NYC Jazz Bass Checklist

(A quick rough guide of things you should be able to do

and some tunes to learn)
 NYC Jazz Bass Checklist
Lists are neurotic things that humans create in order to make sense of the chaotic world, so in general I am op-
posed to too many of them, especially when associated with anything artistic. You will find that many topics on
this list can be learnt intuitively from just listening to music, playing with great players and learning aurally
from mentors. Whenever possible, you should rely on using your ears rather than text books, real books etc...
However, when I first moved to NY, I found it helpful to compartmentalize a few things so I could organize my
practice routines. Unfortunately and excitingly this list is just the beginning...

Sound
Do you have a good pizzicato sound, that is consistent and projects without the aid of the amp?

Intonation
Eliminate all those out of tune notes, intervals and dodgy keys.

Scales (played well with the bow and pizz)

All major, melodic minor, harmonic minor scales 3 octaves
All major, minor arpeggios 2/3 octaves
Major, minor scales in 3rds,4ths,5ths,6ths,7ths,octaves
Major and minor bebop and blues scales
All diminished scales and arpeggios
Whole tone scales

Harmony
Understanding of functional harmony
Major modes, melodic minor and harmonic minor modes
Understanding of diminished chord harmony and its relationship to keys.
Understand of common used turnarounds, endings, flat 5 substitutions and alternative 2-5s used on jazz tunes.
Learning proper chord changes for standards, from recordings and more than one source. Avoid handwritten
real book changes.
Can play all the chords on piano

Walking Bass
Great 2 feel
Consistent, strong walking bass tone with long even notes.
Hold tempo and groove without drums and against laid back 8th notes.
Ability to play different tempos, outside the usual -
eg
Slow ballad
Walking ballad
Slow Blues
Medium swing
Pushy medium
Medium up
Fast medium
Fast
Very Fast
Swinging skips/fills - add character to your walking bass to create bounce.
Improvise good melodic, logical, walking bass lines without awkward leaps, outlining the harmony while listen-
ing to the soloist (the hardest thing to do, by far).
Ability to hold down a repeated bass line and make it groove on your own.

Rhythm
Understanding of the triplet in all its forms, 3 against 4, 6/8 etc (and its history from Africa).
Understand the different degrees of swing at various tempos. Good consistent 8th note feel.
Ability to hold down a bass line behind a drum solo.
Understand some basic rhythms that fall over the bar line, eg dotted quarters...
Comfortable in odd time signatures.
Comfortable feeling 4,8,16 bar phrases and also 3,6 and other odd bar phrases.
Can play the drums or tap and internalize rhythms.

Bowing
At least be able to play melodic bass lines/long tones and simple melodies with a good sound
and in tune

Compulsory Transcriptions
Jimmy Blanton
Oscar Pettiford
Israel Crosby
Paul Chambers
Ray Brown
Ron Carter

Repertoire/tunes
Blues in all keys
Rhythm changes in all keys
Minor blues in all keys
Slow blues
Cherokee very fast in all keys 300-400bpm
The ability to transpose any standard in any key, especially difficult ones like D, F#, A, B, E.
Able to improvise nice solo intros in time and out of time, bringing in the band.
Learn the melodies, have a few bebop heads and standards ready for bass features.
Melodic unpremeditated soloing.
Understanding of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music, bass lines and bassists.
Application of funk/groove/other styles to Jazz. Understanding of bass players outside the jazz world(eg James
Jamerson).

There are a lot of tunes to learn, but remember, its not necessarily how many you know, but how quickly you can
pick them up by ear/on the bandstand. So practice getting good at that. The following lists are not compre-
hensive but are a good starting point. There are so many great tunes, find the ones that you like and make them
popular. If you can hum or sing the melodies, it makes it much easier to learn them. With the American song-
book tunes it is good to separate them by composer or into the ones which specific artists like to play.
 100 American Songbook Tunes
(check out Ethan Iverson’s blog - Transitional Technology and also
Peter Spitzer’s blog - Must Know Jazz Tunes)

My Melancholy Baby (1912, Burnett/Norton) Somewhere Over The Rainbow (1939, Arlen/Harburg)
Indiana (1917, Hanley/Macdonald) I Thought About You (1939, Van Heusen/Mercer)
Oh, Lady Be Good (1924, Gershwin/Gershwin) All the Things You Are (1939, Kern/Hammerstein)
Limehouse Blues (1922, Furber/Braham) What’s New (1939, Haggart/Burke)
Sweet Georgia Brown (1925, Bernie/Pinkard) I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (1939, Rodgers/Hart)
Bye Bye Blackbird (1926, Henderson/Dixon) Darn that Dream (1939, Van Heusen/DeLange)
Star Dust (1927, Carmichael/Parish) All or Nothing at All (1939, Altman/Lawrence)
Lover, Come Back To Me (1928, Romberg/Hammerstein) Polka Dots and Moonbeams (1940, Van Heuson/Burke)
Mack the Knife (1928, Weill/Brecht) How High the Moon (1940, Lewis/Hamilton)
Embraceable You (1928, Gershwin/Gershwin) Everything Happens To Me (1940, Dennis/Adair)
Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise (1928, Romberg/Hammerstein) You Stepped Out of Dream (1940, Brown/Kahn)
Honeysuckle Rose (1929, Waller/Razaf) I Remember You (1941, Shertzinger/Mercer)
What is This Thing Called Love? (1929, Porter) Skylark (1941, Mercer/Carmichael)
Just You, Just Me (1929, Greer/Klages) Lover Man (1941, Davis/Ramirez/Sherman)
Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1929, Waller/Brooks/Razaf) I Hear a Rhapsody (1941, Fragos/Baker/Gasparre)
Get Happy (1930, Arlen/Koehler) You Don’t Know What Love Is (1941, Raye/de Paul)
Body and Soul (1930, Green/Heyman/Sour/Eyton) I’ll Remember April (1942, Johnston/de Paul/Raye)
Georgia on My Mind (1930, Carmichael/Gorell) Star Eyes (1943, de Paul/Raye)
Love For Sale (1930, Porter) You’d be So Nice To Come Home To (1943, Porter)
All of Me (1931, Marks/Simons) It Could Happen to You (1943, Van Heusen/Burke)
Out of Nowhere (1931, Green/Heyman) Speak Low (1943, Weill/Nash)
Beautiful Love (1931, King/Young/Van Alstyne) ‘Round Midnight (1943, Monk/Hanighen/Williams)
Just Friends (1931, Klenner/Lewis) My Shining Hour (1943, Arlen/Mercer)
Willow Weep for Me (1932, Ronell) I Should Care (1944, Stordhal/Weston)
How Deep is the Ocean (1932, Berlin) Moonlight In Vermont (1944, Suessdorf/Blackburn)
April in Paris (1932, Duke/Harburg) Stella By Starlight (1944, Young/Washington)
The Song is You (1932, Kern/Hammerstein) I Fall in Love Too Easily (1944, Styne/Cahn)
Lover (1932, Rodgers/Hart) I Love You (1944, Porter)
Alone Together (1932, Shwartz/Dietz) Like Someone in Love (1944, Van Heusen/Burke)
Night and Day (1932, Porter) Out of This World (1944, Arlen/Mercer)
Stompin’ at the Savoy (1933, Sampson) Autumn Leaves (1945, Kosma/Mercer)
Yesterdays (1933, Kern/Harbach) It Might As Well Be Spring (1945, Rodgers/Hammerstein)
Stormy Weather (1933, Arlen/Koehler) Tenderly (1946, Gross/Lawrence)
Summertime (1934, Gershwin/Heyward) Time After Time (1946, Styne/Cahn)
East of the Sun (and West of the Moon) (1934, Bowman) Come Rain or Come Shine (1946, Arlen/Mercer)
Autumn in New York (1934, Duke) Angel Eyes (1946, Dennis/Brent)
Just One of Those Things (1935, Porter) But Beautiful (1947, Van Heuson/Burke)
My Romance (1935, Rodgers/Hart) On Green Dolphin Street (1947, Kaper/Washington)
Lush Life (1936, Strayhorn) Nature Boy (1948, eden ahbez)
The Way You Look Tonight (1936, Kern, Fields) My Foolish Heart (1949, Young/Washington)
I Can’t Get Started (1936, Duke/Gershwin) Invitation (1950, Kaper/Webster)
Pennies From Heaven (1936, Johnston/Burke) If I Were A Bell (1950, Loesser)
If I Should Lose You (1936, Rainger/Robin) My One and Only Love (1952, Wood/Mellin)
There is No Greater Love (1936, Jones/Symes) Here’s That Rainy Day (1953, Heuson/Burke)
My Funny Valentine (1937, Rodgers/Hart) All of You (1954, Porter)
Nice Work If You can Get it (1937, Gershwin/Gershwin) Fly Me Too The Moon (1954, Howard)
Easy Living (1937, Rainger/Robin) Days of Wine and Roses (1962, Mancini/Mercer)
Gone With The Wind (1937, Wrubel/Magidson)
Have You Met Miss Jones (1937, Rogers/Hart)
They Can’t Take That Away from Me (1937, Gershwin/Gershwin)
Someday My Prince Will Come (1937, Morey/Churchill)
Old Folks (1938, Robison/Hill)
Cherokee (1938, Noble)
 55 Blues Tunes

Billies Bounce Eighty-one (R.Carter/Davis)

Now’s the Time Blues on the Corner (Tyner)
Au Privave Night Train (Forrest)
Cheryl Turnaround (Coleman)
Relaxin’ at Camerillo Blues Connotation (Coleman)
Chi-Chi When Will the Blues Leave (Coleman)
Blues For Alice Charcoal Blues (Shorter)
Parker’s Mood Twelve More Bars to Go (Shorter)
Barbado Matrix (Corea)
Cool Blues The Jody Grind (Silver)
Bluebird
Buzzy
Big Foot
(Parker) Minor Blues
St Louis Blues (Handy)
Blue ‘n’ Boogie (Gillespie) Mr P.C. (Coltrane)
Straight No Chaser (Monk) Equinox (Coltrane)
Blue Monk (Monk) Birks Works (Gillespie)
Misterioso (Monk) Stolen Moments (Nelson)
Sonnymoon For Two (Rollins) Israel (Carisi)
Tenor Madness (Clarke) Out of the Night (Henderson)
Bags Groove (Jackson) One for Daddy-O (N. Adderley)
Take the Coltrane (Ellington) Footprints (Shorter)
Things Ain’t What They Used to Be (M. Ellington)
C Jam Blues (Ellington)
Blues in The Closet (Pettiford)
Sandu (Brown)
Blue Train (Coltrane)
Bessie’s Blues (Coltrane)
Some Other Blues (Coltrane)
Cousin Mary (Coltrane)
Mr Day (Coltrane)
Dance of the Infidels (Powell)
Ease It (Chambers)
Walkin’ (Carpenter)
Dr Jekyll (McLean)
Blues March (Golson)
Isotope (Henderson)
In ‘n Out (Henderson)
Sippin’ at Bells (Davis)
Freddie Freeloader (Davis)
No Blues (Davis)
All Blues (Davis)
Vierd Blues (Davis)
21 Rhythm Changes Tunes Common Bebop tunes

I Got Rhythm (Gershwin) Scrapple From The Apple (Parker) (Honeysuckle Rose A)
Mop Mop (Hawkins) Confirmation (Parker)
Lester Leaps In (Young) Donna Lee (Parker) (Indiana)
Anthropology (Parker) Ornithology (Parker) (How High The Moon)
Steeplechase (Parker) Groovin High (Gillespie)
Moose the Mooche (Parker) My Little Suede Shoes (Parker)
Shaw Nuff (Gillespie) Yardbird Suite (Parker) (Rosetta/Lady be Good)
Dexterity (Parker) Ko-Ko (Parker) (Cherokee)
Passport (Parker) Quasimodo (Parker) (Embraceable You)
Red Cross (Parker) Segment (Parker)
Straighten Up and Fly Right (Cole) Joy Spring (Brown)
Crazeology (Harris) Daahoud (Brown)
Oleo (Rollins) Celia (Powell)
Cotton Tail (Ellington) Boncin with Bud (Powell)
Rhythm-a-ning (Monk) Tempus Fugit (Powell)
52nd Street Theme (Monk) Bebop (Gillespie)
The Theme (Davis) A Night In Tunisia (Gillespie)
Eternal Triangle (Stitt) Woody ‘n You (Gillespie)
C.T.A. (Heath) Hallucinations (Powell)
Crosscurrents (Tristano) Little Willie Leaps (Davis) (All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm)
Chippie (Coleman)
Thelonious Monk Billy Strayhorn
(Get the Steve Cardenas Monk Fake Chelsea Bridge
book with all his tunes) U.M.M.G.
Monk’s Dream Isfahan
We See A Flower id a Lovesome Thing
Evidence Daydream
I Mean You
Round Midnight John Coltrane
Epistrophy Locomotion
Well You Needn’t Moments Notice
Ask Me Now Lazy Bird
Pannonica Straight Street
Ruby My Dear Naima
In Walked Bud Central Park West
Reflections Like Sonny
Four in One Fifth House (What is this Thing Called Love)
Trinkle Twinkle Giant Steps
Eronel Countdown (Tune Up)
Think Of One 26-2 (Confirmation)
Ugly Beauty Satellite (How High the Moon)
Bye-Ya Impressions
Green Chimneys Lonnie’s Lament
Coming on the Hudson A Love Supreme
Bright Mississippi (Sweet Georgia Brown)
Work (as played by Coltrane)
Lets Cool One A Night Has A Thousand Eyes
Bemsha Swing Body And Soul
My Favorite Things
Duke Ellington/Strayhorn
Take The A train Sonny Rollins
Mood Indigo St Thomas
It Don’t Mean a Thing Pent Up House
Caravan (Tizol) Airegin
Perdido (Tizol) Doxy
Prelude to a Kiss Valse Hot
Satin Doll Tune Up
I Got It Bad
In a Sentimental Mood Tadd Dameron
Sophisticated Lady On a Misty Night
Morning Glory Good Bait
In A Mellotone Lady Bird
Solitude If You Could See Me Now
I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart Hot House (What is This Thing Called Love)
Warm Valley
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
Benny Golson Herbie Hancock
Stablemates Dolphin Dance
Along Came Betty Maiden Voyage
Whisper Not The Sorcerer
I Remember Clifford Tell Me A Bedtime Story
Killer Joe Watermelon Man
Driftin
Dizzy Gillespie Cantelope Island
Con Alma Butterfly
Manteca One Finger Snap
Tin Tin Deo (Fuller/Pozo) Actual Proof
Eye of the Hurricane
Miles Davis
Solar Wayne Shorter
Four JuJu
Dig (Sweet Georgia Brown) Yes and No
Half Nelson (Lady Bird) Speak No Evil
Milestones new Black Nile
Boblicity (G.Evans/Davis) Toy Tune
Fall
Joe Henderson Nefertiti
Punjab Pinocchio
Serenity United
Recorda Me Tom Thumb
Inner Urge Fee Fi Fo Fum
Black Narcissus Infant Eyes
The Kicker E.S.P.
Afro Centric El Gaucho
Deluge
Horace Silver One By One
Senor Blues
Song For My Father Bill Evans
Nica’s Dream Nardis
Peace Turn Out The Stars
Lonely Woman Blue in Green
Strollin’ Waltz For Debbie
Sister Sadie Alice in Wonderland
The Preacher Very Early
Quick Silver (Lover Come Back To Me) Time Remembered
Gregory is Here
Oscar Pettiford
Kenny Dorham Tricotism
Blue Bossa Bohemia After Dark
Short Story Laverne Walk
Cedar Walton Freddie Hubbard
Bolivia Up Jumped Spring
Firm Roots Little Sunflower
Ugetsu Birdlike
Hindsight Straight Life
Martha’s Pize Happy Times
Crisis
Charles Mingus
Goodbye Porkpie Hat Sam Rivers
Self-Portrait in Three Colors Beatrice
Nostalgia in Times Square Cyclic Episode
So Long Eric
Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love Victor Feldman
Peggy’s Blue Skylight Seven Steps to Heaven
Joshua
McCoy Tyner
Contemplation Wes Montgomery
Passion Dance Four on Six
Four By Five West Coast Blues
Search for Peace
Inception Duke Pearson
Three Flowers Jeannine
You Know I Care
Chick Corea Is That So
Windows
Humpty Dumpty Dexter Gordon
Tones For Jones Bones Fried Bananas
Bud Powell Cheesecake
You’re Everything For Regulars Only

Ornette Coleman Jackie McLean

Bird Food Little Melonae
The Blessing Bird Lives

Lee Morgan Hank Mobley

The Sidewinder This I Dig Of You
Ceora
Hocus Pocus Gigi Gryce
Minority
Nat Adderley Social Call
Work Song
Frank Foster
Bobby Timmons Shinny Stockings
Moanin’ Simone
This Here
Dat Dare
George Shearing Bobby Hutcherson
Conception Little B’s Poem
Lullaby of Birdland
Lennie Tristano
John Lewis Wow (You Can Depend on Me)
Milestones 317 East 32nd Street (Out of Nowhere)
Afternoon In Paris Lenny Bird (How High The Moon)
Ablution (All The Things You Are)
Sam Jones
Unit 7 Warne Marsh
Bittersweet Background Music (All of Me)
Del Sasser
Lee Konitz
Eddie Harris Subconscious-lee (What is This Thing Called Love)
Cold Duck Time
Freedom Jazz Dance Billie Holiday
God Bless The Child
Claire Fischer
Pensativa Thad Jones
A Child Is Born
Antonio Carlos Jobim There and One
No More Blues Let’s
Girl from Ipanema
Corcovado Duke Jordan
How Insensitive Jordu
Wave
Triste Steve Swallow
Desafinado Falling Grace
Once I Loved Eiderdown
If You Never Come To Me
One Note Samba Jimmy Heath
Meditation Gingerbread Boy
Zingaro A Sound For Sore Ears
O Grande Amor You or Me (There Will Never be Another You)
Antigua
Joe Zawinul
Bonfa/Maria Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
Manha de Carnaval
Mongo Santamaria
Ahmad Jamal Afro Blue
Poinciana
Randy Weston
Stanley Turrentine Hi-Fly
Sugar Little Niles
Saucer Eyes
Woody Shaw
In Case You Haven’t Heard
This Sweet Love of Mine
The Moontrane

Erroll Garner
Misty

Jim Hall
Bon Ami
All Across The City

Victor Lewis
Hey, It’s Me You’re Talking To

Dave Brubeck
In Your Own Sweet Way
The Duke

Kenny Baron
Voyage

Neal Hefti
Lil’ Darlin’
Cute
Girl Talk

Sonny Clark
Melody For C
Blue Minor

Mulgrew Miller
From Day to Day
Elation

Burt Bacharach
Wives and Lovers
Close to You
Alfie
A House is Not a Home

Fats Waller
Jitterbug Waltz
Ain’t Misbehavin’

Ron Carter
Eighty One
Little Waltz
R.J.
Third Plane