Bass Player: Jimmy Woode

Born in Philapdelphia on September 23rd, 1926, James Bryant Woode pril 23, 2005) was an American jazz bassist. He played and/or recorded in bands with Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Sidney Bechet, Billie Holiday and Miles Davis amongst a host of others. Now THAT is what you call a CV. Woode passed away on April 23rd 2005.

The transcription is the bass part for the title tune from Duke Ellington’s 12 piece suite based on the works of William Shakespeare. ‘Such Sweet Thunder’ was released in 1957 and the tune is a simple blues (there is an eighbar tag at one point but, otherwise, it is a fairly conventional 12-bar). It is a simple tune in which the bass essentially plays the melody in unison with the horn section, albeit as a bass not as a lead instrument. Give the tune a listen and you will see what we mean. It’s a fun tune to play and a fairly easy read.