The Bassist's Picks #3
New Year, same approach!
I’m making a habit of being late to the 1st and 15th of every month – this time I spent NYE and a few days afterwards in the middle of nowhere Wyoming in a cabin with very little internet connection. What a refreshing way to start the new calendar year! This playlist’s picks have an overt sentimental tone. Hope you enjoy!
Gonna Get Through This World – The Klezmatics
More Klezmer, yes! There’s a modal mixture in the main theme of this tune transforming from minor to major. That moment, in conjunction with the lilting compound meter just “gets” me every time. Then the almost primitive chanting melody that comes after… brilliant!
Bye Bye Blackbird -Miles Davis Quintet on ‘Round About Midnight
I had a teacher once tell me they thought the chorus of the piano solo where Red Garland is playing block chords (6:35) is THE MOST swingin’ chorus in jazz history. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration of what he said, but I have to agree with the sentiment. Rhythm section folks: transcribe this and play along 1,000 time to learn how to swing.
Auld Lang Syne – Andrew Bird
Beautiful sentimental tune we all sing at New Year’s Eve. Andrew Bird’s Americana flavorings are an interesting take on this classic. I love hearing it with the upbeat boom-chuck feel instead of the usual funeral dirge style. It adds a tinge of hopefulness in a song that otherwise sparks desperate nostalgia and a yearning for something or some time you can’t quite place. See Hank Green’s vlogbrothers video “We’re Here Because We’re Here”
We’re Here Because We’re Here – Fritzrovia Chorus
Why are we here? Because we’re here… Legend has it that these are the lyrics WW2 soldiers came up with on the battlefront on some New Year’s Eve during the war. Haunting and thought provoking… spend some time with this one.
In A Sentimental Mood – Duke Ellington and John Coltrane
I said this week had an overt sentimental tone, didn’t I?! This arrangement of one of my favorite jazz standards covers all the bases: great piano accompaniment, creative drum parts, and a rock solid bass sliding between duple and triple feels like it’s no big deal. The rub between the implied double time and the original feels during the solo section is enough to knock you out of your chair if listening properly. Also note the arrangement: 2 choruses total! Just the right amount for any ballad.
Mama Tried – John Scofield on Country for Old Men
This whole record is one I’ve listened to dozens of times through. To be honest, I didn’t learn the original Mama Tried until after I heard this arrangement – and I love what Scofield and co did with it. Country purists might gaff, but I love this song – both the original I had to learn for a gig recently AND this one. Again, over sentimentality.
Freight Train – Elizabeth Cotton
Not enough people know about this song or this uber talented American singer/songwriter. Though her voice doesn’t mesh with popular standards and her guitar playing style can be perceived as “uninformed" there’s more beauty in these nearly three minutes than in any given decade of pop music or a Mahler symphony. This is true American roots music.
Wang Dang Doodle – Koko Taylor
The queen of the blues! What else is there to say? Wang Dang Doodle all night long… I think this ought to become the next Auld Lang Syne.
Erlandsson – Vӓsen
Sorry for the musical whiplash – but I love this group and especially this Duo album. They manage to combine a primitive feel and highly sophisticated sound to create this soundscape that takes the listener on a journey to some distant planet.
Ready or Not – Shakey Graves and Sierra Ferrell
I had to do a double take when I first hear this track. The “more produced” sound of this single took me aback when I heard Shakey Graves’ voice in it. Not that it’s bad, just different from what I’m used to! This is a great grocery-getting track: It’s got a catchy little hook, interesting harmonic motion, and stays relatively flat dynamically while managing to change textures almost every 8 bars without feeling abrupt. It’s like driving in a way: the same thing is happening, but the scenery is every so slightly changing throughout the drive, then you slow down to a stop.
Hope you enjoy this playlist! Let me know what you think. Cheers and happy new year!