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Upright Citizens is the podcast where two professional bassists - Bob DeBoo and Reuben Rogers - talk music from the bottom up. Every episode breaks down a real technique, a real recording, or a real story from a career on the road and in the studio, so you walk away with something you can actually put into your hands that day.
Expect deep dives on walking bass lines, swing, groove, and tone, interviews with legendary artists, road stories that are actually funny, and straight talk on practicing and listening better. Whether you play upright, electric, or just love the low end, this is where two bass nerds figure it out.
New episodes monthly, in audio and video.
Upright Citizens — Episode 4
"Can You Name These Bassists by Ear? (I Couldn't)"
Cold Open
BOB: How many bassists do you actually know? Not just the famous ones, but the ones that shaped the ones that you love — and can you pick them out by ear? All right, so today we're going to play a little game. Reuben is going to play for me three audio examples of different bass players, and I may or may not know who they are. You might know, I might not. That's what it is, but we're going to learn. But here's what we know for sure: the wider your ears, the deeper your playing. And by the end of this episode, you'll have three new names worth knowing and listening to.
REUBEN: Yes, you shall.
Welcome to Upright Citizens, with two bass nerds sharing how they think about music from the bottom up.
Guess the Bassist: The Setup
BOB: Here we are again.
REUBEN: What's up, Bobby Cool?
BOB: Good, Reuben. How are you?
REUBEN: I'm doing all right.
BOB: I'm a little nervous, I've got to be honest.
REUBEN: Don't be nervous.
BOB: I'm not, actually. For all of you that don't know, we've done a similar thing on the podcast before, but it's always so fun to dig deeper and get back to the basics.
REUBEN: I get you. The bass-ics.
BOB: That's terrible, but —
REUBEN: We're doing Guess the Bassist.
BOB: Yes, basically. And we did blindfold tests in the last couple of episodes like this.
REUBEN: It's kind of like a blindfold test, but for bass. It basically just opens our ears a little bit — both our ears and also your ears, to our listeners out there. And some of this should be familiar. Bob, I didn't take it too wild —
BOB: Don't cheat on me.
REUBEN: — I didn't take it too far out of your scope, okay? I want you to know that. So don't think too deep on it. But anyway, let's start.
BOB: Okay. Let's do this.
REUBEN: I'm going to just jump into this track, and then we'll talk about it after that and see what happens. All right?
BOB: Sounds good. Let's go.
Bassist #1: First Listen
[Music]
REUBEN: Do you like this?
BOB: Ooh, beautiful.
REUBEN: Okay, so tell me what you're hearing first. You don't have to give me a name or anything like that, but what do you hear in this bassist?
BOB: So I hear a lot of detailed playing — a lot of careful, very crafted... The dynamic level is beautiful, how they're all going together and flowing together. And I hear, obviously, a more modern recording. This was probably done in the last 10 years, maybe a little longer. But I hear just a lot of care — a lot of really detailed attention to their sound, and the way that they're playing within the group as well.
REUBEN: Any more bass-centric things you can give me?
BOB: Well, obviously this is an upright bass. Kind of a darker type of tone to their playing. And not an overly aggressive sound — do you know what I mean? It's a very warm, inviting sound to me. I've got a couple people that I think it is. I've never heard this recording, but —
REUBEN: I won't force you to do it now. I'm going to give you one more clue. You want to do that?
BOB: Sure. You've got more to listen to?
REUBEN: Yeah. One more stab. I'm usually guilty by association, too — so that's why I probably would play this anyway.
BOB: Is that a hint as well?
REUBEN: Yeah. Guilty by association. That's the whole thing when you're listening to music. I think bass is usually the hardest instrument of all of them to pick out, because of the timbre. You have to really have studied to know the inflections — these different things that these guys or gals have in their playing. You know what I mean?
BOB: Sure. Can I flip the question on you before we guess anything? What would be some adjectives for what you just heard in that track?
REUBEN: Broad notes.
BOB: Broad notes. And we mean long notes, right? Connected.
REUBEN: Very long notes, intentional. Like a very growly sound.
BOB: Lower register.
REUBEN: Yes. But very precise. Intonation is always... This gentleman — I'll give it that way, at least.
BOB: Oh, it's not who I thought it is.
REUBEN: Let me play the next track.
BOB: Please.
Bassist #1: Second Clue
REUBEN: Talk about broad notes.
[Music]
BOB: So this seems like Keith from the '70s or something. So that narrows it down to really two or three bassists. I really want to know what that first track was now. So — is this Charlie Haden?
REUBEN: It's not Charlie.
BOB: Hmm. How many guesses do I get?
REUBEN: I'll give you one more. ... You can guess as many as you want. There's definitely a lot of Charlie influence, I'll say that.
BOB: Is it Gary Peacock? Oh, wait — who is it?
The Reveal: Palle Danielsson
REUBEN: Palle Danielsson.
BOB: That was next on my list! Because this is from Belonging, right?
REUBEN: Yes.
BOB: Now I place it, for sure. Who else is on the album — that's Jan Garbarek, and Jon Christensen, right?
REUBEN: That's right. See? You knew it, but you didn't know it.
BOB: I've heard this album once. It just stumped me. Palle Danielsson. Amazing.
REUBEN: To give you some trivia on him: born October 15th, 1946. He left us May 2024. He's Swedish, born in Stockholm. Played with the likes of Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Kenny Wheeler, Michel Petrucciani — sorry, I'm messing that up — and countless others. He was a fixture in the European jazz scene for a long time. I also picked this because you gave a nice shout-out to him when he passed, a couple years ago. So I know you knew of his playing, and we had talked about him a little bit. Just a staple. Like Ray Brown, a bassist's bassist for the most part, but he got around quite a bit in his career. But probably his best-known work was with Keith Jarrett.
BOB: Yeah, for sure.
REUBEN: And you want to know what tracks I played?
BOB: That's exactly what I was going to ask.
REUBEN: That particular track we just heard was from Belonging, as you said — from 1974. And the first one was from a Peter Erskine record, with John Taylor on piano and Peter Erskine on drums.
BOB: Longtime trio.
REUBEN: Yes. They played a lot — they actually recorded a lot of John Taylor's music. John Taylor was a British pianist, and Peter Erskine is from the US, but they did a lot of recordings together.
BOB: And these are both ECM records, right?
REUBEN: Yes.
BOB: Man. You got me. That's good. Palle Danielsson.
REUBEN: All right. Well, let's move on. Next one.
Bassist #2: First Listen
BOB: I've got three chances.
REUBEN: Let's go with this track. Let me make sure I've got this up. Okay, here we go.
[Music]
REUBEN: For the heck of it, I'm going to do this. Let's not say anything yet. Let's just go here for a second.
[Music]
BOB: The track is "Ugly Beauty."
[Music]
BOB: So — what a beautiful sound. First of all, that opening track made me think of Dave Holland, but I don't think this is Dave. I'm also getting touches of Larry Grenadier, but I don't think it's Larry either. The tone that this person is getting is very refined, and sounds like they're playing on perhaps some gut strings in the upper register — on their higher strings. Oh, man. They're actually playing on probably Evah Pirazzis.
REUBEN: Think so?
BOB: Mm-hmm. Is it Reuben? No, I'm just kidding.
REUBEN: Definitely not. Different style. I've got one more for you.
Bassist #2: Third Clue
[Music]
BOB: Man, this isn't Joe Sanders, is it? Sounds deep like that to me. ... Is it another Joe? Is it Joe Martin?
REUBEN: Nope.
BOB: I give up. You got me.
REUBEN: All right, you're bleeding now.
The Reveal: Scott Colley
BOB: Exactly. I don't know. Who is this?
REUBEN: The great Scott Colley.
BOB: That's Scott Colley! That first track — yes. You've brought that into an episode before.
REUBEN: I did.
BOB: And I was like, "Where do I know this from?"
REUBEN: So, with that said, go back and check out some episodes — we did a bassist spotlight on Scott, maybe 50 episodes ago.
BOB: What was the first cut from?
REUBEN: The first cut is from an album by Koppel, Colley, and Blade. It's a collective album called Perspective, and it came out in 2023. The track was called "Don't Rise" — a Scott Colley composition.
BOB: That's beautiful.
REUBEN: You said Dave Holland. To me, I hear that Dave Holland influence. I think he's very influenced, first, by Charlie, and then also Dave. A nice combination of both somehow came into Scott Colley. You know what I mean?
BOB: Now, when you say it's a combination of both — to me, I'm hearing the sound influence from Charlie —
REUBEN: Sound influence from Charlie, yeah —
BOB: — and maybe the harmonic, melodic —
REUBEN: Yes, the dexterity of —
BOB: — texture —
REUBEN: — Dave Holland. Those beautiful double stops and the interwoven voicings, and what he was playing in the beginning. The main thing I always say about Scott is that I feel like he has a very personal tone. And you also touched on Larry Grenadier — they have a certain kind of attack that's similar, in a way. But I like to say Scott's is maybe sweeter. A little lighter, I should say.
BOB: It's tough to put into words.
REUBEN: It definitely can be a little lighter, and he has this kind of angular way of playing, especially when he's soloing. I didn't get into all that, because I feel like if I played his soloing, you might have gotten it quicker. So I'm stumping you right here. Forgive me.
BOB: No, I love it, man.
REUBEN: The second one was —
BOB: "Ugly Beauty," yeah. Who was that on the horn?
REUBEN: That was Chris Potter.
BOB: Yeah, of course.
REUBEN: Chris Potter, and Bill Stewart on drums. That was from This Place, from 1998. Actually, the next track was also from that record.
BOB: Same record?
REUBEN: Yeah, same. This Place was Scott Colley's debut album.
BOB: Got you. I'll go home and listen.
REUBEN: So y'all go ahead and check that out. Scott Colley, This Place. There's another one I love called The Magic Line — another record, from 2000. He has a wide discography of music out there, so please go out and check it out. Also Palle Danielsson — you just punch in his name and a whole bunch of beautiful music comes up, because these versatile musicians were able to really get around the scene. So, let's do one more bassist.
BOB: All right, let's do it.
Bassist #3: The Elder Statesman
REUBEN: This one — let me see. Maybe I'll set this one up just a little bit. He gets around, too, and he's definitely an elder statesman. He's still around with us. That's all I'm going to give you.
BOB: That's the bare minimum. I love it.
REUBEN: Let me make sure this is up. Here we go.
[Music]
BOB: I've got to be careful who I guess, now that you said elder statesman.
REUBEN: So I purposely put this track on —
BOB: This is an older track, yeah?
REUBEN: Yes.
BOB: That sounds like Andrew Hill. Initially, I was going to say Andrew Hill riffage.
REUBEN: So you don't know this track?
BOB: I don't, no. Is that Andrew Hill?
REUBEN: Nope. It's that sound, though — the sound of that era. So I purposely put this on first because most people now don't associate his sound in this way.
BOB: Okay, gotcha.
REUBEN: So, to give our listeners the scope —
BOB: This is Joe Henderson, obviously.
REUBEN: Right, that's Joe Henderson. The scope of just the evolution of someone's sound. He's probably playing the same way, but his sound has changed quite a bit. Actually — it's just different. I wouldn't say changed. So, let's go to something different right now, so we can make you look good on Upright Citizens.
BOB: Oh, you don't have to do that. Let's listen.
REUBEN: Here we go.
[Music]
BOB: I know what I want to hear this time. What year is this?
REUBEN: Roughly '83. The first one was '69.
BOB: Really? Okay, gotcha.
[Music]
BOB: Is that Cedar? No, that's not Cedar. ... Oh, okay. This is Ron Carter.
REUBEN: Nope.
BOB: This is not Ron Carter? Is this Rufus Reid?
REUBEN: Nope. Only one more. You've only got one more.
BOB: Dang. All right, let me think hard about this. I was sure this was Ron. I'm going to get in trouble. My head's going to explode when you tell me. ... Is this Buster Williams?
The Reveal: Buster Williams
REUBEN: Yes.
BOB: Wow.
REUBEN: There you go.
BOB: So that connection to the notes —
REUBEN: Yeah, that's very Ron-esque.
BOB: Yeah, definitely. That's definitely Buster. I feel Buster's lines are a little more adventurous.
REUBEN: Definitely.
BOB: Not to say that Maestro Ron Carter's aren't, but they're definitely way more linear. And I think Buster takes just a lot more liberties. There are more chances involved in there, too. The first cut that you played — up to that point, I was like, "I want to say that's Richard Davis."
REUBEN: Yes. That's why I said he's still around.
BOB: Right. Because that definitely had Richard Davis vibes, and having that Joe Henderson connection in there definitely clued me in that way. What was the first one from?
REUBEN: That was from Herbie Hancock's The Prisoner.
BOB: The Prisoner, yes.
REUBEN: Yep, 1969. A whole cast on there: Tootie Heath on drums, Johnny Coles on flugelhorn, Joe Henderson, obviously, on tenor sax, which we knew. Hubert Laws, one of the finest flautists of all time.
BOB: Wow.
REUBEN: And this second one is Kenny Barron — from Kenny Barron's album Green Chimneys, with Ben Riley on drums. One of my favorite trio albums of all time. You did well on the last one, at least, huh?
BOB: You said "at least." All right.
The Barcus-Berry Sound
REUBEN: Well, just to wrap it up — the reason you thought it was Ron: I feel like they had a very similar sound in that period, because Barcus-Berry was very prominent.
BOB: It's a whole era, yeah.
REUBEN: Yeah, I think that's the Barcus-Berry sound. He switched to Fishman pickups probably a little later, but both of them were playing Barcus-Berry, I think, at the same time, because that was like the bass pickup for a minute, right? I think Ron, Ray did too. All of them had this kind of similar sound in a way — but still themselves. But before, obviously, it was quite acoustic, right? On The Prisoner.
BOB: Absolutely, yeah. Beautiful sound.
REUBEN: But I think once Buster was able to plug in, he took it to a whole other level. You can hear it: "All my slides and everything can come out now. Yay." Have you seen that documentary, Bass to Infinity?
BOB: No, I haven't.
REUBEN: Man, that's a good one.
BOB: Is it Buster Williams?
REUBEN: Yes, it's Buster Williams. Bass to Infinity — fantastic.
The Takeaway: Deep Listening
BOB: But good ones, Reuben. You told me it was going to be easy, man! When we started there, I was like, "Man, I almost got Linda Oh vibes" from that. I really did at first. And then Scott Colley. Beautiful. So I'll keep listening.
REUBEN: Yeah, man.
BOB: You all have got to keep listening, too. Every great bassist that you love got that way by listening to other bass players, right? I know you have the people you listen to. And a lot of us here, listening in and watching in, have listened to you over the years quite a lot as well. So you influence us, too. It's not an accident. That's how that musical vocabulary grows. And doing sessions like this — these listening sessions — I love this. It's fantastic, because there's always new stuff to listen to. And it's not just practicing scales. It doesn't just come overnight. Deep listening is where it's at. So go find one of these three players and dig in a little deeper. I'll be doing the same, for sure — and let's spend some more time listening to great bassists. We're Upright Citizens. See you next month.
BOB & REUBEN: Peace.