Volume 4, November 2012
Walk That Dog: The Emergence of Walking Bass Lines In Jazz

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Abstract: Often credited as the creation of Walter Page, the walking bass line was in reality refined and honed through the contributions of various bass players in the late 1920s. Many early bassists doubled on tuba; it in turn influenced their approach to the bass. As the tuba lost favor and recording technology improved, the bass assumed its current place in jazz. Specific contributions, accompaniment styles and historical information concerning seven early bass players demonstrate that a melting pot of ideas and approaches gradually distilled into what has become the standard practice of walking bass lines.

• Introduction
• 1. Arco Two-Feel
• 2. Plucked Two-Feel
• 3. Slap-Bass Technique
• 4. Summary
• 5. Early Walking Bassists
• Endnotes
• References
• Appendices
• About The Author

Introduction

The approach to modern jazz bass playing has been fairly standardized for decades as bass pioneers carved out the role of the bass in small and large jazz ensembles. Rarely in the spotlight, the bass takes its place in the shadows as a supporter to others on the bandstand; nevertheless, its power to influence the feel and harmony has often led to it being called the heartbeat of the band. The action the bassist performs, which is most akin to the heartbeat is the walking bass line, wherein the bassist plays consecutive quarter notes on each beat providing a solid rhythmic and harmonic foundation. In traditional jazz contexts, bassists spend the majority of their time walking bass lines; therefore bassists should be encouraged to acquaint themselves with how and why the practice emerged.

The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz singles out Walter Page as the "first master" and "creator" of walking bass lines.¹ As a result, Page's fame in this regard has continued to be promulgated by other jazz historians while the contributions of other bassists have in effect been marginalized.² While not wishing to diminish the greatness and contributions of Walter Page, it seems only fitting that all who contributed to this practice receive the recognition they deserve. Not solely the innovation of a single musician, the walking bass line in jazz emerged from diverse accompaniment styles in the 1920s practiced by various bassists such as Bill Johnson, Pops Foster, Steve Brown, Wellman Braud, John Lindsay, Walter Page, and Milt Hinton.

Due to the inability of engineers to record the bass prior to 1925, there is difficulty pinpointing when walking bass lines originated. The bass had long been the instrument of choice, particularly in New Orleans, which boasted a wealth of bass players in the early 20th century.³ In the early 1920s the traditional New Orleans front line of clarinet, cornet and trombone faded as horn sections were doubled and the overall band size increased. The larger horn sections made it difficult for the string bass to compete with the volume, and this led many bassists to start doubling on tuba.⁴ The two-beat feel consistently played by the tuba (on strong beats—one and three) influenced players' approach to the bass, which can be heard on various early recordings.

When electric recording methods were developed in 1925, the bass started to be recorded. With time, the tuba lost favor as the bass offered subtleties and techniques the tuba could not provide. Even simple space constraints, as in small nightclubs, led to the selection of the bass over the tuba.⁵ More musical reasons also led to the switch as the bass blended better with the ensemble.⁶ Most importantly, a bassist could sustain a walking bass line for far greater periods of time than a tubist, intensifying the "hot" nature of the music. This distinction is critical because as walking bass lines became standard practice, the tuba disappeared from major jazz ensembles.

Selecting an exact date when walking bass lines originated is further complicated because early bassists used diverse techniques of accompanying, which eventually led to the development of walking bass lines as we know them today. The three most common forms of accompaniment at the time which will be discussed here are: (1) Arco (with the bow) two-feel, (2) Plucked two-feel (at times interspersed with four notes per bar), and (3) Slap-bass technique.

Section 1 — Arco Two-Feel

Evidence suggests that early bassists (1900-1915) heavily used the bow in a variety of ways, but most commonly in a two-feel. Many of the earliest known recordings of the string bass showcase this as demonstrated in the January 1926 recording of "Dinah" played by Steve Brown with Jean Goldkette's band. Johnny Mueller played a variation on this when he walked a bass line in four with the bow in a 1928 recording of "China Boy" with Charles Pierce and His Orchestra.⁷ Pops Foster was very active in the New Orleans jazz scene during the early 20th century (1906-1919), and his interactions with older musicians are telling of the preferences held by those who were active during this time. Pops's boyhood idol was New Orleans bassist Henry Kimball and his recollection of Kimball offers insights into what was common practice before picking became the predominant form of accompaniment.

"I first learned to bow the bass, then I started doing a lot of picking. Pretty soon everybody else was picking too, so then I went back to bowing. Before long everybody would be bowing again. It seems like I've been switching like that all my life. I always thought Henry Kimball was the greatest bass player around New Orleans, and he never picked."⁸

It is telling that Pops first learned to play the bass in what must have been the predominant method of the time, and that the bassist whom he idolized didn't pluck the bass at all. Later in recounting his time with Jack Carey's band from 1914-1915, Pops speaks of an older, salty trumpet player named Willie Humphrey with whom he did not get along. "Old man Humphrey . . . didn't like the way I picked the bass—he wanted me to bow it."⁹ This evidence suggests that bowing was the method preferred by the older generation. As Pops indicates, plucking was an important part of his playing style and it influenced other bassists around him, even though the bow still held an important role throughout his career.

Section 2 — Plucked Two-Feel

New Orleans bassists are well-known for their interactive, rhythmic, and varying accompaniment styles. Pops described it as follows: "In New Orleans, we'd have two pick notes in one bar, then you'd go six bars of bowing, and maybe have one note to pick."¹⁰ In other words, the role of the bass at the time and the style of music being played did not call for a heartbeat walking style throughout the course of an entire piece. As Gunther Schuller points out in analyzing New Orleans bassist John Lindsay's performance of "Black Bottom Stomp" with Jelly Roll Morton in 1926,

The rhythmic substructure is equally interesting. If we follow the bass of John Lindsay, we can hear how perfectly he alternates the basic two-beat rhythm (2/2) with hard-driving 4/4's on one hand and whole-note single-beat passages on the other. These changes of pace do not occur at phrase junctures, but are apt to break in at any point in the sixteen- and twenty-bar phrases, balancing with and reacting to the soloists and ensembles.¹¹

Pops provides more background on plucking the bass, "I don't know who started the pizzicato bass. It was always in music, and I don't think anyone around New Orleans invented it. When we used to pick the bass we'd hold onto the bow at the same time . . . I still usually hold onto the bow while I pick unless I'm going to slap the strings too."¹² Great video evidence of holding the bow while plucking is found in the 1930 RKO Pictures movie "Check and Double Check." In a performance with Duke Ellington's band, Wellman Braud (another New Orleans native) can be found performing in this manner, even walking a bass line with the bow in hand.¹³ Another important aspect of plucking (prior to 1930) is that with few exceptions, the style of plucking was different than it is practiced today. The plucking was executed much in the same way a Bartok pizzicato is, wherein the player pulls the string away from the fingerboard so upon its release, it hits the fingerboard and produces a loud snap. Braud clearly demonstrates this technique in the short video segment in "Check and Double Check." After 1930, the popularity of the snap started to fade and bassists sought for a round, fatter sound, achieved by pulling the string to the side and allowing the finger to fall into the string below.

Section 3 — Slap-Bass Technique

As alluded by Pops Foster, slap bass was another common accompanying technique. Slap-bass technique incorporates the pizzicato style mentioned above (Bartok-esque) and adds slapping the inner palm and/or fingers against the lower strings to provide a percussive and rhythmic accompaniment. The early pioneers of this practice were Bill Johnson, Steve Brown, and Pops Foster—all natives of New Orleans. Throughout the 1920s, this practice was widely adopted by many other bass players (Wellman Braud, Thelma Terry, Al Morgan, Milt Hinton, etc.) and while walking bass lines were at times executed in this style, it was largely a way for bassists to increase rhythmic intensity in accompaniment or to cut through the band in a solo.¹⁴

Section 4 — Summary

All of these techniques competed for prominence in defining the role of the bass, and often, each was utilized within a single take. As jazz continued to evolve during this period, the bass styles evolved similarly. Many conflicting personal accounts testify that one bassist was solely responsible for the development of a specific technique, or approach (like walking bass lines); these claims will be subsequently noted and analyzed. A study of mid to late 1920s recordings reveals a pattern and hierarchy of intensity for bass accompaniment which bassists used to complement or steer the mood of a given piece. These various accompaniment styles greatly generated the musical shape of the piece and are listed here in order of increasing intensity:

1. In two without the string snap (can be accomplished with or without the bow)
2. Walking in four without the snap with or without the bow for a few bars
3. Adding the snap, (plucked only) alternating between playing in two or four
4. Walking in four with the snap and/or slap-bass technique.

During this period, the snap was largely responsible for the "hot" sound, and when players such as John Lindsay, Steve Brown and Bill Johnson wanted to increase the intensity, it was almost always added. This distinction is critical, because the approach to pizzicato would eventually change in the next decade as previously mentioned.

Section 5 — Early Walking Bassists

The contributions and preferences of the following bassists (in chronological order by birth) will be discussed in an attempt to demonstrate the specific contributions and influences each had on the bass and eventually the emergence of walking bass lines.

William Manuel "Bill" Johnson (1872 - 1972) is likely the oldest prominent and influential jazz bassist, born nearly twenty years prior to Pops Foster. Bill even pre-dates Buddy Bolden (b. 1877) and W.C. Handy, (b. 1873) while Scott Joplin was only four years his senior. Born in Alabama, Johnson's musical career really took off in New Orleans. He founded the Original Creole Band/Orchestra and toured with them across the country in vaudeville shows from 1914–1918. He later moved to Chicago where he recorded with King Oliver in 1923. Inasmuch as electrical recording methods were not yet available, Bill played banjo on these records,¹⁵ although it is likely he played bass in other venues during this same period. He is well known for his outburst during the "Dippermouth Blues" recording with King Oliver, "Oh, play that thing!" If one hears a high-pitched shout or yell during a late 1920s recording, it is likely Bill Johnson's joyous spirit coming through! As one of the elder statesmen on the instrument, it is a pity that the earliest known recordings of Bill's bass playing come from 1928. "Saint Louis Main," recorded with the Dixie Four on June 11, 1928, is one of the first known recordings of Bill's bass playing. He demonstrates the various forms of accompaniment mentioned previously, by starting with the bow in two, but before long he is creating eighth note lines in response to the pianist's lines. After a few two-bar solo breaks, he begins alternating rather frequently between walking with the bow, and plucking in two and four with snaps and thus uses his accompaniment to help shape the tune. "Some Day You'll Know," recorded a month later with the State Street Ramblers, is important and foreshadowing because in the middle of the track Bill stops bowing in two and walks in four for over thirty seconds without the snap that was so common at the time. "My Four Reasons," recorded with banjoist Ikey Robinson in July 1929, shows off Bill's ability to walk at nearly 300 BPM for the majority of the song. Bill also takes a walking solo where he includes the snap midway through the take.

Bill's legacy is possibly not as well-known on account that there are no known recordings of him after 1929, a mere thirteen months since his first known recording. Spotswood surmises, "He seems to have traveled between Chicago and California in the 1920s, making his opportunities to record less frequent. Though blues record dates in Chicago after 1935 frequently include bass players, discographies often don't cite their names. Bill may have been present on occasions he hasn't been credited with."¹⁶ Perhaps he was not recorded as much as other bassists on account of his numerous vocal outbursts, which, in some cases, cover up and begin to dominate the performance at the expense of other musicians in the group. While pinpointing more Bill Johnson recordings might prove difficult in the years to follow, he nevertheless exerted great influence upon future bassists through his live performances.¹⁷

Steve Brown (1890 - 1965) was one of the earliest recorded and first slapping virtuosos of the bass. He is primarily known for his work with the Jean Goldkette and Paul Whiteman Orchestras. In Goldkette's band, Steve was given regular opportunities to be featured and in the words of Goldkette's saxophonist Doc Ryker, "In some ways he was the real star of that band. He'd get out in front and do a feature and everybody—all the dancers—would stop and watch."¹⁸ A perfect example of his employment of all the techniques listed in this article can be found in the January 1926 recording of "Dinah" with the Goldkette band. He starts in two using the bow and stays with it for most of the song. Immediately following the clarinet solo break, he starts walking and slapping in four through the duration of the solo. It's unclear if this is a bass or a clarinet solo! His virtuosic slap-bass technique was sufficiently influential to encourage tubists to want to switch back to the bass.¹⁹ Brown's playing a year later on the up tempo "My Pretty Girl" demonstrates his usage of the bow in two and four as well as his syncopated and energetic slapping. His style of playing would greatly influence Wellman Braud and Milt Hinton. After the Goldkette band disbanded, many of the members joined Paul Whiteman's Orchestra. Sadly, Brown was not given the same opportunities to stretch out as he had been given in Goldkette's band. In the 1928 recording of "Dardanella" with Whiteman, one can feel the increased drive and swing during Bix Beiderbecke's solo as Brown begins slapping, but it doesn't reach the emotional plane of earlier recordings,²⁰ likely on account of the band leader's artistic decisions. Perhaps this frustration led, in part, to Brown's leaving Whiteman less than a year after he had joined the band. Unfortunately, at that point Brown's recording days were basically over, but his influence would continue through those that followed him.

Pops Foster (1892 - 1969) was an integral part of the New Orleans jazz scene in the early 20th century. He claims to have spotted Louis Armstrong on a street corner after Kid Ory had sent their drunken trumpet player home, and essentially got Armstrong his first gig with a real band.²¹ Pops utilized all of the methods of accompaniment described earlier in this article. Pops spent a few years on riverboats floating up through the Midwest starting around 1919 with Fate Marable's band (which subsequently served as a venue for Al Morgan and Jimmy Blanton to gain vital performing experience) and began doubling on tuba in 1921 as the music began to change. It wasn't until he moved to New York and joined the Luis Russell Orchestra that he was able to make the permanent switch back to bass. In the introduction to his autobiography, bass pedagogue Bertram Turetzky declares, "We can . . . authoritatively credit Pops for popularizing this [slapping] technique. Tony Parenti, who first met Pops in 1918 wrote: 'Pops was one of the first original New Orleans bass players that made the slapping bass popular in New York City.'"²² While it might not have become popular until Pops arrived in New York, he did not arrive there until February of 1929, a few years after which, recorded evidence of Wellman Braud existed with him utilizing this technique in New York. However, Braud and Foster do deserve the credit for being the figurative pieces of straw needed to break the tuba's back, bringing the bass out of obscurity in New York.²³ Turetzky further claims, "In the 1920s many New Orleans bassists played a two-beat style. Pops was playing a four-beat style, then 'when I went to New York playing that way, everybody wanted to do it too. Right after that . . . about 1929 or 1930 . . . they started writing arrangements that way, with a four-to-the-bar bass part.' . . . The Foster sound and approach most definitely led to the bass-dominated rhythm section that jazz history usually tells us that Count Basie, Walter Page, and Jo Jones brought out of Kansas City in the 1930s."²⁴ The 1930 Luis Russell recording with Pops of "Panama" demonstrates that Pops was indeed a big proponent of walking in four (with the snap). Pops clearly had an influence on the switch from tuba to bass, the emergence of walking bass lines, and the accompaniment styles employed by the bass.

John Lindsay (1894 - 1950) played both trombone and bass and also hailed from New Orleans. While his playing on "Black Bottom Stomp" was analyzed previously, two other elements require attention. First, Lindsay does not employ the Bartok-esque pizzicato at the beginning of this track, but from the tone on record, he apparently plucks much in the fashion done today. His sound is round and full and there is much more attack as opposed to when using the bow. This is one of the earliest recordings where such a pure and modern pizzicato tone is so clear. Second, Lindsay's choice of accompaniment changes perfectly with the form of Morton's arrangement and helps generate the overall shape of this track. He plucks in two and catches the hits of the arrangement, and when the front-line blowing section begins nearly a minute into the take he adds the Bartok-esque string snap to further increase the intensity. He alternates plucking in two and four, and then during the clarinet solo he lowers the intensity by plucking in two, but this time keeping the snap so commonly heard during this period. During the banjo solo, Lindsay ratchets up the intensity again and walks extensively, only to return back to two, (without the snap) to allow the tune to build up to a final climax where he largely walks with the snap to the end. The musical ride Lindsay takes us on this track is very compelling. Such musicianship and sensitivity to shape would have great influence upon the composition, improvisation and approach to jazz by many musicians, not just bassists.

Wellman Braud (1899 - 1966) is yet another bassist and tubist to hail from New Orleans. He is best known for his work with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, where he made the permanent switch from tuba to bass in 1927. The recording equipment used to capture Braud's sound in New York was of high quality, so his sound is full and clear in comparison with others of the time. For the 1927 recording of "Black and Tan Fantasy" with Ellington's band, Braud uses the bow in two for most of the track as he is backing up the superb trumpet playing of Bubber Miley. Following the piano solo, Miley leaves some space, which Braud is quick to fill (2:15-2:18) in response with his fingers. Ellington is known for writing music to feature the strengths of his musicians, and the 1927 recording of "Washington Wobble" is no exception as Braud is given a chance to shine. He begins with the bow in two, after which he's walking clearly in four with the snap. After a brief solo break, he's back in two with the bow and for the closing half-minute, Braud plucks in two with the snap alternating with syncopated rhythms. The Grove Online article says of Braud, "The main characteristic of Braud's double-bass playing was his swinging beat, but he also thought of his instrument in harmonic terms, and he claimed to have developed the concept of the walking bass."²⁵ No other bassist aside from Walter Page is identified as having anything to do with the development of walking bass lines in this definitive source, and even then, it's only a "claim" and it appears to be an afterthought. After leaving Ellington in the mid-1930s, Braud pursued other professional ventures and played occasionally with various musical groups.

Walter Page (1900 - 1957) is one of the few bassists discussed here who has no New Orleans affiliation! He grew up in Kansas City and was a renowned territorial bandleader. There are only two tracks ever recorded by this group (The Blue Devils), "Blue Devil Blues" and "Squabblin,'" both recorded in 1929. On "Blue Devil Blues," Page plays the tuba throughout, even walking a simple root-fifth line for approximately the last thirty seconds. On "Squabblin,'" Page plays the introduction on bass (he plays baritone sax on this track as well—notice how the interludes give him time to switch back and forth both times and the piano takes over the bass role) with a clear walking line without the snap. When the melody starts, Page provides a syncopated snapping bass line. During the alto sax solo, Page elects to pluck in two in the modern fashion, without the snap and garners a large tone. He then chooses to add the snap during the collective rhythm section chorus, clearly heard on his two-bar solo break. At the arrival of the clarinet solo, Page kicks it into gear and walks in the modern fashion.

One of Walter Page's biggest idols was Wellman Braud, who he heard come through Kansas City in the mid-1920s.²⁶ He was most impressed with the huge sound Braud could get the bass to produce and this is likely the single greatest impact he had upon Page's approach to the instrument. Page was an integral part of the Count Basie rhythm section in the 1930s and 1940s and that collective group's innovations are well documented.²⁷

Interestingly enough, Gunther Schuller (one of the Grove article²⁸ writers giving Page the credit for being the "first master" of the walking bass line) in his 1968 work Early Jazz: Its Origins and Early Development, states that "In Washington Wobble Braud goes one step further and creates a "walking" bass line, the discovery of which is often loosely credited to Walter Page, despite the fact that Page admits his great indebtedness to Braud."²⁹ Why is there this discrepancy? It likely boils down to classification and perception. Schuller's subsequent study of the Swing Era compelled him to change his tune about who was really responsible for developing walking bass lines. He states:

. . . the next rhythm instrument to gain emancipation was the string bass, first when it replaced the tuba and then within a short time after that, when the bass acquired a quasi-melodic capacity that freed it from providing merely the most rudimentary harmonic and rhythmic functions in the form of root positions and a regular 4/4 or 2/2 beat. The player who more than any other developed the "walking bass" line so endemic to jazz of the thirties and forties was none other than Walter Page, for years the anchor of the Basie rhythm section. As early as 1929 in his recordings with his band known as the Blue Devils—in which Basie was for a while the pianist—we can hear Page's wide-ranging, beautifully balanced bass lines beginning to function on three levels: rhythmic, harmonic, and now melodic. Such bass lines also provided a new contrapuntal element, not in the old New Orleans collective improvisation sense but as a more purely linear counterpart, heard with, under, and against the melodic elements in the middle or upper register.³⁰

There are a few keys to understanding how encyclopedic conclusions have been made from this paragraph, which have subsequently influenced many jazz history textbooks. First, the author states that Page was the bassist who most "developed" (not necessarily "created") the walking bass line in jazz. Second, Page is given credit for the "development" of walking bass lines specifically in the decades of the thirties and forties as the author is seeking to show how jazz developed during that time period. As has been clearly demonstrated, many bassists were walking bass lines prior to the thirties and forties. Were their walking lines somehow not as sophisticated harmonically, rhythmically or melodically as Page's? Were their walking lines any less of a linear counterpoint?

As the 1930s took off, many changes began to take place in the way bassists accompanied. The bow fell out of favor as an accompaniment tool and plucking became the norm. While plucking, the snap gradually gave way to producing a large, round tone and what was once "hot" was not the case any longer. Walking for the duration of a piece became more normal as well. Are these changes the developments Schuller ascribes to Page? If so, it should be noted that other bassists such as John Lindsay and Bill Johnson did these same things on "Black Bottom Stomp" and "Some Day You'll Know" respectively, both of which were recorded prior to any known recordings we have of Walter Page. While it might be a matter of semantics, one has to decide if a walking bass line is only a true one if there is no snap. Page undoubtedly played a role in shaping how the bass was approached as the Basie band itself was largely influential, but to assume Page single-handedly "created," "developed," and was the "first master" is contrary to analysis of recorded and written history.

Milt Hinton (1910 - 2000) was born into a musical family in Vicksburg Mississippi. His musical training started on violin, then moved to bass saxophone, tuba, and eventually the bass. His family moved to Chicago in 1919, and Milt recalls hearing bass greats Bill Johnson and Wellman Braud as a youth in-person.³¹ Having observed these early masters of the slap-bass technique, he gravitated towards it and became one of the greatest virtuosos of that technique. He youthfully admits to wanting " . . . to outdo them" as they were all older than him.³² A fine example of this can be heard on the 1939 recording of "Pluckin' the Bass" made with Cab Calloway's band for whom he played from 1935 to 1951. Clearly a feature for the bassist, it begins with an incredible slap-bass solo, complete with double and triple slaps and he's given plenty of room to display his prowess throughout the take. However when accompanying, the snap is not present and the modern round pizzicato (played in two and four) is the norm.

Hinton provides some interesting historical perspective on the development of walking bass lines:

Walking bass hadn't come in yet [the date is not listed; later in this quote he says that 'a couple of years later' he joined Cab which we know happened in 1935]. In fact, bass playing seemed to evolve pretty slowly. In my opinion, some of it was because the bass players around had switched from tuba and didn't know much about the techniques of playing string instruments. So at first the bass was given a percussive role, the same way tuba was used. Musically, it was kept simple. Everyone played the major note in a chord, period. Most things, including stock arrangements, were played in two-beat. So, for example, if you had an F chord you'd play two F's to the bar. But sometimes on the last chorus the band might get hot and then you'd play four beats of the same note. I'd taken harmony courses at Crane [College] so I knew something about chord structures, but nobody had taught me anything about using music theory in a practical way. Just like all the others, I had to learn how to play on a chord by experimenting myself. At some point during this time I began playing the one and five notes in a chord. So if I had an F chord I'd play F and C instead of all F's. Then a little later I began using other notes in the chord too. It was all trial and error and I got more daring as I went. I figured out that my instrument had to identify a chord, so I'd always play the tonic as the first note. But I also realized that after the tonic I could play a lot of other notes in the chord. So for example, if I had an F chord I'd play an F first, and follow it with an A and a C, and then maybe go to a D and put in the sixth. From a harmonic standpoint there are many acceptable notes, but I began to get a feeling for what combination sounded best, especially when I made the transition from one chord to the next. I was walking, but it took a long time before things flowed naturally. In fact, when I joined Cab a couple of years later, Ben Webster really taught me about connecting chords. There were a lot of other bass players experimenting during this time. I'm not saying I was the originator, but I know I was one of the contributors.³³

Hinton's evolution in the harmonic approach of bass lines is likely similar to the experiences of other early bassists. He was also sufficiently humble to recognize that he was a contributor and not a sole originator of walking bass lines.

In conclusion, one individual did not invent walking bass lines. The practice grew out of various accompaniment techniques being used in the late 1920s and really took off as the bass replaced the tuba around 1930. At first, walking bass lines were largely executed with the snap by various bassists. In time, the accompaniment style and technique to produce it changed and bass lines became smooth as they are heard today. Unanswered questions exist, which could be addressed in further research: 1) Were Walter Page's lines more sophisticated rhythmically, harmonically and melodically in comparison with the other bassists of the time period? 2) Are Page's lines more indicative of linear counterpoint than his contemporaries? No matter the answers to these questions, the bass world is indebted to each of these and other bassists for their dedication and efforts that contributed to the emergence of walking bass lines in jazz.

Endnotes

¹ Gunther Schuller, "Walking Bass." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, online via subscription (accessed September 20, 2011).

J. Bradford Robinson, "Page, Walter," in Barry Kernfeld, ed., The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994), 218.

² For a sample list of texts propagating this idea, see Appendix A

³ For a sample list see Appendix B

⁴ Ross Russell [The opening paragraphs of the next chapter . . . ] The Autobiography of Pops Foster: New Orleans Jazzman: As Told to Tom Stoddard: Interchapters by Ross Russell: San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2005. 127-129.

Clifford Bevan, "Tuba." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, online via subscription (accessed July 24, 2012).

⁵ Milt Hinton. The Art of Playing the Bass: Featuring Milt Hinton Vol. 1. Produced by Ray Brown and directed by Fritz Goode, 30 minutes., Masai Films and Rayben Production, 1993, VHS, transcribed by author.

⁶ David Berger and Milt Hinton, Bass Line: The Stories and Photographs of Milt Hinton (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1988), 31.

⁷ Dick Spotswood, How Low Can You Go? Anthology of the String Bass 1925-1941. Atlanta GA: Dust-to-Digital, compact disc, 2006. Both of these recordings and many subsequent recordings listed herein can be heard on this 3-disc compilation, which contains insightful essays on the bassists as well.

⁸ Stoddard, The Autobiography of Pops Foster, 92.

⁹ Ibid., 101.

¹⁰ Ibid., 92.

¹¹ Gunther Schuller, Early Jazz: Its Roots and Musical Development. New York: Oxford University Press, 1968. 159.

¹² Stoddard, The Autobiography of Pops Foster, 92.

¹³ Can also be readily viewed on YouTube—search "Duke Ellington—Old Man Blues"

¹⁴ Hinton, The Art of Playing the Bass, VHS.

¹⁵ Spotswood, How Low Can You Go. 76-78.

¹⁶ Ibid., 79.

¹⁷ Hinton, The Art of Playing the Bass, VHS.

¹⁸ Shipton, A New History of Jazz, 252.

¹⁹ Spotswood, How Low Can You Go. 14.

²⁰ Shipton, A New History of Jazz, 254.

²¹ Stoddard, The Autobiography of Pops Foster, 59-60.

²² Bertram Turetzky, "Introduction," in The Autobiography of Pops Foster: New Orleans Jazzman: As Told to Tom Stoddard: San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2005. xviii.

²³ Alyn Shipton, A New History of Jazz. London and New York: Continuum, 2001. 255-256.

²⁴ Turetzky, Introduction, xxi-xxii. The quotation from Pops within Turetzky's quotation is taken from an unpublished interview with Richard Hadlock, ca. 1964

²⁵ Bill Russell and Barry Kernfeld, "Braud, Wellman." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, online via subscription (accessed November 19, 2011).

²⁶ Walter Page, "About My Life in Music: As Told to Frank Driggs," The Jazz Review, 1, no.1 (Nov. 1958), 12.

²⁷ Frank Driggs and Chuck Haddix, Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop—A History (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005)

²⁸ Schuller, "Walking bass."

²⁹ Schuller, Early Jazz, 336.

³⁰ Gunther Schuller, The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz 1930-1945 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989), 226.

³¹ Gene Lees, "A Tribute to Milt Hinton: When We Were Atlas," Bass World: The Journal of the International Society of Bassists 24, no. 3 (February - May 2001), 7.

Hinton, The Art of Playing the Bass, VHS.

³² Hinton and Berger, Bass Line, 51.

³³ Ibid., 51.

References

Berger, David, and Milt Hinton. Bass Line: The Stories and Photographs of Milt Hinton. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1988.

Bevan, Clifford. "Tuba." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, online via subscription (accessed July 24, 2012).

Driggs, Frank. "Walter Page: About My Life in Music: As Told to Frank Driggs." The Jazz Review 1, no.1 (Nov. 1958): 12.

Driggs, Frank, and Chuck Haddix. Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop — A History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Hinton, Milt. The Art of Playing the Bass: Featuring Milt Hinton Vol. 1. Produced by Ray Brown and directed by Fritz Goode, 30 minutes., Masai Films and Rayben Production, 1993, VHS, transcribed by author.

Kernfeld, Barry, and Bill Russell. "Braud, Wellman." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, online via subscription (accessed November 19, 2011).

Lees, Gene. "A Tribute to Milt Hinton, 1910-2000: When We Were Atlas." Bass World: The Journal of the International Society of Bassists 24, no. 3 (February - May 2001): 5-8.

Robinson, J. Bradford. "Page, Walter." The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, edited by Barry Kernfeld. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994.

Schuller, Gunther. Early Jazz: Its Roots and Musical Development. New York: Oxford University Press, 1968.

_____________________. The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz, 1930-1945. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

_____________________. "Walking Bass." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, online via subscription (accessed September 20, 2011).

Shipton, Alyn. A New History of Jazz. London and New York: Continuum, 2001.

Spotswood, Dick. How Low Can You Go? Anthology of the String Bass 1925-1941. Atlanta GA: Dust-to-Digital, 2006.

Stoddard, Tom. The Autobiography of Pops Foster: New Orleans Jazzman. San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2005.

Appendix A

Brian Harker, Jazz: An American Journey (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005), 132.

J. Bradford Robinson, "Page, Walter." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, online via subscription (accessed September 22, 2011).

Ted Gioia, The History of Jazz (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 162.

"Page, Walter." In Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford Music Online, online via subscription (accessed November 19, 2011).

Frank Driggs and Chuck Haddix, Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop—A History (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), 32, 108-109.

Appendix B

The Autobiography of Pops Foster mentions many bassists and the bands with which they played throughout the narrative:

Eddie Garland (aka Montudie), with Kid Ory's band p. 60-61
Oke Gaspard with Bab Frank's band (1914?) p. 69
Oscar Kendalls with Thornton Blue's band (prior to or after 1912-1913) p. 100
Henry Kimball p. 92
Billy Moran with The Superior Band (1908) p. 56
Miles Ross with Edward Clem Band p. 55
Alec Smith with Amos Riley's band (1910-1912?) p. 99
Chester Zardis with Buddy Petit prior to 1914 when Pops played with Petit's band p. 97

New Orleans Bass Players on riverboats around 1919:

Ernest Johnson p. 121, 125
Jim Johnson p. 126
Henry Kimball and Pops Foster, p. 92, 126
Al Morgan p. 126

About the Author

Regan Brough began playing electric bass at age eleven for his family steel band, Pan Jam, which has been featured with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Gladys Knight and at the 2002 Winter Olympics. The son of a university percussion professor, Regan was exposed and expected to play in a wide variety of world and ethnic music in his early years. As a teenager, Regan received several outstanding soloist awards culminating at the 2005 International Society of Bassists Convention where he was awarded second place in the Jazz Solo Division. Soon thereafter he graduated from Brigham Young University magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in bass performance.

An active composer and arranger, Regan was awarded the Outstanding Instrumental Composition from the 2006 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival for his original composition "I Don't Know Why." In 2006 he became the bassist for the premiere jazz ensemble of The United States Army, The Army Blues, a component of "Pershing's Own" in Washington D.C. He has performed at the White House, the Vice-President's home, for heads of state, and various military leaders from around the world. Regan has performed with artists such as Tim Hagans, Terell Stafford, Wayne Bergeron, Tim Warfield, Eric Marienthal, John Clayton, Bill Watrous, Dick Nash, Buddy Baker, Jeff Lorber, Steve Allee, Steve Houghton, Conrad Herwig, Peter Erskine, Simon Phillips, John Riley, and Emil Richards among others. He also participated in the 2008 Sergeant Major of the Army's Hope and Freedom Tour, backing up country artists Keni Thomas, Mark Wills and Craig Morgan to entertain troops in the Middle East. Regan continues to perform actively in the D.C. area and can often be heard with the Alan Baylock Big Band, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra and The Capitol Bones. Two of his recent compositions, "Kelli's Number" and "Walk that Dog" can be heard on The Army Blues' recent album Live at Blues Alley.