Inspiration

[Jimryan]

Afternoon all,

Would you guys be able to recommend a few albums for me please. Having recently gotten back into upright playing I'd like a few things to listen to for inspiration.

Whilst any album featuring upright playing would be appreciated, in particular I'm thinking latin, rockabilly, jazz and blues. Ideally, I'd rather actual album suggestions instead of "anything by..." We all have those albums that inspired us and helped shaped our playing. If I have a few albums to start with I can branch out later.

Any suggestions are welcome as I'd like to listen to as much as possible and start expanding my knowledge and understanding of the instrument.

Cheers,

James

Edited October 5, 2015 by Jimryan

[Bilbo]

A wonderfully eclectic question, James. be prepared for 1,000 replies!!

I recommend Israel Lopez Valdez (Cachao), Andy Gonsalez, Bobby Rodriguez, Carlos Del Puerto and Sal Cuevas (Fania All Stars) for Latin bass

For Jazz, try Ray Brown (anything with Oscar Peterson)

Paul Chambers - Kind Of Blue (Miles Davis) or Bass on Top (Paul Chambers)

Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um

Scott LaFaro - Bill Evans Trio - Sunday Night at the VIllage Vanguard or Waltz for Debby

Ron Carter - Miles Davis - Miles Smiles

Dave Holland - try One's All, a solo bass recording

John Pattitucci - Chick Corea's Akoustic Band

anything featuring Christian McBride, Avishai Cohen, Marc Johnson, Oscar Pettiford, Miroslav Vitous



Rockabilly and Blues - you'll have to ask someone else!!!

[Dad3353]

Pick anything from here (it may be overkill to acquire them all, but won't be regretted...)...

Danny Thompson's partial discography :

[i]with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated...[/i]
Red Hot from Alex (1964)
Sky High (1966)
Blues Incorporated (1967 - re-issue of Sky High)

[i]with Alexis Korner[/i]
I Wonder Who (1967)
A New Generation of Blues (1968)

[i]with Pentangle...[/i]
The Pentangle (1968)
Sweet Child (1968)
Basket of Light (1969)
Cruel Sister (1970)
Reflection (1971)
Solomon's Seal (1972)
Open the Door (1985)

[i]Danny Thompson solo...[/i]
Whatever (1987)
Whatever Next (1989)
Elemental (1990)
Whatever’s Best (1995)
Danny Thompson & Peter Knight (1995)

[i]Richard Thompson and Danny Thompson...[/i]
Live at Crawley (1995)
Industry (1997)

[i]Jon Thorne & Danny Thompson...[/i]
Watching the Well (2010)

[i]Others[/i]
[i]Danny Thompson has played on dozens of albums and singles during his career. The following is only a small selection...[/i]

ABC: Alphabet City (1987)
Vic Abram: The Folk Singer (1980)
Ayuo: Songs from a Eurasian Journey (1997)
Richard Barbieri: Stranger Inside (2008)
The Blind Boys of Alabama: Spirit of the Century (2001)
Tim Buckley: Dream Letter: Live in London 1968 (1968)
Kate Bush: The Dreaming (1982); Hounds of Love (1985); 50 Words for Snow (2011)
Christine Collister: The Dark Gift of Time (1998); An Equal Love (2001)
Graham Coxon: The Spinning Top (2009)
Barbara Dickson: Don’t Think Twice (1992); Dark End of the Street (1995)
Donovan: "There Is a Mountain" (single) (1967)
Nick Drake: Five Leaves Left (1969)
Marvin Etzioni: Marvin the Mandolin Man (1992)
Everything but the Girl: Amplified Heart (1994)
Marianne Faithfull: North Country Maid (1966); The World of Marianne Faithfull (1970)
Peter Gabriel: Up (2002)
Davey Graham: Folk Blues & Beyond (1965); Large as Life & Twice as Natural (1968); Hat (1969); Fire in the Soul (1999)
Boo Hewerdine: Baptist Hospital (1995)
Mary Hopkin: Earth Song / Ocean Song (1971); Live at the Royal Festival Hall 1972 (2005)
Hunter Muskett: Every Time You Move (1970)
The Incredible String Band: The 5000 Spirits (1967); Hard Rope & Silken Twine (1973)
Bert Jansch: Birthday Blues (1969); Moonshine (1972); L.A. Turnaround (1974); Avocet (1979); Sketches (1990)
Linda Lewis: Fathoms Deep (1973)
Mike Lindup: Changes (1990)
Magna Carta: Lord of the Ages (1973)
John Martyn: Bless the Weather (1972); Solid Air (1973); Inside Out (1973); Sunday's Child (1975); Live at Leeds (1975); One World (1977); On the Cobbles (2004)
John & Beverley Martyn: The Road to Ruin (1970)
Loreena McKennitt: The Book of Secrets (1997)
Ralph McTell: Easy (1974)
Alison Moyet: Hoodoo (1991)
Deva Premal: Dakshina (2005)
Cliff Richard: "Congratulations" (1968)
Darrell Scott: Theater of the Unheard (2003)
S. E. Rogie: Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana (1997)
Songhai. Collaboration with flamenco group Ketama and kora player Toumani Diabaté: Songhai (1988); Songhai 2 (1994)
Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)
David Sylvian: Brilliant Trees (1984)
Talk Talk: The Colour of Spring (1986); Spirit of Eden (1988)
Richard Thompson: Amnesia (1988); Mirror Blue (1994); Live at Crawley (1995); You? Me? Us? (1996); Two Letter Words (1996); Celtschmerz (1998); Mock Tudor (1999); Semi-Detached Mock Tudor (2002); The Old Kit Bag (2003); Ducknapped! (2003); Live from Austin, TX (2005); Sweet Warrior (2007)
Thunderbirds (TV series): (theme tune) (1964)
Kathryn Tickell: Common Ground (1988)
T Rex: Light of Love (1974); Zinc Alloy & The Hidden Riders (1974)
Loudon Wainwright III: I'm Alright (1985); More Love Songs (1986); Therapy (1989)
Dawud Wharnsby: Vacuous Waxing (2004)

[sarah thomas]

For clear, easy to hear/distinguish excellent walking bass, try Leroy Walks, by the Leroy Vinnegar Sextet.

[Rabbie]

As per Bilbo suggestions, plus add:

Blues; there's a great album with Willie Dixon and Memphis Slim, I think it's called "aux Trois Mailletz" (spelling probably wrong) and it's published by Gitane.
Willie also played on most great recordings from Chess Records in the 50s, bridging the gap between blues and rock n roll. You won't need anybody else to listen to blues double bass IMO.

Rockabilly, well, any 1950s Elvis, Carl Perkins and later Eddie Cochrane and Gene Vincent will put you in the picture of what the bass does there. For modern Rockabilly start with the first Stray Cats album then maybe download Brian Setzer latest Rockabilly Riot album to get to grips with the modern sound.

To add another dimension to your Jazz knowledge, don't miss out the joys of the players that started it all. Check out the genius of Milt Hinton in the Cab Calliway recordings (and follow his unique swinging in later recordings like the charming "Partners in crime" with Ralph Sutton).

You may want to check out great modern slapping in the context of Western swing by getting an album from the Hot Club of Cowtown.

Finally, for me the best jazz player around now is Carlos Henriquez of the Jazz at Lincoln centre orchestra with Winton Marsalis. Their brand new album Live in Cuba is fantastic and you get an overdose of Latin and jazz DB on that one.

As I said, this one just sits alongside what you have been advised this far.
I'm quite jealous you still have to listen to these great albums because you are gonna have a great time!

[Jimryan]

Cheers for the suggestions guys. That should get me going quite nicely.

[gypsyjazzer]

One of the best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFTqVHEJZ0A

[ChrisF]

'Why Don't You Just Rock !'.....the first Restless album is still very influential for me.

[JoeEvans]

Nick Drake's 'Five Leaves Left' (Danny Thompson on DB, as mentioned above) remains my double bass inspiration. Clean, lively, rich and interesting without ever being intrusive.

Edited October 6, 2015 by JoeEvans

[philparker]

Lots of good albums above, some of which I have and enjoy; one not listed that I find inspirational is the DB playing on Earl Klugh's Trio album, clear, uncluttered and a great example of how a DB can just lift and 'make' an album. I also enjoy Conversations with Christian [McBride].

Edited October 8, 2015 by philparker

[ljbass]

bobo stenson trio "live in the forest 2009" with anders jormin on the bass

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HiCop-0jIo"]https://www.youtube....h?v=-HiCop-0jIo[/url]

...kind of outdoor DB porn

Edited October 6, 2015 by ljbass

[TheRev]

I've always enjoyed Ali Friend's projects - mainly because of how he fits the double bass into the different genres, rather than how many fancy notes he plays:

With Red Snapper:
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev8jUs-omr8"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev8jUs-omr8[/url]

With Beth Orton:
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFZc4ax4tJs"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFZc4ax4tJs[/url]

With Clayhill:
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1JQ27c-we4"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1JQ27c-we4[/url]


Not Ali Friend, but this is what I listen to when I need double bass inspiration:
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohmSPv-rtSQ"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohmSPv-rtSQ[/url]

[Marc S]

Another plus for Nick Drake's "Five leaves left" here
Danny's playing is superb, but it's a classic album anyway

Also, yes to any of the Pentangle stuff
There are some good double CD's and best-of CD's you can pick up for a fair price too

Good luck - I think these are a good starting point

[petebassist]

This is a great thread! Got me listening to all sorts of tracks. Thanks TheRev for the link to John Martyn with Danny Thompson - Solid Air. Loved it, hadn't heard this, definitely inspirational...
I've always loved the bass on Roy Budd's theme from the Get Carter film - it plays in my head whenever I get the train back home up to the North East.

[henrywillard]

Born on a Pirate Ship by Barenaked Ladies is probably the best example of Jim Creeggan's great playing.

[herbass]

I have great pleasure listening to "One more angel" from John Patitucci, and "Summerflood" by the german Joergen Friedrich quartet with Kenny Wheeler on flügelhorn.
Also the late Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys was a tasty player. I think they have a compilation album of their instrumental stuff only, if you're not into hip-hop!

[mr0range]

Have a listen to Pete Mcgurk with the Dudley Moore trio, nice growl sound!
https://youtu.be/GIVauBXP38E

[philparker]

Was that Peter Cooke on drums?

Very sad, I remember him in his latter days with a degenerative disease just listening to a jazz trio and being unable to take part, and he was, as a famous comedian/actor, comparatively unknown for being such a prodigious talent as a jazz pianist!