Playing during bass solos

[jhatpro7]

I'm a trumpet player/leader.

The other instruments in our jazz combo are often uncertain if they should lay out or play some kind of counterpoint during bass solos.

What do bassists prefer?

Is the root open to other instruments during a bass solo?

What do bassists definitely not like other players to do during their solos?

 

[Beej]

I don't mind if others play what feels right to them, but it's nice if they lay back a little so the bass can be heard better.

 

[lfmn16]

I've only been in a couple of bands where I did a solo. It was one a night and probably lasted about 30 to 60 seconds. But in one band I played with a guitar player that noodled over my solo even though I asked him not to several times. Finally I just said, "You get at least one solo in every single song. I get one solo a night and it's well under a minute. For one minute a night just shut the %#$& up." Problem solved.

Most bass solos I've heard would be better left unheard. I saw a band in Memphis and the bass player played a solo; cool, but really too long. A while later he played another solo; cool, but I already heard most of those licks. A while later he played yet another solo. BORING. We decided to go see one of the other 20 bands performing on Beale Street that night.

 

[ejaggers]

In Jazz, there are plenty of songs where the bass solos.
Most of the time it is truly that, a solo accompanied by the drums.
But adding counterpoint can spice up a Jazz tune as well.
Depending on the song, why not do both?
Don't Jazz musicians play the same song different each time anyway?.....057912

 

[elgecko]

For a jazz combo, drums and comping piano/guitar are welcome. Horn stabs? Maybe no so much. There are no hard set rules but noodling under anyone's solo should be avoided/minimized.

 

[jallenbass]

Clear harmony played sparingly with accurate time. Oh yeah, and keep the form.

 

[jhatpro7]

Thanks, guys. Our seven piece trad jazz group is trying to work out approaches that will be satisfying for the audience but also for the players. We're semi pro and in it for the satisfaction as much as the money. We like to give everyone a chance to solo including the bass and are trying to avoid butting in while still offering some pleasing accents.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

I hate when the other players neglect to play the chords/roots when I solo. Makes it quite obvious how much the bass was holding together the song when it's no longer there.

 

[Fretless1!]

I hate when the other players neglect to play the chords/roots when I solo. Makes it quite obvious how much the bass was holding together the song when it's no longer there.

That's what I think, too. I hate it when everybody stops. Usually, the drummer will hold the rhythm but I love it when someone holds the chord structure together so I can play over the changes.

 

[N4860]

It's been a while since I played any jazz, but I would suggest having the drums continue to groove but have everything lay back a bit. It definitely depends what you want to accomplish with your arrangement. 1 suggestion would be to start the solo with just drums and piano behind the bass and then maybe as the solo builds you can add in some horns?

 

[akukulich]

I like to hear the harmony and the form. Bass players don't lay back when others are soloing and I don't want them to when I solo. That tradition comes from the days when no one could hear the acoustic bass solo unless the rest of the band stepped back, but that's just not the case anymore.

 

[whero]

In my band, nobody plays during a bass solo - not even me, and I'm the bass player.

 

[BlueTalon]

Thanks, guys. Our seven piece trad jazz group is trying to work out approaches that will be satisfying for the audience but also for the players. We're semi pro and in it for the satisfaction as much as the money. We like to give everyone a chance to solo including the bass and are trying to avoid butting in while still offering some pleasing accents.

The easiest thing to do would be to ask your bass player what he wants.

Speaking only for myself, I don't really need bass solos, and I never do extended solos. I play in a three-piece, so my playing gets featured enough as it is. That said, I do get occasional solos, during which the drummer plays and the guitar player does not, and I like it that way.

 

[expatmuso]

I like to have some sparse accompaniment from a chordal instrument and the drums.

 

[JonathanPDX]

I solo quite a bit for a bassist: at least once a set on bar gigs, more on jazz gigs or duo/trio settings.

My #1 request is that the rest of the band hold the form and outline it in some way, for me and the audience. It can be punches, pedaling, outlining chords, or playing the melody. Just give some context for the soloist.

For horns, I usually want their volume down just because it's easy to drown out the bass, but playing chords or at least the root is fantastic. Get down low to cover my part so I can play up high without the song feeling empty. Or if you aren't a baritone instrument, either state the chord or lead into it so the form is easy for everyone to follow.

My favorite solos have strong accompaniment so I can dance around the melody. My least favorite are when everyone drops out and I have to accompany myself, state the chords, hold the form together, and somehow improvise a melodic statement on top of all that. Let me solo to the song, just like you did, don't make my solo into a section where all melody and form are abandoned until I'm finished noodling around.

 

[Samatza]

It depends on the context. Some bass solos benefit from a pad or a stab here and there but mostly my guys just lay low to see where I'm going to take it and it's never the same.

On the odd occasion that someone is noodling over my solo I just give them the nod that says 'take over dude' , it's usually met by an embarrassed look and they fall into line.

I don't like bass solos per se, I do like fills though and with those everyone just stops. On some tunes the solo is so integral it's just got to be there and at other times when our frontline introduces the band we take 8 bars each. On the odd occasions where the crowd goes into a frenzy I'll step out and give them more, anything to make them happy. On a few gigs the whole crowd was chanting ' go Samatza go!' Guitar players hate it when that happens. Sorry dude, didn't mean to steal the show...

 

[thabassmon]

I generally like the dynamics to drop at the start of the solo and as the solo builds the dynamics rise too. I also like there to be some interplay with the chordal instrument (preferably piano). It really depends on what lines I'm playing, like if I clearly playing iim-bii7-I I want the chordal player to catch the tritone substitution, or if I am clearly playing off the standard changes, I won't want the the chordal player to get clever and impose Coltrane changes. Just like anyone soloing the best way to comp is to allow them room to phrase, and catch and support the phrasing and note choices particularly extensions (b9 #11 etc).

 

[Wasnex]

The best thing is to ask your bass player as he or she may have a preference. Personally I feel like many rhythm sections act like they are walking on egg shells when it's time for the bass to solo, and personally I find it really irritating. But if you listen to jazz combos with great upright bass players, that is pretty much the way it's done.

My preference is for the rhythm section to provide a bit more structure. The drums should keep on laying down a good solid beat, and the guitar or piano should continue outlining the harmonic structure instead of leaving me out in the middle of nowhere with no place to hang my hat. Also, I like some melodic interplay with the rest of the rhythm section instead of just feeling like I am puking up nonsense on a blank slate. Seriously, feel free to help a brother out. I am happy to solo over many jazz standards, but I am no Christian McBride .

 

[cnltb]

To me it depends on context.

 

[bobba66]

It's a good time to go to the bathroom and grab a snack.