Double Bass Techniques of the Early Jazz Era

Abstract

ABSTRACT While it is no secret that many early jazz recordings featured the tuba as the low-end instrument of choice, something seems to be missing from the standard pedagogy in regards to jazz double bass. The double bass had been treated, it seems, with a great deal of speculation as to its true role in early jazz performance practice. In light of this, there is a pressing need for hard research into the performance practices of the early jazz bassists. This article will outline the various ways in which the most notable jazz bassists of the era employed those techniques, with particular attention to the works of Wellman Braud, Steve Brown, and Bill Johnson, as well as to highlight several examples from after the early jazz period which directly reflect the influence of traditional New Orleans style performance practices.