“THE BASS IS ONE OF THE MOST important, if not the most important, instruments in any orchestra,” said Oscar Pettiford in a 1957 interview with Nat Hentoff. “You don’t need piano or drums. The bass can be much more [like] a horn than it has often been in the past. When I finish, the bass will be right down front where it belongs.” Pettiford backed up his cocky statement by changing the sound of jazz bass playing—he was the definitive bassist whose legacy of bop and blues continues to inspire jazz bassists today.
In the ’40s and ’50s, O.P. (as he is often called), along with his contemporaries Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker, codified the complex and colorful harmonic language known as bebop. One of bebop’s important harmonic elements was the IIm-V-I chord progression (sometimes written ii-V-I, the lower case indicating minor). Pettiford often used the IIm-V-I in his music, and the progression remains a key component of modern jazz. Let’s take a look at some of O.P.’s classic solo lines over the IIm-V-I. All of the examples are played in a medium swing tempo.
Example 1 shows a IIm-V-I progression in the key of Bb major. The minor II chord is built on the 2nd degree of a major scale. In this case, the 2nd degree of the scale in the key of Bb major is C, and the chord built in 3rds from that note is a Cm7. The V chord in the key of Bb major is an F7, and the F7 is built in 3rds starting on the 5th note (indicated by the Roman numeral V) of the Bb major scale. The I chord in the key of Bb major is—stay with me on this—a Bbmaj7. Note that the chords shown here are impossible to play simultaneously on the bass in one position, but they are notated to show all of the important notes that create the IIm-V-I progression.
Look at the movement of the chord tones in Ex. 1—which notes stay the same, and which notes change. The Bb of the Cm7, which is the b7th of the chord, resolves down to the A of the F7, which is the 3rd of the chord. The Eb of the F7, which is the b7th of the chord, resolves down to the D of the Bbmaj7, which is the 3rd of that chord. The resolution from the b7th of one chord to the 3rd of the next chord is an important element in bebop harmony.
The goal in a bebop jazz solo is to outline the movement of the chords, not just randomly play over the chords with notes from the Bb major scale. Example 2 shows a typical Pettiford line that outlines the movement of the 7ths to the 3rds. The Bb on the “and” of beat two resolves to the A on beat three. In bar 2, O.P. outlines the Bbmaj9 arpeggio, starting on D, the 3rd of the chord.
In Ex. 3, Pettiford plays a Bb on bar 1’s beat two, and resolves to A on beat three. Notice in bar 2 that he starts on the 5th of the Bbmaj7 chord (F) and ends on the colorful 9th (C). This line uses chromatic passing tones, which are outside of the Bb major scale, to make the line flow and land on certain targeted chord tones. Notice how he usually places chord tones on the strong beats one and three. Example 4 shows Pettiford jumping up the neck with a triplet arpeggio. It is a common bebop technique to play the arpeggio up a chord, and then come down the scale.
Pettiford and other beboppers often use altered dominant chords in the IIm- V-I progression. By changing the upper structure of the V chords (the 9ths and 13ths), they add tension to the music. The tension is then released on the resolution to the I chord.
Example 5 shows the Cm7 moving to the F7, just like Ex. 1. Beat three of bar 2 introduces the #9 to the chord (Ab). The #9 in this situation is played in addition to the 3rd, creating an interval of a major 7th between the low A and the high G# . This rub adds to the tension and makes the chord sound funky. Beat four of bar 2 shows the b9 added to the chord (the note Gb). The b9 is just a half-step above the root F, and also creates tension—the chord is begging to resolve to the Bbmaj7.
Example 6 shows Pettiford playing one of his trademark licks, using the b9 (Gb) in bar 2. Notice how he plays the Gb, then the E, and resolves to the F on beat one of bar 3. This technique, called an enclosure, surrounds the target note (F) with notes above and below (Gb and E) before resolving. Example 7 shows Pettiford using the #9 (Ab) and the b9 (Gb) on beat two of bar 2.
Pettiford was a master of implying moving harmony within his solo line. Example 8 demonstrates this technique. In bar 2 he plays a Gon beat one, followed by a ghostnote (dead note) on the D string. On beat two, he plays a Gb, followed by a ghostnote and the resolution to the note F. The implied change from an F7 with the natural 9 (G) to the F7b9 gives a feeling of movement and harmonic sophistication.
The IIm-V-I progression is a building block of modern harmony, and you can use Pettiford’s harmonic language to bop your way through the changes. Learn these patterns slowly, and then practice them in all 12 keys. After you’re comfortable, try to solo over some common jazz standards like “Autumn Leaves” or “Perdido,” using the melodic patterns as a basis. Once you have the licks under your fingers, you will be on your way to bringing the “bass down front” like Oscar Pettiford first did 60 years ago.