I recently started rehearsing with a jazz combo (pno, dr, ww, bs), and the host of the sessions has started recording us. I'm more comfortable on EB, so I'm on EB for now. I haven't played with a group regularly for two years.
For the recording I played an MTD Kingston Heir with Labella Deep-Talkin' Bass strings through a Sansamp Bass DI, which sounded good -- pretty old school. I noticed that on tunes with a swing feel 1)I tended to play on top of the beat compared to everyone else, and to rush the tempos at times 2) despite this, the tempos often dragged during improvised solos 3) the group didn't swing.
The interpersonal dynamic is a factor here, too. I'm not the leader, and the drummer and the leader (saxes) both have strong personalities.
FWIW, I rarely play with a drummer; I mostly play in trios and I AM the rhythm section. I'd appreciate suggestions about how I can best use this opportunity to improve.
Use a metronome and practice playing with different levels of rhythmic tension, both ahead and behind the beat. This will develop your ability to hold a stable pocket.
The problem with this is a drummer will adjust and a metronome will hold solid. This illuminates the reality...you can't play on top of the beat, or behind the beat for that matter if the drummer adjusts and destroys the size of the pocket you are trying to create. So in order to create stable time with the desired rhythmic tension, the bass and drum must agree to the size of the pocket. It helps if your discuss goals on this matter and come to some sort of agreement. It may take time for a bassists and drummer to get comfortable with one another.
There are several problems related to the perception of where the beat actually is. For example does the drummer perceive your ictus where you are placing it? Where the drummer thinks you are placing the beat is impacted by your tone, the direction the amp is facing, and the distance from your amp to the drummers ears. So generally there is going to be some difference between where you place the beat, and where others perceive it.
Problems with other clearly hearing the bass is the main reason why I don't buy the idea that the bass should or even can own time. I have been in bands where the leader subscribed to this philosophy and it was a disaster. There was nothing I could do to hold the drummer back. The drummer would run away with time so much that I would eventually be a beat behind.
Regarding the distance issue. Sound travels at approximately 1' per millisecond (mS) and the limit of human perception is about 15mS. Since sound must travel two ways for two people to play together, I believe distance over about 7.5' can impact the feel. Moving from the left side of the drum set to the right side of the drumset can have a subtle impact of how your perception of the feel.
The biggest problem is bass (especially electric bass) does not usually provide a clear ictus that everyone can hear. Some upright players have a super aggressive attack, which should help, but I have worked with drummers who keyed off the bloom of my notes rather than the attack.
I don't particularly like an upright sound with a really percussive attack and IMHO the cymbals and high hat are far more easier to hear. My preference is for the drummer to have primary ownership of the beat. But let's be clear everyone has a responsibility for time, and many (supposedly) highly skilled musicians have serious problems with time, and a poor understanding of why the problems exist.
