The 50 Best Jazz Bassists Of All Time

From those who elevated the instrument from a mere time-keeping role, to versatile pathfinders and visionary composers, these are the 50 best jazz bassists in history.In jazz, as in most music, the bass is the bottom line. It’s both part of the rhythmic foundation of the music (along with the drums) and the sonic glue that binds everything together. In the New Orleans-style jazz ensembles of the early 20th Century, basslines were usually played by the tuba – reflecting jazz’s marching-band roots – but that instrument was eventually superseded by the upright, four-string double bass. As the jaunty 2/4 meter...