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Jazz bass is the use of thedouble bass orelectric bass guitar toimproviseaccompaniment ("comping")basslines and solos in ajazz orjazz fusion style. Players began using the double bass in jazz in the 1890s to supply the low-pitchedwalking basslines that outlined thechord progressions of thesongs. From the 1920s and 1930sSwing andbig band era, through 1940sBebop and 1950sHard Bop, to the 1960s-era "free jazz" movement, the resonant, woody sound of the double bass anchored everything from small jazz combos to large jazzbig bands.
Beginning in the early 1950s,[1]jazz bass players began to use theelectric bass guitar to replace the double bass. The electric bass guitar, which was easier to amplify to loud volumes onstage, gained particular prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s jazz subgenre which blended jazz with the powerfully amplifiedelectric instruments ofrock music, creatingjazz fusion.Jaco Pastorius is considered to be the finest exponent of jazz on the electric bass, via his work withWeather Report,Joni Mitchell,Pat Metheny and others.
Most jazz bassists specialize in either the double bass or the bass guitar,[2] although the ability to "double" (play both instruments) is common. A small number of players, such asStanley Clarke andJohn Patitucci, have achieved virtuoso skill on both instruments. Whether a jazz bassist iscomping (accompanying) with awalking bassline, soloing, or playing on a double bass or a bass guitar, they usually aim to create a rhythmic drive, and a time feel that creates a sense ofswing andgroove.
Beginning around 1890, theAfrican-American communities in earlyNew Orleans used a jazz ensemble which played a mixture of marches,ragtime, andDixieland music. This ensemble was initially amarching band with asousaphone (or occasionallybass saxophone) supplying the bass line. As the music moved from playing for funerals on the street and into bars andbrothels, the double bass gradually replaced these wind instruments. Many early bassists doubled on both the brass bass and string bass, as the instruments were then often referred to. Bassists played walking basslines—scale-based lines that outlined the harmony and provided a foundation for the tunes.
Because an unamplified double bass is generally the quietest instrument in a jazz band, many players of the 1920s and 1930s used the slap style,slapping and pulling the strings to make a rhythmic slap sound against the fingerboard. The slap style cuts through the sound of a band better than simply plucking the strings, and make the bass more easily heard on early sound recordings, as the recording equipment of that time did not capture low frequencies well.[3][better source needed]
Double bass players who have contributed to the evolution of jazz include the Swing era playerJimmy Blanton, who played withDuke Ellington, andOscar Pettiford, who pioneered the instrument's soloistic use inBebop. The "cool" style of jazz was influenced by players such asScott LaFaro andPercy Heath, whose solos were very melodic.
Free jazz was influenced by the composer/bassistCharles Mingus (who also contributed tohard bop) andCharlie Haden, best known for his work withOrnette Coleman. In the 1950s, somebig bandbandleaders began to ask their upright players to use the then-newly availableFender bass, the first widely availableelectric bass. In the 1970s, as jazz androck music were blended by performers to create the "fusion" genre, players such asJaco Pastorius began to develop a unique sound using the electric bass.
Apart from jazz fusion and Latin-influenced jazz, the double bass is still widely used in jazz in the 2010s. The deep sound and woody tone of the plucked double bass is distinct from the sound of the frettedbass guitar. The bass guitar produces a different sound than the double bass, because its strings are usually stopped with the aid of metalfrets. Also, bass guitars usually have a solid wood body, which means that the sound is produced byelectronic amplification of the vibration of the strings. The solid body upright, also known as a "stick" bass or "EUB" variation is still widely used by bass players insalsa andtimba bands, because its sound is so well suited to those styles. The EUB is smaller and lighter than a double bass, making touring and travelling easier, and its solid (or mostly solid) body enables bassists to play at a much higher volume with abass amp withoutfeedback.
Since the 1950s, the double bass in jazz is usually played withamplification and it is mostly played with the fingers usingpizzicato style, except during some solos, where players may use the bow. The pizzicato style varies between different players and genres. Some players perform with the sides of one, two, or three fingers, especially forwalking basslines and slow tempo ballads, because this is purported to create a stronger and more solid tone. Some players use their more nimble fingertips to play fast-moving solo passages or to pluck lightly for quiet tunes.
Using amplification gives the player more control over the tone of the instrument, because amplifiers have equalization controls that can accentuate certain frequencies (often the bass frequencies) while de-accentuating some frequencies (often the high frequencies, so that there is less finger noise).[citation needed] While jazz double bass players use amplification, they typically use much smaller, lower-powered bass amplifiers and smallerspeaker cabinets than those used by anelectric bass player playing in ajazz fusion show. An upright player performing at a small club may only bring a 1x12" combo amp to the gig.[citation needed] When a small jazz combo is playing in a smalljazz club, the double bass player may use only a modest amount of amplification, so that the audience is hearing a mixture of the natural acoustic tone and the amplified sound; if that same band were to play on a hugejazz festival mainstage, all of the bass tone reaching the audience's ears will be from thesound reinforcement system.
An unamplified acoustic bass' tone is limited by the frequency responsiveness of the instrument's hollow body, which means that the very low pitches may not be as loud as the higher pitches.[citation needed] With an amplifier andequalization devices, a bass player can boost the low frequencies, which evens out the frequency response. An amplifier can also increase the sustain of the instrument, which is particularly useful for accompaniment duringballads and for melodic solos with long held notes. Like other acoustic instruments used with amplification, such as the jazz violin, a double bass is often plugged into apreamplifier, impedance-matching device, and/or aDirect Injection (DI box) box before it is routed to thePA system, electronic effects, or thebass instrument amplifier.
In traditionaljazz andswing it is sometimes played in theslap style. This is a vigorous version of pizzicato where the strings are "slapped" against the fingerboard between the main notes of the bass line, producing asnare drum-like percussive sound. The main notes are either played normally or by pulling the string away from the fingerboard and releasing it so that it bounces off the fingerboard, producing a distinctive percussive attack in addition to the expected pitch. Notable slap style bass players, whose use of the technique was often highly syncopated and virtuosic, sometimes interpolate two, or even three more slaps in between notes of their bass line.
In both jazz and jazz fusion bands, some jazz bassists use a modified type of double bass called theelectric upright bass (abbreviatedEUB and sometimes also calledstick bass). The stick bass is also widely used insalsa, because its volume and tone are especially suited to that style of music, even in studio recording. It is an electronically amplified version of thedouble bass that has a minimal or 'skeleton' body, which greatly reduces the size and weight of the instrument. The EUB retains enough of the features of thedouble bass so that double bass players are comfortable performing on it. While the EUB retains some of the tonal characteristics of the double bass, its electrically amplified nature also gives it its own unique sound. As well, an EUB is considerably easier to transport than its acoustic equivalent. Thescale length of EUBs varies: some scales are 42", similar to mostdouble basses, whilst other models have scale lengths of only 30" like a short scalebass guitar. The shorter scale can make it easier for bass guitarists to convert to the EUB.
Solid bodied EUBs produce very little sound withoutelectronic amplification. Hollow-bodied EUBs produce a quiet tone that is loud enough for individual practice. However, since hollow-bodied EUBs do not have a large resonant cavity like adouble bass, they cannot reproduce the lowest notes of the instrument without an amplifier. To amplify the EUB, thestringvibrations are sensed with apickup. Early EUBs usedmagnetic pickups similar to those in electric guitars, or percussive magnetic diaghram pickups (e.g., theAmpeg "Baby Bass"). Many modern EUBs usepiezoelectric pickups located in thebridge or a combination of pickup types. The signal from the pickup is usually preamplified andequalized with apreamplifier and then sent to abass amplifier or aPA system. For silent practice an EUB can also be connected toheadphones.
Preamplifiers and equalizers for acoustic instruments or double basses can also be used to "roll off" the treble frequencies or "notch out" the "scratchy-sounding" frequencies. Since the EUB typically does not have a hollow sound chamber, or only includes a small sound chamber, the EUB is less prone toaudio feedback than the double bass when amplified. To use a bow with an EUB, both the bridge and fingerboard must beradiussed (given a curve). EUBs are much easier to transport to gigs, or fly with on tours than a large, fragile double bass.
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The electric bass was introduced to jazz in the early 1950s whenRoy Johnson, and laterMonk Montgomery, first used the instrument inLionel Hampton'sbig band.[1][4] When the electric bass is used injazz, it has both an accompaniment and a soloing role.[citation needed] When the bass is used to accompany, it may be used to performwalking basslines for traditional tunes andjazz standards, in smooth quarter note lines that imitate the sound of the double bass.
The electric bass player can play all of the same types ofbass lines played by her upright bass cousin. However, due to the design of the electric bass as aguitar-family instrument, it is possible to play rapid bass lines that would be impossible on an upright bass. For example, an electric bassist in a fusion or Latin band can play a bassline composed entirely of rapid,syncopated sixteenth notes. ForLatin orsalsa tunes and rock-infused jazz fusion tunes, the electric bass may play challenging, fast-moving rhythmic figures in coordination with the drummer, or lay down a low, heavy groove.
In a fusion band, electric bass players have to provide a solid, heavy bass foundation for the band while a drummer,electric guitarist (amplified through aguitar amp) andsynthesizer orelectric piano player performing (amplified through akeyboard amp) are all playing. As well, fusion bands are more likely to play a rock-size venue, such as a large club or theatre, than a small jazz club. To provide a good bass sound, a fusion electric bass player will often use a powerfulbass amplifier and a largerspeaker cabinet than an upright player would use, such as a 4X10" cabinet, or even two 4X10" cabinets.
In a jazz setting, the electric bass tends to have a much more expansive solo role than in most popular styles. In most rock settings, the bass guitarist may only have a few shortbass breaks or brief solos during a concert. During a jazz concert, a jazz bassist may have a number of lengthy improvised solos, which are called "blowing" in jazz parlance. Among those who have spearheaded the bass guitar in jazz areJaco Pastorius,Victor Wooten, andMarcus Miller.
One of the options for bass guitarists is whether to use an instrument withfrets on the fingerboard or not. On a fretted bass, metal frets divide the fingerboard intosemitone divisions (as on a guitar). The original Fender basses had 20 frets, but modern basses may have 24 or more.Fretless basses have a distinct sound, because the absence of frets means that the string must be pressed down directly onto the wood of the fingerboard as with thedouble bass. The string buzzes against the wood and is somewhat muted because the sounding portion of the string is in direct contact with the flesh of the player's finger. The fretless bass allows players to use the expressive devices ofglissando,vibrato and microtonal intonations such asquarter tones andjust intonation.
In a small combo, the bass player may alone determine which type of bass to use and for which tunes. In a band with abandleader, the leader may provide guidance on what tunes are best suited to each type of bass. Some bassists use both fretted and fretless basses in performances, according to the type of material they are performing. While fretless basses are often associated withjazz andjazz fusion, bassists from other genres use fretless basses, such as metal bassistSteve Di Giorgio.
Bill Wyman takes credit for creating the first fretless bass guitar in 1961 when he converted an inexpensive Japanese fretted bass guitar by removing the frets.[5][6][a] The first production fretless bass was the Ampeg AUB-1 introduced in 1966, and Fender introduced a fretless Precision Bass in 1970.[citation needed] In the early 1970s, fusion-jazz bassistJaco Pastorius created his own fretless bass guitar by removing the frets[b] from a Fender Jazz Bass, filling the holes with wood putty, and coating the fretboard with epoxy resin.
Pastorius used epoxy rather than varnish to obtain a glass-like finish suitable for the use of roundwound strings, which are otherwise much harder on the wood of the fingerboard. Some fretless basses have "fret line" markers inlaid in the fingerboard as a guide, while others only use guide marks on the side of the neck. Tapewound (double bass type) and flatwound strings are sometimes used with the fretless bass so that the metal string windings do not wear down thefingerboard. Some fretless basses have epoxy-coated fingerboards to increase durability, enhancesustain, and give a brighter tone. Though most fretless basses have four strings, five-string and six-string fretless basses are also available. Fretless basses with more than six strings are also available as "boutique" or custom-made instruments.
While the majority of jazz and jazz fusion recordings and live performances use either the double bass (or a related instrument such as anelectric upright bass) or the electric bass to supply the "low end", there are some exceptions. In jazzorgan trios, aHammond organ player, such asJoey de Francesco, performs the basslines using thebass pedalboard or their lower manual, along with a drummer and a saxophonist. In some jazz fusion groups, the basslines may be played by a keyboard player on abass synthesizer or other keyboard. As well, in some duos and other small groups, the basslines may be provided by a piano player; in a duo consisting of a jazz pianist and a jazz singer, the piano player plays a bassline with the left hand and chords in the right hand underneath the singer's voice. Similarly, in some duos or trios, a jazz guitarist may play basslines, a role that is especially feasible if the guitarist has a seven-string guitar with a low "B" string. In traditionalDixieland or New Orleans-style jazz groups, the basslines may be played by atuba or other low brass instrument.
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