If you want to strike fear in the heart of a bassist, just say two words: “Latin jazz.” The complex integral rhythm of any authentic Latin jazz bass line is unforgiving, dancing across bar lines while the drummer and percussionist fire off accents like darts around the downbeat. What’s a gauntlet for most bassists is an insignificant challenge for this month’s Master Class artist, Adam Nitti. Employing rhythmic jujitsu, Nitti’s created a new technique that emulates a Latin percussionist’s tumbao: For a change, the bass player is the one firing off rapid accents. Nitti’s tune “The Divine Wind” off Evidence [Renaissance Man, 2001] demonstrates this insane technique.
“I wanted to capture the feel of a typical bass tumbao, but at the same time give it a more modern flair,” Nitti explains. “I had been working on a unique hybrid slap/plucking technique for about a year, and I decided to incorporate it into the tune.”
Let’s look at “Divine Wind.” The basic tumbao rhythm, when counted with a 16th-note pulse, has its defining accents on the fourth 16th-note of beat one and the second 16th-note of beat two. This pattern repeats on beats three and four. Normally the bass line would consist only of these accents, while the percussionist fills in the surrounding 16th-notes, hits the accents, and plays fills. Adam’s innovation, called “fretting-hand leading,” exposes the traditional tumbao inside the frenetic bass line by having the fretting hand hammer on the signature accents (marked h in the example).
So how does he create the rest of the line? “With the plucking hand, I fill in the gaps.” Sounds easy, right? Nitti uses three motions in his plucking hand: a traditional thumb slap, a traditional index-finger pop, and a decidedly untraditional middle-finger pop. These three motions, plus the fourth motion of “fretting-hand leading,” combine to make a rolling groove in which the accents are more felt than heard. Speed up the tempo and the thing starts cooking; then add drummer Dave Weckl for a roiling boil. “With the creativity and influence of a great drummer, you’ve got a powerhouse groove,” says Adam. “Weckl’s percussion parts made the piece that much more dynamic and exciting for me.”
But for us mortals, there’s the issue of learning an entirely new technique. Look at the legend closely; you’ll see how fingerboard hammer-ons and thumb-slaps usually occur in that order, and how the index- and middle-finger pops happen in rapid succession. For those starting at square one, Adam is sympathetic. “If you’ve never tapped out bass lines independently with your fretting hand before, this is going to feel very new to you. Remember, the fretting hand plays the basic bass line, and your plucking hand ‘follows’ it with combinations of slapped and plucked notes.” As for the learning pace, he suggests, “One beat at a time or one measure at a time, depending on your level of dexterity.” But maybe you’re actually out there playing along already. If so, Adam has even more to offer. “Keep the groove very solid and laid back. It’s not hard to find yourself playing a little too much on top of the beat. And if you don’t have a handle on your string muting, this technique can sound especially like a chaotic mess.” Again, he recommends slower tempos at first. That means you, hotshot.
If you’ve got bars 1 and 2 under control, look closely at bar 4—it’s a classic Latin percussion fill, and provides a turnaround of sorts.
Adam’s frontier-busting technique addresses a quandary I’ve pondered more than once: Are there any new tricks left in the global bag of bass? “Sometimes I find myself wondering if we’ve done about all we can do on the instrument with respect to new techniques. But the truth is there are still galaxies of uncharted territory, and all it takes is dedication and a creative spirit to help you open the door to the next level.”
I don’t know about you, but suddenly, playing just the basic tumbao doesn’t seem so hard after all.