Ratliff on bassists who bow

[Larry Kart]

In his review in today's NY Times of Ari Roland's new Smalls release, "Sketches From a Bassist's Album," Ratliff writes: "[Roland] also plays bowed bass at fast tempos with amazing skill, following the examples of Steve Brown, Oscar Pettiford, and Paul Chambers."

Maybe I'm having a brain cramp here, but I don't recall a single recorded bowed bass solo from Pettiford, or even a bowed solo of his on cello.

[AllenLowe]

I can't give a citation - however, I seem to remember, in Dick Katz's long quote in the Pettiford chapter in Jazz Masters of the 1940s, that Katz expressed the opinion that Pettiford bowed badly - however I'm not certain of this, and it does not necessarily mean, even if my memory is correct, that there is a recording - anybody have the book handy?

[Fer Urbina]

I can't give a citation - however, I seem to remember, in Dick Katz's long quote in the Pettiford chapter in Jazz Masters of the 1940s, that Katz expressed the opinion that Pettiford bowed badly - however I'm not certain of this, and it does not necessarily mean, even if my memory is correct, that there is a recording - anybody have the book handy?

"Oscar ... bowed very poorly. He didn't bow too much, 'cause he knew it... Listen to 'Tea For Two' from The Unique Thelonious Monk where he bows and picks. It's like two different people. On the cello it was even worse"

Katz does not mention any bowed cello recordings, though.

F

[Kalo]

I can't give a citation - however, I seem to remember, in Dick Katz's long quote in the Pettiford chapter in Jazz Masters of the 1940s, that Katz expressed the opinion that Pettiford bowed badly - however I'm not certain of this, and it does not necessarily mean, even if my memory is correct, that there is a recording - anybody have the book handy?

"Oscar ... bowed very poorly. He didn't bow too much, 'cause he knew it... Listen to 'Tea For Two' from The Unique Thelonious Monk where he bows and picks. It's like two different people. On the cello it was even worse"

Katz does not mention any bowed cello recordings, though.

F

That brief passage on "Tea for Two" from The Unique Thelonious Monk is the only bowed Pettiford I can recall. I just pulled out my 1979 Milestone two-fer LP reissue of that date, and Bob Blumenthal's liner notes quote Orrin Keepnews thusly: "Oscar wanted to play the entire 'Tea for Two' verse arco, but each time something went astray; either a wrong note or he couldn't stay in tune all the way through. After endless abortive attempts, I finally got him to settle for eight bars with a bow, eight bars without. That might actually have been the first time I actually directed the pace of a record date."

Pettiford, by the way, is perhaps my favorite jazz bassist. Even the greats have their blindspots...

[bertrand]

Monk did not like bowing.

Bertrand.

[brownie]

Gjon Mili photo from 'The Jazz Scene'

[AllenLowe]

I think Katz also mentions how weird/bad his cello playing sounds -

[Larry Kart]

Just to make sure there's no misunderstanding -- IMO Pettiford's plucked cello solos (and of course his plucked bass solos) were superb. A favorite instance of the former was his duo performance on Dawn with accordionist Matt Matthews on Pettiford's own line, "Now See How You Are," later recorded on ABC-Paramount by Pettiford's big band.

[WD45]

Gjon Mili photo from 'The Jazz Scene'

Dig that suit!

[lkaven]

Ari and I puzzled over this when it came out. Did Ratliff mean Ray Brown instead of "Steve Brown"?

For the record, Ari's way of playing arco is influenced by interpretative violinists Eugene Ysaye, Fritz Kreisler, and George Enescu.

Luke

[Spontooneous]

Ari and I puzzled over this when it came out. Did Ratliff mean Ray Brown instead of "Steve Brown"?

For the record, Ari's way of playing arco is influenced by interpretative violinists Eugene Ysaye, Fritz Kreisler, and George Enescu.

Luke

Ratliff's reaching back to the '20s. Steve Brown was a mofo bassist who made an enormous difference in the sound and feel of the Jean Goldkette and Paul Whiteman bands.

[Chuck Nessa]

Ari and I puzzled over this when it came out. Did Ratliff mean Ray Brown instead of "Steve Brown"?

For the record, Ari's way of playing arco is influenced by interpretative violinists Eugene Ysaye, Fritz Kreisler, and George Enescu.

Luke

Steve Brown; born New Orleans, LA, 1890. I think he was trying to look smart referenceing the Whiteman/Goldkette bassist. At least he knows the music pre-dates the '50s.

So does Ari tuck his instrument under his chin?

[DukeCity]

So does Ari tuck his instrument under his chin?

I don't know.

But if I could tuck my "instrument" under my chin...I'd never leave the house!

(Thanks, you've been great. I'll be here all week. Be sure to try the veal!)

[jasonguthartz]

Not the first time Ratliff's been guilty of sloppiness and/or making-shit-up; more in this thread.

[lkaven]

Hmm. He almost does tuck it under his chin. Just to say that Ari's arco playing is not really influenced primarily by other bassists at all.

While we're here, I want to garner everyone's semantic intuitions about this part of Ratliff's piece:

'"Sketches From a Bassist's Album" (Smalls), a strong record, puts him with a like-minded, bop-obsessed group, including the tenor saxophonist Chris Byars, the pianist Sacha Perry and the drummer Phil Stewart.' [Emphasis mine.]

To me the term "bop-obsessed" seems to imply some sort of unhealthy preoccupation. I really don't understand why any mention of "bop" has to include a derisive put-down. I understand that most of what is passed-off as bop these days is as bad as muzak (and maybe that's what most people think it is now). But if Ratliff had listened to me or read my notes, he should have understood that there are a few players who came up in the NY underground where bop was as real and alive as it ever was. It is not retro, and it is not revival. Would anyone say that someone who grew up in Cuba and plays Cuban music is "Cuban-obsessed"? Apparently killing off music that isn't dead is a big part of being a critic these days.

Luke