[78-L] Use of double bass in dance bands

[Tim Huskisson]

Gene Kardos' 'Mean Music' (also 1931) is interesting for the Brass-bass
playing 4-in-the-bar for much of the time. If it weren't for the fact that
the lyrics actually mention a 'Tuba-phone' (at 1:56), I wonder if this would
have been played on String-Bass?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG6TmtLo_Yk

Tim Huskisson



-----Original Message-----
From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com
[mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of David Lewis
Sent: 28 October 2012 12:11
To: 78-l
Subject: [78-L] Use of double bass in dance bands


Belated response to this thread, and apologies for that. My experience has
been, and that comes from merely from listening to lots and lots of dance
records from 1918-34, is that while the brass bass dominates before 1928
both brass bass and string bass are used interchangeably inthis whole
period. There are very early dance records from around 1920 that use bass
clarinet or bassoon in that role as well. And the brassbass doesn't
necessarily disappear from the scene after 1928; witness this Fletcher
Henderson recording from 1931: https://www.box.com/s/f6hiw1l0crf83tm60jv7 It
seems most bass players in jazz/dance bands in that period were capable of
playing both, much as a saxophone player in the 1920s wasexpected to know
clarinet too, and several kinds of saxophones and if needed, other reeds
such as oboe. If there was a conscious transitionfrom brass bass to string
bass, and I'm not sure that it was "conscious" per se, before that it was up
to the player or arranger to deter  minewhich option sounded better within a
given piece. Vince Giordano is the bassist in the Nighthawks and he crams
into his little spot on the'stage at the Edison Hotel a bass sax, tuba and a
metal string bass. You do see similar configurations in old photos of dance
bands; I reallythink it was up to the discretion of the player. Possibly the
pluckier sound of the string bass "won" by 1935 simply because it fit better
with the tempo of swing music, but note that in theHenderson file the brass
bass has no trouble swinging this chart. I play the electric bass regularly
and I can attest, yes, if you are a bassplayer it is easy to detect mistakes
in the bass line. But the upside of that is that you can better appreciate
really outstanding bass playingwhen it happens.  

Uncle Dave Lewis
uncledavelewis at hotmail.com 		 	   		  
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