ElginThompson Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 I've really been enjoying Bill Dixon lately, in particular, the use of 2 bassists on LPs like Thoughts and November 1981. Love the depth of sound it creates. Picked up the Complete Black Lion and Soul Note box, which is amazing. Wondering if fellow members could suggest a few artists utilizing multiple bassists in a similar fashion (understanding that there was only one Bill Dixon). Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 One of the Andrew Hill Blue Note LPs has two bassists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mracz Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Smokestack. Cecil's Unit Structures with Alan Silva and Henry Grimes: silva high up with the bow, grimes with a chthonic low bass part. Ornette with Izenson and Haden. LaFaro and Haden on Free Jazz: the two bass duet at the end is my favourite bit of the album. All of Coltrane's two bass experiments. A really interesting topic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Marion Brown's first ESP date: Ronnie Boykins and Reggie Johnson. http://www.espdisk.com/official/catalog/1022.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUekGE7IMrc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffcrom Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 John Tchicai's two-bass Timo's Message on Black Saint is a strong album - one of his very best, although it doesn't seem to be very well known. Sans Tambour ni Trompette, an excellent album by Martial Solal, features M. Solal with two basses, no drums (or trumpet, he felt compelled to point out). It would probably be hard to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Bass duos on some of my recordings: Malachi Favors / Charles Clark, Curt Bley / Brian Sandstrom and Ronnie Boykins / John Ore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Prince Lasha/Sonny Simmons "The Cry," with Gary Peacock and (on some tracks) the otherwise unknown (to me) Mark Proctor -- a lovely team who contribute much to a lovely album, along with drummer Gene Stone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Pharoah Sanders did it quite a bit. Karma has Richard Davis & Reggie Workman on one track, Reggie Workman & Ron Carter on the other. Izipho Zam has Cecil McBee & sirone. Jewels of thought has Richard Davis & Cecil McBee on Sun in Aquarius. Black Unity has Cecil McBee & Stanley Clarke. I think I remember 'Let us go into the house of the Lord' as having 2 bassists - must get that album again. Trance of seven colors features Maleem Mahmoud Ghania and (his father?) Maleem Boubker Gahnia playing guimbri, a bass lute used in Morocco. Bloomin' fabulous album this one! Message from home has Charnett Moffett and Steve Neil on bass (Neil sometimes on elec bass). Turning to more mainstream jazz, not quite but nearly right, Nat Adderley's 'Work song' has cello and bass - Sam Jones and Keter Betts play both at different times, and Percy Heath is on bass sometimes. Les McCann's 'Invitation to openness' has Bill Salter on electric bass, Jimmy Rowser on accoustic. Can't think of any more, but it wouldn't surprise me if a fair number of CTI/Kudu albums didn't have electric and accoustic basses. Can't be asked to go through them, at present MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 I don't have many albums with two bassists, that I can think of at least. The aforementioned Andrew Hill is one. What are the typical approaches to using two bassists from a conceptual or arrangement standpoint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 (edited) Joe beat me with Solal's 'Sans Tambour ni Trompette'... so let me include: Don Cherry's 'Symphony for Improvisers' with Jean-François Jenny Clark and Henry Grimes Edited February 25, 2013 by brownie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Prince Lasha/Sonny Simmons "The Cry," with Gary Peacock and (on some tracks) the otherwise unknown (to me) Mark Proctor -- a lovely team who contribute much to a lovely album, along with drummer Gene Stone. That's a good one - I regretted I sold that LP, as it sounded great, like most Contemporary recordings. Johnny Griffin's "A Change of Pace" on Riverside had two bassist on half of the tracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caravan Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Albert Ayler - Spirits Rejoice with Gary Peacock and Henry Grimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Reynolds Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Louis Moholo's 'Bush Fire' with Barry Guy and now I can't think of the South African bassist. In any event one the great free recordings of the 90's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElginThompson Posted February 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Good stuff all around! Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 What are the typical or atypical approaches to using two bassists from a conceptual or arrangement standpoint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 What are the typical or atypical approaches to using two bassists from a conceptual or arrangement standpoint? One to play a static, grounding part, the other to play a more moving part, that's typical. Or one to play arco,the other pizzicato. On Free Jazz, Haden plays in one tempo, LaFaro in a more or less double tempo. Atypical would be for both to be playing the same type thing, either tonally, speedwise, register, etc. That a big lot of mud in a big lot of hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Thanks. I'd forgotten about the Free Jazz album, the result of having accumulated too many LPs and not enough time to revisit them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Albert Ayler: various tracks on Live in Greenwich Village Ornette: various albums with Prime Time; Sound Grammar Numerous Roscoe Mitchell albums - among them: Nine To Get Ready, The Bad Guys, Song for My Sister, Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1,2&3; Far Side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Re: Bill Dixon, the 7-tette (1964, Savoy) has Hal Dodson and David Izenzon. Apparently Izenzon had a lot of trouble with his part, though I'm not able to recall why. After all, he was a competent classical bassist back then. The score for "Winter Song" is pretty meaty - Down Beat reprinted it at one point. There are also two bassists on Intents & Purposes, Reggie Workman and Jimmy Garrison. Dixon often liked to use two basses in complementary textural roles, which I assume was a way to "spread out" the sound, especially when working with a small group. Brötzmann: Kowald and Niebergall on Machine Gun, to name just one recording. They were also two of the bassists in several Globe Unity recordings. John Carter/Bobby Bradford: Self-Determination Music had Henry Franklin and Tom Williamson on basses to excellent effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarThrower Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 (edited) Joe Lovano-Universal Language features Steve Swallow and Charlie Haden Sanders's Black Unity was mentioned. I love what the two basses are doing on that one! There must be some two bass stuff happening on some Weather Report tracks? Edited February 24, 2013 by starthrower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Black Unity is a hell of a record indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Two bass players also on: Charles Tyler 'Saga of the Outlaws' (Nessa), John Ore and Ronnie Boykins Francois Tusques 'Le Nouveau Jazz' (Mouloudji) Beb Guerin and Jean-François Jenny Clark Beb Guerin-Francois Mechali 'Conversations' (NATO) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Clugston Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Richard Abrams — Levels and Degrees of Light - Charles Clark & Leonard Jones Maurice McIntyre — Humility in the Light of the Creator - Malachi Favours, M'Chaka Uba Bill Dixon's Thoughts has three basses and one tuba. There's multiple bassists on Horace Tapscott's The Call, up to three and possibly four at one point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Ptah Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Richard Davis--Philosophy of the Spiritual, reissued as With Understanding. Richard and Bill Lee play bass on it together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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