Double bass - Listening Recomendations

[Gardenerben]

Care to share your double bass listening recommendations? Those that leave you thinking what an incredible instrument/musician.

 

The solo works from Dave Holland - Emerald Tears & Ones All, have left me eager to explore more.

 

 

[MrCrane]

Anything with Danny Thompson.

 

 

 

Edited November 27, 2022 by MrCrane

[ezbass]

Another shout out for Danny Thompson.

 

I'll throw Adam Ben Ezra into the mix.

 

 

 

And you can't not mention Niels Henning Örsted Pedersen.

 

 

[SubsonicSimpleton]

There is a veritable cornucopia of amazing double bass exponents out there - is there any style/genre that particularly interests you?

 

 

 

[Gardenerben]

1 hour ago, SubsonicSimpleton said:

There is a veritable cornucopia of amazing double bass exponents out there - is there any style/genre that particularly interests you?

Thanks for your links, some great variety there.

 

Just wondering what others get the biggest kicks from. Starting point was I really dig the sound of the double bass but am not sure I could ever get to the stage of getting off on my own playing. So a better option was to dive into the great players..... cheaper too!

 

Open on genre, style has me drawn to Pizz playing but not so much the slap and overly percussive stuff. (Great to listen to for 3 minutes but I'm quite quickly sated and moving on). Big gap in my listening experience with arco so that would be something I'd like to explore.

[MrCrane]

Then there's the wonderful Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen

 

 

[Gardenerben]

Agreed on NHOP, auditioned my latest deck with Jaywalkin 

 

 

[sblueplanet]

Buena Vista Social Club for example or tuning into traditional south american radio stations is a real treat sonically to the ears that like the earthy honest tones of an upright as a beautiful accompaniment.

[BreadBin]

4 hours ago, MrCrane said:

Anything with Danny Thompson.

 

 

This.

[Staggering on]

Anything by Edgar Meyer. He plays everything from bluegrass to jazz to Bottesini and back again with everyone from Christian McBride to Yo Yo Ma to Bela Fleck to symphony orchestras. Amazing with bow or pizz and can draw incredibly powerful sound from his bass.

[TheRev]

Ali Friend: Red Snapper & Clayhill

Nick Blacka : Gogo Penguin

 

 

 

[Jakester]

I can just watch this on repeat:

 

 

 

And of course, anything with Mr McBride on it, but his recent recordings with Joshua Redman, Brian Blade and Brad Mehldau are fantastic:

 

https://www.jazzwise.com/news/article/redman-mehldau-mcbride-blade-return-with-longgone-and-share-video-for-disco-ears 

Edited November 27, 2022 by Jakester

[Beedster]

This thread is going cost me a LOT of time 👍

[NickD]

At the moment I'm rotating between 2 Chevrons Apart by Yuri Goloubev, Land of The Sun by Charlie Haden, and Last Dance, an album of beautiful duets between Charlie Haden and Keith Jarrett.

 

In the car My CD player seems to be continually occupied by the 2 CDs that make up Trilogy 2, a ridiculously good live trio album by Chick Corea, Christian McBride and Brian Blade.

[Jakester]

1 hour ago, NickD said:

 

 

In the car My CD player seems to be continually occupied by the 2 CDs that make up Trilogy 2, a ridiculously good live trio album by Chick Corea, Christian McBride and Brian Blade.

Yep, the Trilogy recordings are amazing.  

 

Plus the Akoustic Band stuff with John Patitucci (and really anything with him on too). 

 

Really, it's how long have you got...

Edited November 28, 2022 by Jakester

[alexpea]

Astral Weeks by Van Morrison (the whole album) - I find the freedom that Richard Davis plays with on the album very inspiring especially as when backing singer songwriter type stuff I find it can sometimes be hard to come up with lines that aren't just root notes. 

Edited November 30, 2022 by alexpea

[SubsonicSimpleton]

 

[Burns-bass]

4 hours ago, SubsonicSimpleton said:

 

Wood Brothers are ace!

[Frank Blank]

 

[knirirr]

This is a good one, I think:

 

 

[chrkelly]

One album that always that always makes me think f***ing hell when I hear it is 'Bass & Mandolin' from Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer. Absolute mastery from both players, an incredible pairing. Also check out anything from Chris Thile's own band, the Punch Brothers, I particularly love 'The Phosphorescent Blues'. Go see them live if you can, they are spectacular.

 

 

 

[miles'tone]

Pure. Unadulterated. Filth.

[ezbass]

I can’t let an opportunity to share one of my favourite Danny Thompson tracks go by. I don’t know why I’ve waited so long.

 

 

[bassace]

On 05/12/2022 at 11:24, knirirr said:

This is a good one, I think:

 

 

That’s a beautiful tune. I’ve been playing it with soloists, vocalists and within quartets for over fifty years. It’s a staple of jazzers and any group should be able to play it if called.

 

it was written by Jimmy Van Heusen. Born Chester Babcock he changed his name after seeing a shirt advert. He was a prolific composer of great standards and a keen flyer with his own plane. He did test pilot duties for Lockheed in WW2.

 

His tunes moved the American songbook repertoire along a bit from the output of George Gershwin, Cole Porter et al whose tunes sound a bit pedestrian in comparison. Check out JvH’s extensive output on Wiki. Also Harry Warren’s while you’re about it.

[Gwilym]

Mulgrew Miller & NHOP playing Duke Ellington's piano & bass duets. I was lucky enough to see them playing this live, many moons ago. I keep coming back to it, i think you'll hear why. There's also similar recordings of Ellington and Jimmy Blanton playing the same.