Here, Blanton not only accompanies, but plays rhythmic melodic figures. When I first heard “Jive Rhapsody” I remember thinking it reminded me of a later track that Oscar Pettiford would play on the bridge of “Bohemia After Dark”, same rhythmic melodic character concept, but This time it’s on a different level. I love the feel of this strong groove and ostinato, and to me it brings back the undeniable West African roots.
Jimmy Blanton’s path is very inspiring to bassists like me, from his rich sound to his beautiful melodic and harmonic explorations and, of course, his role in establishing the most important music in history One of the band’s major contributions to the sound: the Duke Band Ellington Orchestra.
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Shanna L. Redmond, Scholar
“Boomerang” by Marcus Miller
Without the music, this could have been a throwaway scene in Boomerang (1992). The taciturn, brooding Marcus Graham (Eddie Murphy)—the playboy protagonist recently wronged by an equally smarmy playboy—looks away from the camera. We don’t know where, but the song’s opening bass line draws the listener in through elongated synths, leading one to think the scene is going to produce some drama. And then it’s over. With only 15 seconds, we don’t have enough time to understand what the music is telling us or to recover from what it’s doing, but Marcus Miller, who scored the film, makes sure that The song would live on in two versions on his album M² (2001), which won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Miller is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer who has worked with legends of the jazz and pop music world, including Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis and Luther Vander Ross, whose “Never Too Much” (1981) was touched by his signature bass playing. The last track of “M²” “Boomerang Reprise” is also short, but impactful at 1 minute and 54 seconds, with multiple bass lines that create rhythm and rhythm within the song, which some may not immediately consider to be jazz. Nonetheless, it embodies a fusion of style and technology that rises and returns “like a boomerang.”
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Sid Schwartz, writer
“Gloria’s Steps” by the Bill Evans Trio
Pianist Bill Evans, bassist Scott LaFaro, and drummer Paul Motian forever changed the rules of jazz trio participation by reimagining the roles of soloist and accompanist. Their unified harmonic approach brings the rhythm section out of the shadows, establishing group balance and expanding the possibilities for conversation and improvisation. “Gloria’s Footsteps” is Raffaro’s ode to the sound of his girlfriend Gloria’s footsteps as she returns to the apartment upstairs. His tone, technique and youthful energy bring a masterful quality to bass performance.
Even before LaFaro’s impressive bass solo, the music is a swinging, melodic sound of democracy in action. The traditional positioning of leader and supporter shifts to a whisper, like a flock of birds flying in complex coordinated movements and changes of direction, operating like a hive mind. As Ivins, LaFaro and Motian celebrate Gloria’s arrival, they create the stunning illusion of a musician in three bodies – a string of swinging, shimmering melodic brilliance. “Gloria’s Step” is the opening track on Sunday at the Village Vanguard, a landmark record that belongs in every jazz library. Ten days after the Village Vanguard show, a tragic car accident claimed LaFaro’s life, prematurely ending the trio’s upward trajectory and making this album (and its twin, Waltz For Debby) the pinnacle of their achievement.
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Adi Meyerson, bassist and composer
“But Not for Me” by Ahmed Jamal Trio
Getting to know Israel Crosby is almost like being part of some secret club of cool kids. Those who know, know.And when people Do Once you discover it, there is really no turning back. I know they say that to a lot of people, but I think it’s safe to say that he was definitely ahead of his time.
