News & Updates — bassist

Although he only lived to be 25, Scott LaFaro is one of the most advanced and influential jazz bassists the music had ever seen. His playing brought melodicism, exploration, voice and intuitive interplay to a whole new level and subsequently inspired generations of bassists since. Although best known for his work with Bill Evans and Ornette Coleman, he also played with Hampton Hawes, Booker Little, Stan Getz & Cal Tjader, Elvin Jones, Stan Kenton, John Lewis, Chet Baker and Benny Goodman, among others. He was one of the two bassists (with Charlie Haden) on the classic 1960 Ornette session that...

One of my favorite bassists (and a major piece of the Coltrane groups of the '60s), Jimmy Garrison came out of the Philly jazz scene, working and/or recording with a host of greats such as Kenny Dorham, Calvin Massey, Jackie McLean, Ornette Coleman, Lee Konitz, Philly Joe Jones and others before hooking up with Trane in '62. He brought a hard-driving style that later displayed a flamenco-inspired lyricism (at times) to the Trane sound as his #1 bassist until the saxophonist's death in '67. In the following years he continued to record with many Coltrane associates (such as Alice, Elvin...

(drawing by Lukas Biel) An icon of heavy metal, Metallica bassist Cliff Burton died all too young at just 24, but not before he made three amazing albums with the band, including the top-rated Master Of Puppets, an album that shows this band of young drunks to possess incredible talent and song-writing chops. The bassists from the bands Black Sabbath, Rush, Thin Lizzy and Motorhead, as well as jazz bassist Stanley Clarke were his biggest influences. Check out his bass work on "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" and "Orion" with Metallica. Here's that classic tune from Master of Puppets, "Orion": And I...

Nephew of the great Cachao, bassist for Buena Vista Social Club and an incredible musician on all fronts, Orlando "Cachaíto" López was part of the great López musical family in Cuba, son of composer Orestes López. He came from a lineage of over 30 bassists. He helped create the descarga in the '50s and played in Orquesta Riverside. Cachaíto made one classic self-titled record on World Circuit that mixed Cuban son with funk, descargas with Mingus, dub with jazz. Also hear his work he did on Angá Diaz's album Echu Mingua. Here's a short film shot for his album, produced...

One of my very favorite musicians, Ahmed Abdul-Malik fused North African and Middle Eastern music with jazz beginning in the late 50s. He grew up in musical Bed-Stuy with Randy Weston, Cecil Payne, Bilal Abduraman, Sam Gill and others (and Max Roach was in the neighborhood). He played bass on some great mid-'50's Thelonious Monk records before making his visionary albums Jazz Sahara (1958) and East Meets West (1960), masterly blends of Middle Eastern rhythms and bebop, mixing Arabic percussion, Abdul-Malik's oud and Johnny Griffin flyin' on top. They are essential early "world music" fusions. He continued making great albums...