I want to get into more Jazz/Blues, but I have no idea where to start

[CaseLogic]

I don't listen to Jazz or Blues =/

Can anyone recommend me a good artist or two for either category that has some nice bass in it? In my 3 years of playing bass I've pretty much focused on rock and whatever genre you wanna call RHCP (lol), but I kind of want to expand my knowledge, especially for music theory's sake.

Is there anything in particular about Jazz/Blues I should know before I take the leap into the genres?

[Jody LeCompte]

Blues is incredibly vast. What kind of blues do you want to learn to play?

Delta blues like Ledbelly, texas blues like SRV, chicago blues like Buddy guy?

[the101er]

Go to the Jazz/Funk/Blues section of the forums. They have a sticky for recommendations on all the genre's and sub genres

It's a great place to start.

[CaseLogic]

Blues is incredibly vast. What kind of blues do you want to learn to play?

Delta blues like Ledbelly, texas blues like SRV, chicago blues like Buddy guy?
I wish I knew...haha. Like I said I'm completely new, but I guess I'll check out the subforum.

[Specialsauce]

I don't listen to Jazz or Blues =/

Can anyone recommend me a good artist or two for either category that has some nice bass in it? In my 3 years of playing bass I've pretty much focused on rock and whatever genre you wanna call RHCP (lol), but I kind of want to expand my knowledge, especially for music theory's sake.

Is there anything in particular about Jazz/Blues I should know before I take the leap into the genres?

i dont listen to blues, and my jazz scope islimited, but i can say that Bill Evans Trio -Portrait in Jazz is a great album with great bass. Scott LaFarro is quite the upright player.

[gregulus]

i dont listen to blues, and my jazz scope islimited, but i can say that Bill Evans Trio -Portrait in Jazz is a great album with great bass. Scott LaFarro is quite the upright player.

For a jazz beginner to try and play anything by Scott LaFarro is ridiculous. For an example of what jazz bass can be, it's a great example though.

[gaslight]

Best way to get into jazz easily is to start with cool jazz and get busier.

Grab Miles Davis' "Birth Of The Cool" and "Kind Of Blue" off the internet, that's as good a start as any because the records are well known and readily available.

To get into blues why not start with BB King.

If you want to look into specific jazz bass players, Ray Brown and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen both have a whole lot going on.

[trumpeter]

Listen to more Louis Armstrong than you think possible.


That is all.

[gaslight]

Oh, and Ron Carter is another great jazz bassist.

[FruscianteFan08]

you definitely want some Miles Davis stuff to start off w/. Try out "Kind of Blue" and if that doesn't catch your interest, then you might want to start off w/ some of Miles' fusion stuff (more like psychadelic rock/jazz/funk). It would make the transition from rock to jazz easier. I would suggest "Bitches Brew" or "Live-Evil". after that try and go back to Kind of Blue and then work your way from there.

As for blues, it'd be easiest to listen to blues/rock type bands like Allman Bros., anything w/ Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Black Crowes, etc. Then you'll be ready for real blues like Robert Johnson.

I know a lot more about jazz than blues, but i think this would help you w/ both of which

P.S.- Make sure you begin theory and understand the term I-IV-V and II-V-I in terms of chord progressions. And learn all of your scales AND modes. these are crucial in jazz

[CaseLogic]

I understand the modes and the chord progression terminology, but as far as bass playing goes, when you change from let's say I to IV, you're still playing the same key, right? So do you just emphasis the new root note more?

[gaslight]

Yeah, the chord symbols like I, IV, V, they all represent chords within a key, so just follow the changes.

[peeted]

Best way to get into jazz easily is to start with cool jazz and get busier.



i found the complete opposite, i started with stuff like mahavishnu and chick corea's electric band, more bussy rocky stuff wich kept me intrested to more funky fussion to older jazz like bebop and then all teh way back to louis armstrong. If you dont have any knowlage of jazz then your more likley to get quickley bored of stuff like that, its something you need to work into if you ask me.

[FruscianteFan08]

I understand the modes and the chord progression terminology, but as far as bass playing goes, when you change from let's say I to IV, you're still playing the same key, right? So do you just emphasis the new root note more?

It actually can vary. In blues, yes you'll usually just play in the same key for all or most of the song (usually a pentatonic minor plus a flatted fifth). But in Jazz, usually a I-IV-V progression will be modal, hence you will probably use all dominant chords for each change (in this case you would use the mixolydian mode for each change). A good example of this would be "All Blues" off of the album "Kind of Blue". It' just a I-IV-V in G that contains all dominant chords (plus 2 beats of Eb within the V chord (D)).

[Sablate McNuff]

Best way to get into jazz easily is to start with cool jazz and get busier.

As someone else brought up, I was quite opposite. Up-beat, big band, swing-style got me into it more than listening to slow i-wanna-fall-asleep jazz.

Bobby McFerrin is the best way to get into jazz.

[gaslight]

I was talking about playing not listening. A beginner at jazz is going to have a much easier time playing something like So What than trying to burn through a complicated bebop tune.

[CaseLogic]

Where can I learn about more theory-related stuff like this? I know the basics about keys, modes, chord progressions, but I'm confused about what possible chords you can play within a song. I'm sure not every song sticks to a certain key, and not every song sticks to only a certain set of chords -where can I learn about all this? =/

[Billie'sBouncer]

Where can I learn about more theory-related stuff like this? I know the basics about keys, modes, chord progressions, but I'm confused about what possible chords you can play within a song. I'm sure not every song sticks to a certain key, and not every song sticks to only a certain set of chords -where can I learn about all this? =/

I would try this http://www.bassbooks.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=294 many people I know reccomend it highly. I used it because there is a whole section on just the song Giant Steps it is a great book I need to get my own copy soon (borrowing someones right now).

[HaVIC5]

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=508714

This thread will help you a bit, I think, in understanding what jazz is like.

[CaseLogic]

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=508714

This thread will help you a bit, I think, in understanding what jazz is like.
Thank you very much :)

[LightRaven]

I understand the modes and the chord progression terminology, but as far as bass playing goes, when you change from let's say I to IV, you're still playing the same key, right? So do you just emphasis the new root note more?

In Jazz and Blues, you don't play in a "key".. you are supposed to play off the chord change of the moment. Of course, in a general sense, the chords are usually all within a "key"... but you are supposed to think of it as each chord change is a key in itself and you play the key of the moment.

I would check out Mingus, Paul Chamers, Ron Carter, Christian McBride and Dave Holland. I'm sure I'm missing quite a few... but you'll have your hands full with Mingus all by himself.

LR

[HaVIC5]

In Jazz and Blues, you don't play in a "key".. you are supposed to play off the chord change of the moment. Of course, in a general sense, the chords are usually all within a "key"... but you are supposed to think of it as each chord change is a key in itself and you play the key of the moment.

I would check out Mingus, Paul Chamers, Ron Carter, Christian McBride and Dave Holland. I'm sure I'm missing quite a few... but you'll have your hands full with Mingus all by himself.

LR
!!!!!!! Light Raven?!

Holy ****, how have you been?

[LightRaven]

!!!!!!! Light Raven?!

Holy ****, how have you been?

:) Tis me. I've been well. In a sort of strange kind of my-life-will-never-be-what-it-was-again kind of way. How are you?

LR

[peeted]

:D light raven is back (i joined just as LR was starting to post less, wont remember me), but very good point about keys, wen walk lines i tend to apply diffrent modes to diffrent chords (eg dorian fo C minor 7th or locrian for c minor 7th flatend 5th) but since lots of chords have several modes wich work for them you can still usualy find a mode wich is diatonic to the over all key your playig in.

[The jazz metal flum]

I don't know many blues artists but as far as jazz goes get some herbie hancock, his stuff switches between jazz funk and normal jazz.