This has probably been asked before, but when was the oldest bass guitar solo recorded and who did it? I am guessing Monk Montgomery around 1952.
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Oldest recorded bass guitar solo?
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
ha! never thought about it! but monk would be my guess, too.
I don't know if you consider this a solo but this is supposed to be the first recorded electric bass, Monk Montgomery in July 1953, great tune, the first 4 tunes on this Art Farmer album are Monk on Fender Precision. This is according to Chuck Rainey. It could easily be mistaken for upright bass. It's funny because i just posted this here a few days ago.
The Art Farmer Septet - Wikipedia
It's not a solo, but is a really nice Afro Cuban groove.
I think finding the first real electric bass solo would be a lot more difficult. Probably was Monk though as they were hardly any if any bass solos in anything besides jazz back then.
Has to be Monk, surely. I mean the cat plays jazz he's be busting at least one solo every gig.
This is a really nice educational video on Monk Montgomery.
Here is first album with bass guitar. Monk Montgomery is on the first four tracks.
Accompanied by the oldest recorded groans from the audience.
Here's an actual solo, although it's from approximately 1957, and just a TV appearance...
Plus a little Dano action from '58....
Plus a little Dano action from '58....
Probably. Here's a nice article that fills in some gaps about the little known lynchpin pioneer of the electric bass.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I have some Montgomery Brothers on CD and Monk sure does swing with the best of them. It's no wonder that he was such an important important link in the early music industry acceptance of Leo's baby, the Fender Bass. And speaking of Monk, his brother Wes wasn't too shabby of a guitar player. I have this one on DVD ...
Jazz Icons: Wes Montgomery DVD
This DVD not only shows what a great a player Wes Montgomery was, but how easy he made it look ... amazing!
Fender Bassman or an Ampeg, I don't think there was anything else.
Those are pretty cool! I did not think I would see the earliest TV solo on a Gibson EBO..
It's strange for an instrument that played such a vital role in the development of modern music remarkably little record of its very early years and first recordings is actually noted.
I'm not sure if it's ever cropped up before but the score for the 1951 sci-fi film The Day The Earth Stood Still calls for an electric bass. I'm not sure if it's bass guitar or some sort of pick up on a double bass since the score calls for electric violin and electric cello as well. It's hard to tell from listening because the bass doesn't pop out so it can go either way. It's an interesting observation that the first recording of the electric bass could actually be in sci-fi score.
I can't seem to source the reference but I read somewhere that a lot of country records adopted the electric bass very quickly as well so there is a chance a very obscure record may contain first recording as well.
Never the less I think the first solo is more than likely to go to Montgomery. Quincy Jones is on that first record as well! I wonder if he seen the potential for the instrument that early on.
I'm not sure if it's ever cropped up before but the score for the 1951 sci-fi film The Day The Earth Stood Still calls for an electric bass. I'm not sure if it's bass guitar or some sort of pick up on a double bass since the score calls for electric violin and electric cello as well. It's hard to tell from listening because the bass doesn't pop out so it can go either way. It's an interesting observation that the first recording of the electric bass could actually be in sci-fi score.
I can't seem to source the reference but I read somewhere that a lot of country records adopted the electric bass very quickly as well so there is a chance a very obscure record may contain first recording as well.
Never the less I think the first solo is more than likely to go to Montgomery. Quincy Jones is on that first record as well! I wonder if he seen the potential for the instrument that early on.
The fourth track on the Art Farmer LP is titled "The Little Bandmaster" (written by Farmer & Quincy Jones) and I have sometimes wondered if Monk was playing through a 1953 Fender Bandmaster amp, and that might be the origin of the title. The Bandmaster was a guitar amp first introduced in 1953 and that model had a 15" speaker. Monk did some endorsing for Fender, maybe they gave him one? Otherwise my guess is he used a Fender Bassman amp.
It would make sense for there to be very early Country music featuring bass guitar. Leo Fender was personally a Country fan. Maybe some local California Country acts adopted electric very early?
As for Quincy Jones, it seems he was always forward thinking. I also suspect he is the last person alive from that recording too. He turned 20 that year! Dude has been great a long time!
