Exciting Sounds of the Big Band Era: String Bass Book

The pulse of mid-20th-century dance halls and concert stages comes alive through these pages. You'll feel the forward propulsion of tunes like In the Mood and Two O'Clock Jump, the blues sensibility that runs through pieces like Cherokee and Eager Beaver, and the sophisticated harmonic landscapes of ballads like At Last and Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me.

String bass players in school and community jazz ensembles who are ready to move beyond learning jazz fundamentals and into mastering the actual vocabulary of the idiom. This book works for intermediate to advanced players who have solid reading skills and understand basic swing phrasing.

• Establish a steady, relaxed pulse from the start. Big band bass lines swing hardest when the quarter note feels conversational, not metronomic.
• Listen intently to the drums and keyboard comping during rehearsals. Your rhythmic dialogue with them defines the groove.
• Work the blues tunes (Blues on Parade, In a Minor Mood) with special attention to feel. Let the swing natural rather than forcing it.
• Mark your chord changes clearly and anticipate them slightly. This ensemble is counting on your voice to anchor harmonic movement.

Build a full big band set around this collection by pairing it with arrangements for the full ensemble. Use individual tunes as feature spots for your bass section in concerts, or program them as part of a jazz history unit that traces the evolution of swing. Several of these pieces work equally well as teaching tools in a jazz history or listening class.

• Walking bass lines through jazz standards
• Swing feel and phrasing in a big band context
• Reading and interpreting chord changes
• Listening and responding to drummer and comping instruments
• Blues tonality and minor key playing
• Harmonic awareness and voice leading