Author Topic: Upright bass CDs (Read 587 times)

bob · « **Reply #30 on:** January 11, 2007, 09:59:24 PM »

I'm sorry to say I don't have a clue about Don Thompson, are you referring to Circles? I'll check it out.

Speaking of Jim Hall, I was looking for more Ron Carter stuff today, and there are two duo albums by these guys, Alone Together and Telephone, both live, first around 72 and second early 80s. My copy of Telephone (Concord label, made in Japan and labeled Export Only) has noticeably better sound. But I prefer the performances on Alone Together, and the sound is at least quite good.

Carter is on tons of classic stuff back in the 60s and 70s, but I don't feel he's been as strong recently. So it was a very pleasant surprise to hear him on the latest Bill Frisell album, no title, simply Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian. Great album, Carter is in excellent form, and you won't have any trouble hearing him.

If you want to hear Paul Chambers more clearly than on Kind of Blue, you might try Bass on Top, which as you might guess is under his name, a quartet with Kenny Burrell, Hank Jones, and Art Taylor. I think he was a lot better with his fingers than a bow, but you get some of each here.

Dave Holland Quintet Live At Birdland.. excellent bass work aside, this is one of the greatest jazz dates in the last 20 years.

Great to see I'm not the only one, Austin. Good thing you didn't go 30 years, though, or we'd have to debate the relative merits of Conference of the Birds.

You're also right that Peacock often doesn't come through as well as I'd like on the Jarrett trio recordings, and that the 6 disc At the Blue Note is an exception with overall great sound. At least at one time, there was also a single disc compilation of this stuff.

I dug out another Peacock album, Gary Peacock and Bill Frissell/Just So Happens, on the Postcards label, and right now I'm thinking this may be THE most natural upright bass recording I have. Frissel is relatively spacey on this one, Peacock is awesome.

Still working through the stacks...

hankster · « **Reply #31 on:** January 12, 2007, 02:58:31 PM »

Nope, the album was Jim Hall Live!. Actually recorded in 1975. For a Thompson discography, go to this link:

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0003408SUBDiscography

Rick

David Houck · « **Reply #32 on:** January 12, 2007, 04:45:33 PM »

Bob; I'm listening to it now, and it's not as bad as I remembered it; in fact it's not bad at all. The CD I have is Columbia/Legacy 64935.

As for the opening of So What, I think I used a Marcus Miller version as a model when we came up with our take on the opening.

Also, and let me know if this is sacrilege; in the head where the bass has the melody, I play the flat two measures like the tonic measures, dorian mode with the flat seven instead of the raised seven that's in the original. Listening to it now, I can see how it adds interest to play the raised seven; but in the overall context of the song, the flat seven seems to make more sense. Historically, I believe it was probably the case that Miles didn't give Chambers much of a score to work from before the tape started rolling. I've wondered if Chambers had it to do over again, if he would have used the flat seven.

I just listened to Marcus' version; he uses the flat seven.

I just listened to the Blackhawk and Plugged Nickel versions and they're so fast I'm not sure there is even a seven in the line.

This might be an interesting poll question; how do you guys play it?

hankster · « **Reply #33 on:** January 13, 2007, 04:15:27 PM »

Flat seven. Now I'll have to try it the other way the next time I play it.

Rick

adriaan · « **Reply #34 on:** January 15, 2007, 04:56:31 AM »

Flat or sharp - not sure which seven you;re talking about, I'v always played the line as d-a-b-c-d-e-c-d - the only flat I can imagine there would be b flat?

adriaan · « **Reply #35 on:** January 15, 2007, 05:31:49 AM »

It's supposed to be in a modal key. On the piano, starting at D, only the white keys - is that Dorian?

Standard minor has 6th and 7th played as majors going up (d-e-f-g-a-b-c#-d) but as minors going down (d-c-b flat-a-g-f-e-d). In Dorian, 7th is always minor.

(Message edited by adriaan on January 15, 2007)

David Houck · « **Reply #36 on:** January 15, 2007, 02:46:11 PM »

D-A-B-C-D-E-C-D = 1-5-6-b7-8-9-b7-8

Yes, Dorian is white keys starting on D.

(As a point of reference, if we were playing Aeolian (white keys starting on A), the 6 would be b6, B flat.)

But we're starting in D in Dorian mode; and the first phrase is as you have written it. The next phrase moves up one fret to Eb. Presumably we're still in Dorian mode and the pattern would be the same; however on the original it sounds to me that here the seven has been raised so that the phrase is
Eb-Bb-C-D-Eb-F-D-Eb
1-5-6-7-8-9-7-8

In Dorian this phrase should be
Eb-Bb-C-DB-Eb-F-DB-Eb
1-5-6-b7-8-9-b7-8

So in the original it sounds to me like the Eb phrase is in Ionian (white keys starting on C, the basic major scale).

adriaan · « **Reply #37 on:** January 16, 2007, 01:16:55 AM »

Dave, I'll have to listen to that again - I don't remember a difference in the mode for the B section.

adriaan · « **Reply #38 on:** January 16, 2007, 01:30:04 AM »

It might be interesting to play the Eb line in minor descending - so with a flat 6th ... c-flat instead of c.

jacko · « **Reply #39 on:** January 20, 2007, 08:41:34 AM »

Veering back to the topic, can I recommend Stanley's 'Standards' album with drummer Ndugu Chancler and pianist Patrice Rushen. As you'd expect, Stanley's playing is well up in the mix but it's not a 'Bass' album, they gel very well as a trio. The package comes with a bonus DVD of their rehearsals and watching Stanley's soloing is humbling.

Graeme

paulman · « **Reply #40 on:** January 25, 2007, 08:18:30 AM »

I was watching a DVD of the Charlie Byrd Trio. Dang, those old guys could really tear it up! It was filmed in the late 80's I believe.

Charlie's brother Joe was an excellent upright player and I thought I'd throw his name into the fray.