Re: [Harp-L] Little Walter's bass players (was Group Arrangement)

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

It simply isn't true that Little Walter didn't usually include bass on his 
recordings.

A bass player is present on 112 out of 126 sides on the  compilation "Little 
Walter: Chess Masters 1950-1967."

No bass player: 14 sides (9 from 1952, 3 in 1954, 2 in 1957)

Big Crawford, bass: 8 sides (1950 and 1953)

Willie Dixon, Bass: 85 sides (1953 through 1960)

Luther Tucker, bass: 2 sides (Nobody But You and Shake Dancer, 1957)

Andrew Stephens, bass: 4 slides (January 1959)
 
Fred Robinson, bass: 2 sides (November 1959)

Jack Meyers, bass: 4 sides (February 1963)

Junior Pettis; bass: 4 sides (February 1966)

Unknown, bass: 2 sides (1967)

Sonny Wimberley, bass: 1 side (1967)
Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica instructor, The Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
Resident expert, bluesharmonica.com
Columnist, harmonicasessions.com




________________________________
From: Tom Ball <havaball@xxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Mon, January 31, 2011 3:45:14 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Group Arrangement

True in that the "bass" (or more accrately, bass-line) was often handled by one 
of the guitarists.
However, usually the guitar wasn't tuned down an octave.

cheers,
TB



I'm in the midst of reading LW's bio for the second time and at least
half of his recordings had no bass but one of his guitar players
tuning down an octave and played the bass line as The Iceman stated.
Other recordings had Willie Dixon or Big Crawford on bass.

In those days the electric bass was in the infant stage and mic'ing
an upright bass, drums or piano were far from perfect and provided a
sound that would be unacceptable in today's music.

Taco