Steve Swallow | |
|---|---|
 Swallow atMoers Festival, Moers, Germany, 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1940-10-04)October 4, 1940 (age 84) Fair Lawn, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, educator |
| Instrument(s) | Electric bass guitar, double bass |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Labels | Palmetto,RCA,Atlantic, WATT,Blue Note,Winter & Winter,Verve,Impulse! |
Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940)[1] is an Americanjazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations withJimmy Giuffre,Gary Burton, andCarla Bley.[2] He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar.[3]
Born inFair Lawn,New Jersey, United States,[4] Swallow studied piano and trumpet, as a child, before turning to thedouble bass[2] at the age of 14. While attending a prep school, he began trying his hand in jazz improvisation. In 1960, he leftYale University, where he was studyingcomposition, and settled inNew York City, playing at the time inJimmy Giuffre's trio along withPaul Bley.[1] After joiningArt Farmer's quartet in 1963,[1] Swallow began to write. It is in the 1960s that his long-term association withGary Burton's various bands began.[1]
In the early 1970s, Swallow switched exclusively toelectric bass guitar, of which he prefers the five-string variety. He was first introduced to the electric bass while doing a music trade show withGary Burton and trying aGibson EB-2.[5] Along withMonk Montgomery andBob Cranshaw, Swallow was among the first jazz bassists to do so (with much encouragement fromRoy Haynes, one of Swallow's favorite drummers). He plays with apick (made of copper by Hotlicks), and his style involves intricate solos in the upper register. He was one of the early adopters of the high C string on a bass guitar.
From 1974 to 1976, Swallow taught at theBerklee College of Music. He contributed several of his compositions to the Berklee students who assembled the first edition ofThe Real Book. He later recorded an album,Real Book, with the picture of a well-worn, coffee-stained book on the cover.
In 1978, Swallow became a member ofCarla Bley's band.[1] He was Bley's romantic partner from the 1980s until her death in 2023. He toured extensively withJohn Scofield in the early 1980s, and has returned to this collaboration several times over the years.
Swallow has consistently won the electric bass category inDownBeat yearly polls, both Critics' and Readers', since the mid-1980s. His compositions have been covered by, among others,Jim Hall (who recorded his very first tune, "Eiderdown"),Bill Evans,Chick Corea,Stan Getz andGary Burton. Swallow's instruments are built byHarvey Citron.[6]
WithCarla Bley
WithPaul Bley
WithGary Burton
WithArt Farmer
WithJimmy Giuffre
WithSteve Kuhn WithMichael Mantler
WithPaul Motian
WithGeorge Russell
WithJohn Scofield
| With others
|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
