Volume 19, December 2025
The Heartbeat of Jazz: The Multifaceted Role of the Jazz Bass through the Eyes of Jazz Architects

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Volume 19 of the OJBR presents The Heartbeat of Jazz: The Multifaceted Role of the Jazz Bass through the Eyes of Jazz Architects by Dr. Seungyoung Hong.

Abstract: Beyond the surface roles and settled jazz bass performing style, the purpose of this study is to investigate the deeper musical role required of the bassist as a rhythm section player in the practical inner workings of jazz performance. This study highlights the subtle distinctiveness, the different chief focuses, and the characterized contributions of bassists through the incorporation of the thoughts, opinions, and perspectives of historical jazz musicians — "architects" and involved practitioners. Rather than focusing on the practical construction of bass performance or the instrumental abilities of individual players, it explores a conceptual view of the bassist's multifaceted role for various musical impacts. The perspectives on the bassist's nuanced fulfilment are divided into four different yet related categories, and it recognizes that the essential role is diverse and subject to change, contributing significantly to music-making process and requiring numerous additional conditions, demands, ideas, and various elements.

Keywords: Jazz Bass, Musical Role, Rhythm Section, Jazz Architects

• About the Author
• Introduction
• Stable and Fundamental
• Structured and Nimble
• Robust and Influential
• Innovative and Boundary-Breaking
• Conclusion
• References

About the Author

Dr. Seungyoung Hong is a bassist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. He is currently serving as assistant professor of jazz studies at the Crane School of Music at State University of New York at Potsdam. He earned his DMA in Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media from the Eastman School of Music, in concentration of jazz bass performance and music theory.

Introduction

Iconic figures such as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane have led their own ensembles, becoming architects of jazz's narrative. Their influence, both on stages and in recordings, played as pivotal roles in shaping the trajectory of jazz, through their profound musical contributions. While they are renowned as composers and bandleaders, within jazz's improvisational nature, they allowed much of the musical room for performers to express their spontaneous creativity within established thematic and structural boundaries. In the collaborative framework of jazz ensemble, each musician brings their distinct musical voice. Yet, the true magic of collaborative improvisation emerges when these individual voices incorporate into a harmonious entity.

The heartbeat of jazz performance comes from the rhythmic foundation provided by the rhythm section, comprising instruments like piano and/or guitar — a chordal instrument, bass, and drums. These musicians not only provide the essential rhythmic and harmonic framework but also engage in a dynamic interplay which significantly contributes to defining the group's sound and style. Thus, considering and selecting the right combination of rhythm section players become paramount in shaping the group's musical identity.

Within rhythm section, one of the pivotal roles of the bassist is to anchor the ensemble with their steady pulse and harmonic supports (Berliner 1994: 319-24, 353). The bassists delineate the harmonies, provide the steady time feel, and generate the swing groove with the other rhythm section members; they offer a central role to amalgamate the harmonic and rhythmic fundamentals between the drums and the chordal instrument. Bassist Cecil McBee emphasizes the responsibility of bass players with the musical role in providing rhythmic stability and harmonic clarity:

It's important that the player understands that his musical position is to ascertain the pulse, the harmony and rhythm all in one. He's the heartbeat . . . what I mean is all is listening to him . . . all are listening to that pulse, that sound for guidance. The harmonic path, the rhythmic-harmonic pulsative path that the bass takes as a guide to whatever improvisation . . . is to occur at the time. (Monson 1996: 29-30)

Taking a broader view, the interactive nature of jazz performance highlights musical personalities to create a dynamic musical conversation (Monson 1996:26). In that essence, bassists emphasize the creative ingenuity and adaptability of them in shaping the musical concepts and frameworks (Berliner 1994: 324). Therefore, the bassist's role in a band can be flexibly variable and mutable in situations, and thus the practical aspect seems much more complicated than the defined role.

Considering this, then, what makes some historical bassists apart and enables them to leave an enduring legacy in jazz? Beyond technical proficiency, it is their unique musical personalities and innovative approaches that distinguish them, working with or serving as a support for jazz architects. Therefore, exploring the bassist's role goes beyond mere technical analysis to encompass a nuanced understanding of their artistic vision and contribution to the ensemble dynamic and music making in real time. This investigation aims to unravel the complexities of bass performance in jazz ensembles, shedding light on the interplay of musical elements and interpersonal synergies. Since this study aims to investigate modern jazz bass players, I focus on the musicians who had been active in the heyday of modern jazz from Jimmy Blanton, known as the pathfinder of the modern bass, and to the 1970s.

By focusing on modern jazz bassists, this study seeks to illuminate the diverse perspectives of the role of bassist amid changing artistic models, providing valuable insights. The insights and thoughts of jazz legendary architects and involved musicians are paramount sources, and the chosen figures for this study are: Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, and Herbie Hancock. The selection criteria focused on musicians who formed and led their own groups, left significant musical legacies, were widely regarded as influential in jazz history, and collaborated with notable bassists throughout their careers.

These musicians often shared bassists, having different perspectives. While some bassists such as Ron Carter, Ray Brown, and Paul Chambers worked with various musicians, others were unique to specific leaders. It appears that these jazz architects chose their bassists based both on musical compatibility and personal rapport, adapting their choices to suit their musical needs and preferences. In this study, I uncover insights into how these musicians viewed the role and attributes of bassists, and it can be categorized into four groups: 1) Stable and Fundamental, 2) Structured and Nimble, 3) Robust and Influential, and 4) Innovative and Boundary-breaking.

Stable and Fundamental

Since the advent of the four-beat walking bass, the structure has remained pivotal as the substantial role of the bass. The constant quarter notes establish the time feel and tempo alongside the drummer, and its pitches convey the harmonies. With the rise of smaller jazz groups in the modern jazz trend, the bassist became important beyond the percussive style, demanding attention to note selection and sound projection on stage. Their physical techniques to make the notes be heard on bandstand became crucial, and Kelley wrote about Thelonious Monk's insight in which this development of bass is evident:

Monk liked the big sound Warren got from the lower register and his inventive choice of notes — characteristic he appreciated in Wilbur Ware's playing . . . He never told Warren how to play, he simply told him to 'make my music sound better.' (2009: 337)

Monk praises the 23-year-old bassist Edward "Butch" Warren's bass sound and note choices without prescribing specific playing techniques. Monk's emphasis on enhancing the ensemble's sound underscores the importance of a solid and intelligible bass foundation — it also implies Monk's predilection for Ware's bass performance for the same reason.

Monk's meticulous approach to selecting sidemen emphasized the preference for traditional timekeeping over adventurous rhythm explorations. The preference shows Monk's need for a conventional rhythmic foundation, minimizing spontaneous deviations that might distract the ensemble's cohesion. In Monk's ensemble, the primary role of the rhythm section appears to be maintaining a steadfast musical foundation and avoiding unnecessary departures from the established framework. This balances the performance with the intricate nature of Monk's compositions, characterized by complex harmonies and distinctive colors, rhythmic varieties and occasional specific bass figures, and asymmetrical structures, which necessitate a disciplined approach from the rhythm section. Thus, for the bass accordingly, Monk's focus seems to prioritize a stable expression rather than an individualized expression. There is a prime concern regarding sidemen for his group:

When hiring sidemen, Monk sought out who played solid, traditional time, and was less disposed toward busy, rhythmically challenging percussionists such as his occasional accompanist Roy Haynes . . . it is best for jazz players to adhere to conventional ensemble roles without immediately responding or otherwise adapting to one another's spontaneous flights of inspiration. (Givan 2016)

Similar concerns regarding the rhythm section's adherence to predetermined musical elements are shown in anecdotes from Charlie Parker's performances. Parker's advanced improvisational skills often challenged rhythm section players to maintain the song's structure amid his freewheeling exploration. Bassist Gene Ramey and trumpeter Miles Davis recount instances where Parker's improvisation led to confusion among the musicians on stage, highlighting the necessity for steadfast adherence to the musical framework:

When I [Ramsey] look back, it seems to me that Bird [Parker] was at that time so advanced in jazz that I do not think we realized to what a degree his ideas had become perfected. For instance, we used to jam "Cherokee." Bird had his own way of starting from a chord in B natural and B flat; then he would run a cycle against that; and probably, it would only be two or three bars before we got to the channel (middle part) that he would come back to the basic changes. In those days we used to call it "running out of key." (Reisner 1994: 187-188)

[Parker] used to turn the rhythm section around. Like we'd be playing a blues, and Bird would start on the eleventh bar, and as the rhythm section stayed where they were and Bird played where he was, it sounded as if the rhythm section was on one and three instead of two and four. Every time that would happen, [drummer] Max Roach used to scream at [pianist] Duke Jordan not to follow Bird, but to stay where he was. Then, eventually it came round as Bird had planned, and we were together again. (Givan 2016)

Ultimately, these insights underscore the essential role of the rhythm section in preserving the integrity of musical and compositional structure for underlying fundamentals that enable and support the harmonic complexity and rhythmic displacement that Parker expressed, providing a stable foundation for excursive improvisational expression while ensuring cohesion within the ensemble. This passage reveals that the rhythm section is to adhere to the predetermined musical elements and suggests that when the bassist performed the pivotal role between the pianist and the soloist, the rhythm section would have contributed to the completion of work within the complicated musical traits of bebop.

Structured and Nimble

The conventional approach to bass and rhythm section performance serves as the basis of modern jazz, shaping subsequent generations of musicians. Over the course of modern jazz, artists pursued more sophisticated improvisational techniques. Sonny Rollins emphasizes the importance of a steady rhythm section, enabling him to explore abstract musical ideas.

I've always thought that I want to have a steady bass player and a steady rhythm section . . . When I got those guys to just play steady, then I could play more abstractly . . . I've always looked for guys to play the song form, then I can extemporize on it, rather than guys who want to go, 'Oh, this is a phrase that sounds good, let me go with that phrase.' (Givan 2016)

Rollins elaborates more on his musical philosophy. He prefers a structured background against which he plays more creative ideas.

I want a steady background, and then I would be able to do the, all the explorations myself, but I wanted to do it against a steady background. That was a focused type of music that I was engaged in playing. So, you know, contrast a steady background and then against it, you know . . . that was how I felt I wanted to play. I wanted to play time music where we would play 1, 2, 3, 4, or 1, 2, 3, or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, whatever it was, but it would be fixed and against that fixed time, I would extemporize and feel be able to play whatever I wanted to play, you know. But within time, another words, it wasn't just wild, it was within a structure, and that's the way I, you know, played for a long time I've done some other things more unstructured from that structure. (2009)

Bassist Bob Cranshaw's experiences with Rollins underscore the delicate balance between stability and adaptability in supporting the ensemble's musical direction. For Rollins, who often performed in a trio formation without chordal instruments, the bassist's role extended beyond mere accompaniment to serve as a guide and coordinator. Cranshaw's ability to maintain stability while remaining responsive to Rollins's musical nuances highlights the intricacies of ensemble playing. Moreover, Cranshaw's versatility in adapting to the musical situation with Rollins's varied musical interests further solidifies his role as an ideal collaborator. Cranshaw recalls:

Sonny, the way he can play time in and out of phrases . . . sometimes I've heard him with other bass players or other drummers, and they were confused. You hear something; is he really in that place or is he someplace else? My thing was, because I'm really into trying to play the changes in the bottom, I usually stay where I am. I can hear him if he's in another place. I talk about that with guys in the band, drummers especially: Sonny turned the time around. I've seen him turn the time around. Now, where do you go? Do you go with where he is, or do you stay where you are? (2014)

Cranshaw adds that he also adjusted himself appropriately and interactively while he kept steadiness:

Sometimes you're in that position because he's playing so much stuff until you're saying, 'Should I be there, or should I be there?' Usually, I'm locked down. I'm going. I'm straight ahead. If I hear something else happening, I hear it, so I can go there. If I have to jump into the next bar, or go back, I hear it. It's coming through me. (2014)

This aspect shows that Cranshaw could be the best correspondence to Rollins's musical priority. Nevertheless, Rollins sought, from the bassist, adjustability in addition to steadiness and variety:

I met Bob Cranshaw when I was doing the first Playboy Jazz Festival in Chicago in 1959. Something happened to my bass player and the people in Chicago said, 'try Bob Cranshaw.' Bob came by and I heard him play. I played some of the stuff that was in my set then, and I made some modulations, and he was right there with me. Bob Cranshaw was nimble enough to follow the things that I was doing, which was what I was looking for. I also like to play calypso music, because I have Caribbean heritage, and Bob could play calypso — –That was an important reason why I always sought him out. He fit the bill. (2017)

Robust and Influential

During the time that Miles Davis worked with Ron Carter for years even after Carter left the tenure in Davis's Second Quintet in 1968, Carter brought a vigor and flexibility to Davis's group. Davis was proud of his ensemble's remarkable members, including Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, and Wayne Shorter. While Davis appreciated their individual artistry, he particularly valued the synergy they achieved as a collective. Recognizing the innovative spirit of the younger musicians at that time, Davis admired their expressive vitality. Carter played a pivotal role in maintaining musical balance amid the intensive energy. The rhythm section consistently demonstrated seamless collaboration and interaction. Davis acknowledges:

Ron was less musical than Tony in the sense that he played what he heard. He didn't know musical forms like Tony and Herbie Hancock did, but then he had that zip that Wayne and Herbie needed. Tony and Herbie always had eye contact, but they couldn't have made it as a unit without Ron. It would take Ron four or five days to really get into something, but when he got it, man, you'd better watch out . . . It was like Ron was putting up with Herbie and Tony until he got his chops together, and then he would find out what Herbie and Tony were doing. Like Ron would start playing major sevenths in the bass, and he and Herbie would lock that up, and Tony would dig it, and you know Wayne and I dug it, too . . . After a while they had seeped into each other's heads, and Tony and Herbie and Ron locked it up. (1989: 274-76)

Davis treats Carter as a trustworthy heart of the band. Correspondingly, Carter acted as a facilitator, supporting for the freedom of the other band members, while also catching their excessive deviations and acting as a guide.

Miles Davis also valued bassists Paul Chambers for his ability to provide a robust rhythm foundation to the ensemble. Chambers, renowned for his solid time feel, full sounds, established the mastery of the bass's fundamental role as a powerful source of the band. In 1955, when Davis formed his First Great Quintet, he enlisted Chambers as the bassist. In that group, while Chambers didn't venture into broadening the instrument's role like Charles Mingus and other contemporary innovators, he distinguished himself with unparalleled rhythmic vigor. Davis lauded Chambers for unmatched capacity to infuse a band with infectious swing, recognizing his pivotal role in driving the ensemble's rhythmic momentum and saying, "Phew, [Paul Chambers] can really make a band swing" (Nisenson 2001:128).

John Coltrane's quest for a bassist illuminates this further. After his early historical records in the '50s, such as Blue Train and Giant Steps, collaborated with Chambers, Coltrane sought a bassist embodying a deeper concept with different bandstands. While acknowledging Reggie Workman's proficiency in fulfilling the bass's basic harmonic and rhythmic functions, Coltrane's ideal bassist would possess the ability to navigate subtle nuances and match the intensity of drummer Elvin Jones's playing style. Coltrane opines in an interview:

Though I don't particularly have any reason to complain about Reggie Workman, he hasn't reached that level of maturity equal to Paul Chambers yet. I've figured it out with Elvin though. What he needs is a bassist who's a real "force of nature" because he plays so hard that if you don't respond with the same authority, you're practically overtaken. With Elvin, you need a flexible bassist, because often he's "ahead of the time" you have to follow him and lead him at the same time . . . I don't know an available bassist who can do it. (Kahn 2002: 61)

Although he implies that Workman seemed to be able to perform his job as a bassist for the basic predetermined role, Coltrane describes here the ideal bassist for his group by referring to the deeper and higher-order concept, "force of nature." Coltrane wanted a strong yet flexible bassist who could deal with the most subtly nuanced issues of time accurately and skillfully. He wanted the bassist suitable and equivalent to the musical power and muscularity of the drummer's style:

I'll tell you, if you're strong, and can do your thing, it's not difficult at all playing with Elvin but I've heard bass players not quite as strong as they should be, and it was difficult for them. (Kahn 2002:63-64)

Coltrane ultimately found this in Jimmy Garrison who was playing with Ornette Coleman and others at that time, and Garrison's powerful and flexible bass style complemented Jones's aggressive drumming. Coltrane noticed Garrison's capacity he would need for his quartet, and in 1962, Coltrane hired Garrison in place of Workman.

Since a piano trio comprises the three rhythm section players only, the collaboration of the individual musicians is differently meaningful for the whole structure of music. Oscar Peterson's trio setup underscores the bassist's pivotal role, particularly in harmonic contexts. This collaboration between piano and bass, as evidenced in Peterson's performances, enhanced the overall depth and resonance of the music. Peterson, who mostly has his career in such trio setup, shows his trust in his bassist Ray Brown, as the anchor of harmonic aspects effectively, emphasizing the importance of precise note placement and suggesting the right conveyance of root motions:

The left hand [of pianists] usually sets the harmonic cluster which the right hand fulfils in a linear sense. Consequently, if you're voicing chords, you voice them in the same way. If you are playing with a bass player, he becomes the lowest part of any harmonic clusters or formations that you're going to play . . . the bass players are taught to play the necessary or the fundamental notes—what we call "the notes of importance." Ray teaches them this, and this is one of Ray's strongest points. (Peterson 1963)

According to Peterson's approach, in a trio expressing the music without a front line, the bass goes beyond a mere rhythm player, having a subtler responsibility and influence for music making more from a harmonic perspective. As the leader and a pianist, it is important to point out that the note choice of the bassist, which forms the basis of harmony, as Monk already mentioned above about the bassist's note choice as a factor to consider. Peterson spoke about the music creating process that he produces desired sonorities over Brown's clear choices and precise placement of notes without which the music making process wouldn't succeed. It suggests that Peterson takes bass's resonance into consideration and utilizes the collaborated sound of the piano and bass for the large part of music making:

Most pianists play too many notes in a cluster. You can only move that many notes around laboriously. There are many arrangements where I have parts with Ray, for instance, just to give it a little more depth, or expand the sound a little. Because even though we're both playing, say, Fs— the same F in the same register— there are two different instruments playing, with two different sounds— so it gives it a different resonance. (Peterson 1963)

These insights highlight the multifaceted responsibilities of bass as a rhythm section player who must balance precision and adaptability to support and enhance the ensemble's musical orientations and sonorities effectively.

Innovative and Boundary-Breaking

Regardless of epochs, musical innovation remains a dynamic force. It was notably important even within the jazz music in the late 1930s. Renowned musician in the period, Duke Ellington valued novelty in bassist Jimmy Blanton:

Jimmy Blanton revolutionized bass plying, and it has not been the same since. No one had played from the same perspective before. He played melodies that belonged to the bass and always had a foundation quality. Rhythmically, he supported and drove at the same time. He was just too much. We were doing wonderfully with him. He had given us something new, a new beat, and new sounds. We made records of just bass and piano, and altogether it was a great period. (Ellington 1973:164)

When prevailing norms in jazz bass performance remained quite simple structures such as providing pulse beats often with slapping or percussive techniques, Ellington encountered the groundbreaking bassist Jimmy Blanton, whose innovative style caught his attention at a jam session. Blanton's distinctive bass playing, witnessed by Ellington during the session, gave a strong impression, and Ellington swiftly brought Blanton into his orchestra, despite already having a longstanding bassist, Billy Taylor. Consequently, Blanton took the bassist position for the Orchestra in his twenties, replacing Taylor.

Bill Evans left seminal records with his trio, which explores his quest for an ideal bassist to complement his musical vision. Despite successful performances with various bassists, including Garrison and Chambers, Evans felt a lack of creative synergy. While Garrison or Chambers provided a solid rhythmic foundation in his early trio, Evans sought to transcend conventional bass roles, envisioning simultaneous improvisation among ensemble members. Evans expressed his desire for the trio to evolve beyond traditional structures, emphasizing the importance of music dialogue and development within the group. Evans states his vision:

I'm hoping the trio will grow in the direction of simultaneous improvisation rather than just one guy blowing followed by another guy blowing. If the bass player, for example, hears an idea that he wants to answer, why should he just keep playing 4/4 background? The men I'll work with have learned how to do the regular kind of playing, and so I think we now have the license to change it. After all, in a classical composition, you don't hear a part remains stagnant until it becomes a solo. There are transitional development passages — a voice begins to be heard more and more and finally breaks into prominence (Pettinger 1984:91-92).

Evans pursued more than the conventional approach; he thought that they were too much bound within the conventional structure. Thus, he expected to develop a new form of music deviating from the frame and envisioned a piano trio in which individual musicians exchange ideas equivalently. In pursuit of this concept, Evans ultimately found a suitable collaborator, Scott LaFaro. LaFaro was the right man. Bassist Rufus Reid interprets this development in the historic band, narrating that Bill Evans, for his trio, wanted LaFaro not simply "to walk," but to become a "voice." Then, the entire thing evolved through the innovations of LaFaro and other. Reid also explains that leading bass players take melodic and rhythmic liberties as a horn player takes, saying "the bass continues to develop within the jazz idiom in direct relationship to the skills and creativity of its master artists" (Berliner 1994:319). In the similar vein, Bassist Chuck Israel, the successor of LaFaro for Evans's trio, asserts that playing quarter note is not necessarily required as long as performers have the time feel, and it provides bassists more of liberties rhythmically (Berliner 1994:336-7).

Similarly, yet more radically, Ornette Coleman redefined the role of bassists in his revolutionary musical concept, seeking freedom from established musical norms. He envisioned the bass as a distinct voice within the ensemble, contributing to the group's collective expression. For Coleman, the bass, along with other instruments, played an equal and vital role in shaping the overall musical narrative. One can see that it is a fairly abstract concept, but Coleman's thought on bassists is quite interesting:

There is a definite reason for my using two basses now. One is harmonic and the other is melodic. In other words, I find that the bass fiddle has always had one function, which was to be like a translator for other instruments. Well, since I don't play from a strict form of chord patterns, I don't need the bass to spell out everything that I'm going to do before I do it. So, if I have two bass players, it just opens up the scope much wider concerning the direction you wish to take when you're playing with what are known as rhythm instruments. (Coleman 1968)

Describing the role of the bassist in Coleman's ensemble extends beyond conventional notions. Coleman viewed bassists as more than mere accompanists and didn't want the idea of bass serving solely confined role as an accompanist in terms of harmony and rhythm; instead, he expects bassists to assert their voice as an individual speaker.

In fact, I've never regarded the bass and the drums as "rhythm." To me, they have the same function as I have when I play the saxophone or violin or the trumpet — just another instrument playing in a different register. I don't think any instrument is inferior to another. The others in the band reproduce the effects and sounds of their instruments and have the same authority as I have. Their own expressions have an equal share in the total expression. The only thing I do is to write most of the music. (Coleman 1968)

Herbie Hancock remembers the musical energy exhaling from Buster William's performance on his composition "Toys," in a live performance of Hancock's Mwandishi band in 1972. On the song that starts with a bass introduction, Williams's performance exemplified the transformative power of bass affecting the entire performance. His virtuosic bass playing ignited on stage, and his energy and focus infused the performance with a profound sense of connection and inspiration. Through the "Toys" performance — Hancock later calls it the "toys gig," Mwandishi transcended musical boundaries, creating moments of pure magic on stage.

Buster started playing, and what came out of him was amazing. Astounding! I was hearing notes fly all over the place and wondering how in the world he could do all that on a four-stringed instrument. At one point I saw him do three different activities at the same time: the fingers on his left hand were somehow moving up and down simultaneously while two other fingers were trilling. His hand looked like some kind of crazy spider, crawling up and down the neck of the bass . . . I could feel my energy rising, could feel myself waking up. I let Buster go for ten minutes or more, even though normally that intro would go for only a couple of minutes. Then, when the rest of the band joined in, the place exploded . . . we had come onto the stage half-asleep, but Buster had lit a fire under us. (Hancock and Dickey 2014:152-3)

Hancock was deeply contented with the ignition of musical energy, and he found that Williams provided the energy being a strong energetic source of performance.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the insights of musicians highlight the multifaceted demands placed on bass players as well as other rhythm section players, such as importance of accuracy, steadiness, robustness, reliability, flexibility, innovativeness, influence, and energy, along with the need for agility and adaptability to respond dynamically to changing musical contexts. Effective interaction with both the rhythm section and the soloists, whose dynamics are constantly fluctuated, is considered essential.

Specifically, Coltrane's reference to the abstract idea of the "force of nature" in the bassist reflects his vision for shaping his band sound, while Peterson valued the concept of the "notes of importance" as the foundation of harmony and sonorities in context. Evans and Coleman sought bassists capable of independent expression serving as an individual "voice" and a "translator," while Miles recognized Carter's pivotal role in enhancing the band's coherence as a "facilitator" for a musical glue in all sense. Monk emphasized the importance of a solid sound and staying in place, while Rollins revealed the "structured" solidity with the nature of stability against which the frontline performs abstract experimentation. In addition, the bassist's innovativeness, such as Blanton and Williams, which subverted the force of habit in conventions of the era, as an "ignitor" infusing the band with a newer and fresher energy.

Viewing the bassist's role through the lens of jazz architects reveals a deeper significance beyond merely handling rhythmic and harmonic duties at the surface level as an important rhythm section member. Across perspectives, as the common thread, consistency, steadiness, and solidity emerge as key attributes in some ways, whether it's in terms of time, sound, choice of pitch, or concepts. Jazz architects paint their colors on top of that the bassist provides. The multifaceted role of bass not only serves as the solid foundation of the music but also positions the bassist as a leader, mediator, and supporter within the ensemble. Therefore, as the heart of jazz, the bassist's role permeates every aspect of jazz performance, from the forefront, the middle, and to the background.

References

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——————. [Jazz Video Guy: Bret Primack]. (2009, Jun 15) Sonny Rollins – The Role of the Rhythm Section [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtude.com/watch?v=OJWFTk8jBM0.