One of my all-time favorite albums and one which should absolutely be in your music collection! Miles and the band (featuring Paul Chambers on bass) is revolutionary. The compositions, the interplay, the improvisations and the classic bass melody on "So What" is a blueprint for anyone striving to make an album with integrity (hard to believe this was recorded in 1959). Many things to comment on here, but my goal was to keep these comments brief. If you would like to learn more about the inter-workings and insight into this album, there is an excellent book by Ashley Kahn titled, "Kind Of Blue: The making of Kind of the Miles Davis Masterpiece".
One of my all time favorite basslines is James Jamerson's "What's Going On (the song)". Additionally, the entire album is a masterpiece that features James and Bob Babbitt. This is a classic album and a must addition to your collection!
The Who, powered by the thunderous bass of John Entwistle is on full display with this 1971 release. The song "My Generation" (which was originally released in 1965), features the first-ever recorded electric bass solo in rock music. The Who have many great albums, but "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy" is a good compilation overview, especially of the first decade of their career.
Weather Report was an all-star group that pushed the limits beyond jazz and into the future. In March of 1977, the sounds of Weather Report's "Birdland" from the album "Heavy Weather", filled the universe with the fretless magic of Jaco Pastorius. Check out the tune "Havona", which in my humble opinion is Jaco's finest hour as a composer, bassist, and soloist. If there was one tune to define the genius of Jaco, "Havona" is it!
In his thirty-three (33) short years on earth, Paul Chambers revolutionized the evolution of Bass with his incredible lines, improvisation, arco playing, huge tone and his soulful stylings. Check out the full album and my personal favorite song, "Visitation".
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