Steve Swallow: electric bass innovator with analysis of selected works
Andrew James Waters
Bok · Engelsk · 2003
| Omfang | ix, 190 sider : noteeksempler
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| Opplysninger | Opptrykk av forfatterens avhandling (ph.d.). - UMI number: 3086925. - Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Steinhardt School of Education, New York University. - Steve Swallow has been one of the most important acoustic and electric bassists in the world of jazz for over thirty-five years. Swallow's most significant accomplishment, and a central focus of this study, has been his pre-eminence as a virtuoso jazz performer on the electric bass, which he did more to establish in jazz than any other performer. He has demonstrated that the electric bass can function successfully in a traditional jazz setting and as a unique and respected solo voice. Swallow is one of the few electric bassists accepted by jazz musicians and his place in jazz history is of innovative and iconoclastic significance. Despite Swallow's influence as a jazz bassist and an electric bass innovator, there has been a dearth of literature written about him. As a contemporary jazz icon, virtuosic instrumentalist, prolific writer, and popular accompanist, Swallow's music is a topic of study that could yield a wealth of information concerning electric bass performance, jazz performance, composition, and history. The findings of this study are especially beneficial for electric bassists, acoustic bassists, and other instrumentalists in terms of performance practice, in addition to its value for improvisers and composers. This study will look closely at Swallow's life, especially during the critical period of the late 1960s, when he took up the electric bass exclusively after playing the acoustic bass. To contextualize and support the specifics of Swallow's activities as a bassist, this study chronicles briefly the history and aesthetics of electronic instruments in the 20th century, focusing specifically on the electric guitar and the electric bass. This study also documents the reactions of his contemporaries. This research will examine comprehensively the general differences between the double bass and electric bass, to better explain the technical challenges and expanded artistic opportunities that Swallow initiated through his unique types of innovative developments. In addition, his contributions to music as a composer, performer, bandleader, and improviser will be examined. To further illuminate Swallow's musical contributions and unique playing style, an analysis of three of his works ("Ice Cream," "She Was Young," and, "Reinventing the Wheel") will be included.
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| ISBN | 9780496347148
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