoint, these two composers tend to write melodies that work well with the percussive nature of our instument.

Maybe it's a piano player thing.

That being said, bow work makes our instument a completely different beast and super veritile. Ballads work well with a bow.
 
#19
For a beautifully crafted yet subtley demanding tune, try Interplay a minor blues by Bill Evans.
Don't cheat :D Play it as written in F minor.

It comes from one of my all time favorite albums, Interplay, Riverside RS 9445.
How can you go wrong with Evans, Freddie Hubbard, Jim Hall, Percy Heath, and Philly Joe :hyper: ?
 

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