Possibly the best article ever written about early slap bass players is finally back on internet! Slap That Bass – New Orleans String Bass Pioneers written by Jazz historian Dan Meyer hasn’t been available on internet for a while. Now you can read it exclusively here on our website!
Special thanks goes to Dan Meyer for letting us republish this article on the Art of Slap Bass!
It is great that this article is online and has a lot of valuable information. The part where early recording technique is discussed is interesting, but the bits where tuba is discussed has the usual mistake: bass saxophone is forgotten. In fact on many early recordings a bass saxophone is used to cover the bass parts. Probably because of the limitations of the recording techniques as discussed. However, fact is that the most creative and inventive player of bass lines in the 1920’s, was Adrian Rollini. Check San, recorded in 1926, or Milenburg joys 1925, or Tiger Rag. He is also on some of the best tracks Bix Beiderbecke recorded.
And yes, it was a dead end allready in the 1930’s, but these facts, (Even King Oliver recorded with bass saxophone) should not be forgoten.