Movement Of The Bass Line
By Benson Idonije
THE bass guitar has now finally become legitimised as a jazz instrument, where as it initially received violent and scathing criticisms from jazz purist who believed that the fiddle bass was more suited for creative and artistic work. Even where the fiddle bass is still in use, there is now an attempt to amplify its pure bass sound, a testimony to the fact that jazz has been liberalised and made more appealing.
Over the years, the Nigerian scene has had its full share of this transformation. From the days of highlife through dance music and jazz, musicians such as Ayo Vaughan and Steve Rhodes were a source of influence and inspiration to the generation of the 50s and 60s as great exponents of the fiddle bass. There were also such names as Kayode Asogbon and Donald Amaechi, who doubled on guitar to become the moving spirit behind IDEK, the group that featured Isaac Olasugba an alto saxophone; Don Amaechi, bass; Ezekiel Hart, guitar, and Remi Kabaka, drums.
Bass guitar virtuosos emerged in the 70s with Tunde Kuboye, Mike Odunmosu and Kenneth Okulolo as frontliners. All three musicians have had international exposures in addition to making considerable impact at home. Kenneth played with several groups in Lagos and became a member of the famous Steve Rhodes Voices that won laurels in a European festival. Kuboye of Jazz 38 is still sorting out bass lines with unabashed gusto; and aside from stints with Tee Mac, he has been a regular bass player for the Extended Family. But it is noteworthy to say that Kuboye played bass with world acclaimed drummer, Ginger Baker at a jazz festival in Europe in the 70s.
Mike Odumosu, who is currently in London, had stints with Osibissa, after making his fame here in Nigeria as the 'O' of the explosive rock group BLO. Other members of the group included Beckley Jones on guitar and Laolu Akins, drums.
However, the criticisms against the use of the bass guitar in the 70s - stemmed from the onslaught of jazz fusion and smooth jazz which attempted to commercialise the art form. While smooth jazz exponents eager for commercial success saw this electronic sound booster as a better way of projecting their music to the people to achieve mass appeal, genuine jazz musicians complained that this amplified sound was compromising standards. America's Charles Mingus noted for his exemplary technical ability on the fiddle bass, was a strong proponent of the use of the instrument.
In an article entitled, 'Bass Lines,' Charles Mingus was quoted as saying that electricity had put music back. This was in January 1977. The notion that Mingus has about electronic instruments and jazz/rock music is reinforced by his earlier statements. His objectives probably stem from the onslaught in the 70s, during the advent of 'smooth jazz, of semi talented musicians hiding behind the technological gimmickry of advanced electronic instruments. As a result of the successful breakthrough of Herbie Hancock, previously talented pianist with Miles Davis, many mediocre musicians chose this path as their main pre-occupation and recipe for success.
A lot of the electronic devices were associated with rhythm instruments such as keyboards, which were represented with moogs, and synthesisers of different shades. The fiddle bass, which was essentially an instrument for melodic exploration as well as for determining chord changes and progression, for Mingus now began to explode with a loud fuzz. The amplification of the saxophone, which in recent times has been copiously exhibited in these parts, was legitimised in the seventies by Eddie Harris, who played the amplified alto saxophone. With a funky, wailing approach and a swinging background, Harris reduced jazz to rock and soul to gain popular acceptance and instant success. However, the bass guitar played a crucial role in this regard, in that its emphasis was the formula which earned Herbie Hancock's 'Head Hunters' the monumental success it enjoyed in 1973. This perhaps explains the concern of Mingus, whose views are highly authoritative and professional.
As a leader, Mingus was rivalled only by Miles Davis in terms of using accomplished sidemen and the ability to draw inspired solos from each of them. Apart from playing the bass better than almost anyone else in jazz, Charles Mingus was also one of the most controversial leaders and composers. His works have often called for freak effects, for gongs and whistles and other sounds, but the sum total has been invariably valid.
In his compositional non-conformity, a trait he seems to have in common with Ihelonius Monk, Mingus has reached down into the roots of jazz and come up with an original style which owes little or nothing to contemporary writers.
A number of bass players have received acclaim and recognition tremendous enough to qualify them for band leadership, but over the years preferred to provide bass lines for other leaders to integrate into their aggregational make-ups. Ray Brown, who made his fame playing with the Oscar Peters Trio is one of them, including James Cobb who generated bass lines for the Miles Davis quintets and Sextets - with, of course the likes of Jimmy Garrieson, who was heard within the great quartet led by John Coltrane in the 60s. They are all talented and famous for the execution of the instrument. But Charles Mingus started to lead his own bands since the fifties, and rather than subjugate his efforts under any outfit, he has continued to forge new directions, attracting to himself the finest musicians on the scene.
In the strict sense, Miles Davis has demonstrated that electronic music does not necessarily commercialise jazz or reduce the music to rock. Much depends on the quality of the music fed into electronics. If the music is creatively qualitative, this positivity would be emphasised. But if the effort of the artiste is deliberately geared towards commercial music, this intention would also be amplified.
A glaring example is the effort of Miles Davis in the 80s in 'The Man with the horn' and sessions he did with a notable American rap artiste in "Dubop sound". It was an admixture of rap and jazz but Miles Davis' trumpet was as pure as ever, devoid of any compromise.
'The man with the horn' session, which includes such brilliant tunes as 'Shout' and "Mother Nature", finds Miles Davis in his elements, sounding as strong as ever in terms of improvisation and dynamics- with a propulsive bass line of the electrified type.
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