There’s a spot in Poinciana where the bass player at a jam session always plays what the pianist is playing. We love doubling in modern music. We’re always trying to double what the piano is doing in the left hand. On the record, the bass line does something else.
Quick answer
At the spot where the jam-session bass player always plays what the pianist is playing, Israel Crosby plays a counterpoint to the piano instead of a unison. It still sounds like unison, because you can still hear the left hand of the piano. Then he introduces another rhythm with each chorus.
That line is Israel Crosby’s, on Ahmad Jamal’s Poinciana from At the Pershing, recorded in 1958 with Vernel Fournier on drums. It’s the greatest upright bass line of all time, and everybody who plays upright should know about Israel Crosby. I cover his wider style in my post on Israel Crosby’s bass style. This page sticks to Poinciana.
Should the bass double the piano on Poinciana?
Sometimes doubling isn’t necessary, and it’s actually way more impactful to play your own line that goes as a counterpoint to the piano’s line. That’s what Crosby does at that spot. Here’s the beauty of it: it still sounds like unison, because you can still hear the left hand of the piano.
It not only establishes itself as a bass line, but it gives voice to everything else that’s happening.
Cole Davis
That’s what a really great bass line does. It highlights certain elements of the drums and certain elements of the piano, and if there’s a singer, it highlights the melody. Crosby is highlighting so many different parts of the song that while he’s establishing his bass line, he’s giving everyone else their voice.
Later he finds another spot like that. He’s saying, I’m not going to play the roots, but I’m not going to play the melody either. I’m going to play something in the middle. It goes with what the pianist is playing and against it at the same time. This is totally legal. It’s not a unison, and it’s not the root. It’s a counterpoint.
What makes Israel Crosby’s Poinciana line sound modern?
He starts by establishing the bass line. No fills, just the line. Very quickly he starts filling, and the way he does it is very similar to some of the great Motown bass lines.
Then there’s a spot where he plays some crazy stuff. No bass player in 1958 would be able to do this without getting fired, except him. If you played it now, it would be modern and amazing. In 1958, it stunned everyone. And he plays it again a few bars later.
He also introduces another rhythm with each chorus, and each chorus is a slight variation on the one before. You can do this whenever you’re playing a groove. It takes a lot of focus. You know what you started with, and you’re varying it throughout. That’s what a composer does: you start with an idea, and then you vary that idea. Doing it with a bass line in real time is exceptional. If you can do that, not only will you not get fired, you’ll be hired again and again and again.
One warning. Later on he adds a rhythm that sounds really simple, but if you try to play along with the track, it’ll totally mess you up.
Try it on your next groove
- Establish the line first. Play the groove plainly, with no fills, the way he starts.
- Add one rhythm per chorus. Keep the line, and bring in one new rhythm each time around.
- Find a counterpoint. Pick a spot where you’d normally double the piano, and play your own line in the middle instead, neither the root nor the melody.
- Borrow the ride cymbal. Put the ride cymbal’s rhythm in your line, the way Crosby keeps doing. Even though Poinciana isn’t a swing beat necessarily, that’s how the swing is there.
What’s in the transcription
The full transcription is Crosby’s complete line, all four pages, as a PDF. The video lesson runs about 20 minutes and goes through the line chorus by chorus, all the way to his classic ending.
Next time Poinciana gets called, leave the piano part to the pianist and play a counterpoint.
Go deeper
Israel Crosby: Poinciana
Israel Crosby on Ahmad Jamal’s Poinciana, 1958. The complete transcription, and how he changes the line every chorus without losing the groove.
FAQ
Who played bass on Ahmad Jamal’s Poinciana?
Israel Crosby, on At the Pershing, recorded in 1958 with Vernel Fournier on drums. It’s the greatest upright bass line of all time.
Is Poinciana a swing tune?
Not necessarily, but the swing is there. Crosby keeps playing the rhythm of the ride cymbal, so he’s swinging even though he isn’t playing quarter notes.
Did Israel Crosby’s Poinciana line influence Motown?
Some of his fills are very similar to some of the great Motown bass lines. If you like James Jamerson, the bass line on What’s Going On is actually quite similar to this one. I’m not positive of this, but it sounds like he may have borrowed some of these bass lines.
How do you vary a bass line without losing the groove?
Establish the line first. Then introduce another rhythm with each chorus, so each chorus is a slight variation on the last. It takes a lot of focus: you know what you started with, and you’re varying it throughout, the way a composer starts with an idea and then varies it.
Is Israel Crosby’s Poinciana line difficult to play along with?
One rhythm he adds sounds really simple, but if you try to play along with the track, it’ll totally mess you up.
