Delbert Felix – Bass Delbert Felix (born c. 1958 in St. Helena) is an American jazz bassist. Felix’s father was a bandleader; in high school, he first played euphonium before switching to electric bass, influenced by George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic. After studying at Florida A&M University, he transferred to the Berklee School of Music in Boston. There he met Branford Marsalis. After graduating in 1981,…

Dave Holland – Bass This track features two women who deserve all the praise that they get. Vocalist Cassandra Wilson lends her signature smoky vocals to this wonderful Holland composition which features the poetry of another legend, this time of African American literature, Maya Angelou. The tune is ‘Equality’ from the 1996 Dave Holland Quartet…

Reginald Veal – Bass Reginald Swingdoom’ Veal was the bass player with a host of projects in and around the legendary Marsalis family and his discography includes recordings with Wynton, Branford and Ellis Marsalis as well as Pharoah Sanders, Elvin Jones, Charlie Rouse, Hamiet Bluiett, Harry Connick Jr., Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison and Marcus Roberts. I…

Jorge Casas – Bass The one band I would not refuse to do a tribute band for! Miami Sound Machine were the band that launched the career of Gloria Estefan who made some great records in her own right, fusing Latin rhythms with 80s Pop and Funk. There are some monster arrangements and some great…

Dave Holland – Bass There is always something interesting going on with Holland’s compositions. There are no contracts here. The tunes are blues drenched but there are no lazy 12-bar heads. This composition has a strange ‘limp’ in the form. Each three bar sequence reads 3:4/4:4/3:4. The extra beat in the middle bar creates this…

Chris Squire – Bass There are a lot of Squire parts that are profoundly difficult to get down on paper (I tried to tackle ‘Tales Of Topographic Oceans’ but it is impossible to capture) but some of these earlier tunes are that little bit less demanding. It wasn’t until I was doing this chart that…

Dave Holland – Bass Another from the 1980s Holland Quintet catalogue, this is the beautiful ballad ‘First Snow’ from the 1984 Quintet album, ‘First Snow’. Great writing and I love the way these three horns blend in the ensemble sections. Holland’s parts are harmonically fairly unremarkable but, rhythmically, he keeps you guessing all of the…

Dave Holland – Bass Another one from that series of Dave Holland Quintet recordings from the 19080s, this one featuring the Coleman/Priester/Wheeler/Smith line-up. The tune is called ‘World Protection Blues, another Doug Hammond composition, and comes from the 1985 album, ‘Seeds Of Time’. Great composition, this one is only challenging from the point of view…

Dave Holland – Bass Another from the 1987 Dave Holland Quintet album, ‘The Razor’s Edge’, this is the Kenny Wheeler composition ‘5 Four Six’. It opens with an arco sequence. The challenge in this one is in capturing Holland’s unique phrasing. There is also the fact that, to my ears, it changes from 4:4 to…

Dave Holland – Bass Another one from the 1987 Dave Holland Quintet recording ‘The Razor’s Edge’, this is the first 38 seconds of the opening track, ‘Brother Ty’ penned by drummer Doug Hammond. Hammaond wrote a couple of tunes on this album so I assume he is connected to the band in some way but…