You put on a Charlie Parker record, play along through his solo, and somehow you’re in time but still not locked in. One thing I have all my students do is play along with a Charlie Parker recording, and it throws them off almost every single time. If you want to play along with jazz records and actually lock in, the fix is knowing who to follow.
Quick answer
To play along with jazz records, lock in with the bass player, not the soloist. The bass plays its own independent time. On Charlie Parker’s “Cheryl,” Bird plays way behind the beat, so the bass sits way in front of him, then comes back to meet Miles Davis. Listen for where the bass is and why it’s there.
Listen for where the bass is
Bass is different from drums. Drummers orchestrate and color the music with their ride patterns. We’re not orchestrating anything or shaping anything. We’re just playing great time, straight down the middle, and letting the band revolve around us. We’re facilitators, not orchestrators. We’re not the painter, but we’re the canvas the painting is being made on.
So when you listen to the bass on a record, ask where the bass is and why it’s there. On a Dexter Gordon record that drummer Aaron Seeber played for us in The Locked-In Bassist, the bass is way in front, pushing. That’s because Dexter Gordon is so far behind the beat that the bass player has no choice. Is the bass player thinking, “Dexter Gordon is so far behind, so I need to play ahead”? Probably not. They’re just trying to find the pocket, and that’s where the pocket is with Dexter playing so far back.
Should you follow the bass player or the soloist?
Someone else who plays way back is Charlie Parker. In the lesson I play along with Bird’s recording of “Cheryl,” which is just a blues in C, and when he gets to his solo I try to follow him. It’s his record, so it would make sense to follow him, right? No.
You have to follow the bass player, because the bass player is playing their independent time, which is different from Charlie Parker’s time.
Cole Davis
Bird played way, way behind the beat. That’s part of what made him so unique. He played over the bar line, with all these free-floating rhythms. So what does the bass player have to do? Play way in front of him. Then Miles Davis comes in, and if anything Miles plays more on top. So the bass player comes way back to meet Miles where he is, and there’s a subtle change in the beat between the two solos.
Does that happen because the bass player is thinking about it analytically? Maybe. There’s harm in overthinking, but there’s no harm in thinking that way if it helps the music. I think the bass player was just trying to find the pocket. During Bird’s solo, the bass is driving the bus. During Miles’s solo, Miles is driving the bus, and the bass player is letting that happen. Even when the bass player isn’t driving the bus, the bass player is always facilitating the swing.
Two underrated bass records to play along with
To hear a bass player taking complete and total control, it’s tempting to go to a classic Ray Brown record. Try something you might not know as well: Kenny Dorham’s record Inta Somethin’, with the great Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Art Taylor on drums. When you play along with it, think about where the bass player is and put yourself in their shoes.
Then try a bass player playing way behind the beat: Buster Williams on Shirley Horn’s A Lazy Afternoon, with Shirley Horn on piano and vocals and Billy Hart on drums. In the lesson I play along with “I’m Old Fashioned” from that record. It’s a pretty lazy two-feel with lots of slides, and it’s still keeping time. Buster plays so far behind the beat and so relaxed, but he’s still taking charge and still taking responsibility for the music.
That’s not an intentional thing where he’s placing the time. That’s how he naturally feels the time. I don’t naturally feel time that way. Very few people do, but he certainly does. Of course he’s worked on it and practiced a lot, but time is a very personal thing. You’re going to feel the time the way you feel the time. So it’s not about making a calculated decision to put the time in a certain place. A lot of the time, it’s just where you feel it, with a little bit of wiggle room.
Aaron pointed out an interesting thing for drummers on that record. Shirley Horn didn’t enjoy the hi-hat on two and four, so on some of the ballads Billy Hart doesn’t play it there. That creates a very open sound where the time is completely coming from the bass, and the drums are texture. As Aaron puts it, sometimes the things we do in our roles are there to serve the purpose of the bandleader, so they can get their artistry out.
How do you play along with jazz records?
Records are where you work on feel, way more than with a metronome. I make that case in time vs feel on Ray Brown’s “Have You Met Miss Jones,” and these records add the next question: who are you locking in with? Here’s a plan for this week:
- Play along with “Cheryl.” Through Bird’s solo, lock in with the bass player, not the saxophone.
- Catch the change. When Miles comes in, listen for the bass coming back to meet him, and go with it.
- Put yourself in Leroy Vinnegar’s shoes. Play along with Inta Somethin’ and keep asking where the bass player is.
- Feel it your way. Play along with A Lazy Afternoon and feel the time the way you feel it. It’s not about making a calculated decision to put the time in a certain place.
Put on “Cheryl” tonight and follow the bass player instead of Bird. Part Four of The Locked-In Bassist is the records: who to lock in with, why following the soloist throws you off, and the play-alongs.
Go deeper
The Locked-In Bassist: Swing With Any Drummer
Part Four takes it to the records: who to lock in with, why following the soloist throws you off, plus record play-alongs.
FAQ
Should you follow the soloist or the bass player when you play along with a record?
Follow the bass player. On Charlie Parker’s “Cheryl,” it would make sense to follow Bird, since it’s his record. But the bass player is playing their own independent time, and it’s different from Charlie Parker’s time. One thing I have all my students do is play along with a Charlie Parker recording, and following him throws them off almost every time.
Did Charlie Parker play behind the beat?
Way, way behind the beat. That’s part of what made Bird so unique. He played over the bar line, with all these free-floating rhythms. So on “Cheryl,” the bass player sits way in front of him. When Miles Davis comes in, playing more on top, the bass comes way back to meet him.
Where does the bass sit behind Dexter Gordon?
Way in front, pushing. Dexter Gordon plays so far behind the beat that the bass player has no choice. The bass player probably isn’t thinking, “Dexter Gordon is so far behind, so I need to play ahead.” They’re just trying to find the pocket, and with Dexter playing that far back, that’s where the pocket is.
Does Buster Williams play behind the beat on purpose?
No. Buster Williams plays so far behind the beat and so relaxed, but it isn’t an intentional thing. That’s how he naturally feels the time. Very few people do, and I don’t. He’s worked on it and practiced a lot, but time is a very personal thing, and you’re going to feel the time the way you feel the time.
What are some underrated bass records to play along with?
Try Leroy Vinnegar on Kenny Dorham’s Inta Somethin’, with Art Taylor on drums, for a bass player taking complete and total control. Then try Buster Williams on Shirley Horn’s A Lazy Afternoon, with Billy Hart on drums, for a bass player way behind the beat who’s still taking charge. Think about where the bass player is and put yourself in their shoes.
