Jazz Bass Artists of the 1950s

As the ultimate resource on 1950s jazz bass artistry, Jazz Bass Artists of the 1950s explores the musical, creative and artistic contributions of 15 jazz bass masters of the straight-ahead era: big-name bassists Oscar Pettiford, Ray Brown, Milt Hinton, Paul Chambers, Leroy Vinnegar, Red Mitchell, Charles Mingus, Doug Watkins and Sam Jones, as well as bassists deserving wider recognition: Eddie Safranski, George Duvivier, Wendell Marshall, Jimmy Woode, Joe Benjamin and Arvell Shaw. A chapter on each reveals the various factors that combined to bring about his lasting stylistic achievements. But more than mere history, this in-depth work is, first and foremost, about the music, whether bebop, hard bop, blues, or standards interpretation. Features include a timeline and biographic overview of each player's professional life and career; a carefully considered listing of each bassist's greatest recorded performances; and reviews of 71 of the artists' finest but little-known solos that never received their due acclaim. Chuck Stewart and Ray Avery shot the full-page portraits of each jazz master. Jazz Bass Artists of the 1950s is for today's jazz bass players as a model for jazz bass artistry. It is also a key resource for devoted jazz listeners seeking to expand their appreciation and enjoyment of the art with invaluable jazz background information.