Composing the Jazz Bass Revolution: Duke Ellington’s Writing for the String Bass, 1925–1941

ABSTRACT Throughout his career, Duke Ellington (1899–1974) has been partial to the deep sounds of the bass, as evidenced by records ranging from “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo” (1926) to “Portrait of Wellman Braud” (1970). He always made sure he had the finest bassists at his disposal and used them to good advantage, not merely as accompanists or soloists, but also by having them provide counterpoint, double melodic lines, add percussive effects, and so forth. It can even be argued that although he did not play the string bass, Ellington was instrumental to its development. This article discusses the compositional devices and strategies Duke used to explore new approaches to the bass function between 1925 and 1941, and reveals how he in the process helped define its role in jazz.