Upright Citizens

Reuben Rogers plays three tracks. Bob DeBoo has to name the bassist on each one by ear, with nothing but a few hints. He went 1 for 3. Can you beat him?

Play along: pause before each reveal (07:07, 13:29, 21:24) and make your guess.

Along the way: how pros describe what they hear before they can put a name on it (tone, note length, strings, attack), why bass is the hardest instrument in the band to pick out, how one bassist's sound changed completely in 14 years, and the pickup that made a whole era of jazz bass sound alike. Every great bassist got that way by listening to other bassists. Here are three names worth knowing.

Coming up in a future episode: Bob gets his turn to stump Reuben.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

(00:00) Can You Pick Them Out by Ear?
(00:51) The Rules (and a Terrible Pun)
(02:02) Bassist #1: First Listen
(03:27) Warm, Dark, and Detailed: Bob's First Read
(04:49) Hint: "Guilty by Association"
(06:06) Clue #2: Talk About Broad Notes
(07:07) Bassist #1 Revealed
(09:16) Bassist #2: First Listen
(11:37) Gut Strings or Pirazzis? Bob Reads the Tone
(12:27) Clue #2: Is It a Joe?
(13:29) Bassist #2 Revealed
(14:24) Haden's Sound, Holland's Dexterity
(16:48) Bassist #3: "An Elder Statesman"
(18:23) Not the Sound You Know Him For
(19:39) Clue #2: Fast-Forward 14 Years
(20:41) Ron Carter? Rufus Reid? Last Guess
(21:24) Bassist #3 Revealed
(23:07) The Pickup That Defined an Era
(24:10) The Takeaway: Deep Listening

SPOILERS BELOW: the answers and every track in the episode

Bassist #1: Palle Danielsson
• "Pure & Simple" — John Taylor, Palle Danielsson, Peter Erskine (ECM)
• Keith Jarrett, Belonging (ECM, 1974) — with Jan Garbarek and Jon Christensen

Bassist #2: Scott Colley
• "Don't Rise" — Koppel Colley Blade Collective, Perspective (2023)
• "Ugly Beauty" + a second cut — Scott Colley, This Place, with Chris Potter and Bill Stewart

Bassist #3: Buster Williams
• Herbie Hancock, The Prisoner (Blue Note, 1969)
• Kenny Barron Trio, Green Chimneys (Criss Cross, 1983) — with Ben Riley

Also mentioned: Bass to Infinity (the Buster Williams documentary) and Scott Colley's The Magic Line.

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO

As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you're a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor.

Bob and Reuben both have their own in-depth courses on Open Studio, alongside Masters like Christian McBride and Ron Carter — dig deeper into everything you hear on this show.

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

Click here to view the episode transcript.

You’ve got 15 minutes. Maybe it’s a borrowed bass in a new hall before soundcheck. Maybe it’s your own bass at home, with life about to catch up with you. Either way: what do you actually practice?

Bob DeBoo and Reuben Rogers open with a live Ray Brown Trio recording of "St. Louis Blues," proof that a great bassist sounds like himself on any instrument, then share Ray Brown stories from a UNT master class and the festival circuit. Reuben walks through how he gets to know an unfamiliar upright fast: finding his reference notes, singing intervals before he plays them, and targeting notes without cheating on intonation. Bob breaks down the melodic triads warm-up he uses to learn a new fingerboard, and how hearing ahead works on electric bass too. Plus: why the bow is its own instrument (after a tour of 25 cities, 25 basses, and 25 bows), and three rules for making any 15-minute practice session count.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

(00:00) What Do You Practice in 15 Minutes?
(00:51) The 15-Minute Challenge
(01:26) Listen to This: Ray Brown Trio
(02:52) Why Ray Brown Sounds Like Ray Brown
(03:57) Ray Brown's UNT Master Class
(05:14) Ray Brown Practiced Every Day
(06:28) New Bass? Find Your Reference Note
(08:54) Ear Training: Sing Your Intervals
(09:53) Target Notes: Don't Cheat Intonation
(11:20) Hearing Ahead on Electric Bass
(11:58) Melodic Triads Warm-Up Exercise
(16:32) Be Intentional With 15 Minutes
(17:24) One Tour: 25 Basses, 25 Bows
(18:37) Short Sessions, Long-Term Reps
(19:19) Takeaways: Focus, Sound, Be Realistic

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
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Bob and Reuben both have their own in-depth bass courses on OpenStudioJazz.com, alongside Masters like Christian McBride and Ron Carter - dig deeper into everything you hear on this show.

As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you’re a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor.

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

Click here to view the episode transcript.

You got the call. The music is deep, the deadline is short - you've got maybe a day, maybe a car ride, before you're expected to play it like you've known it for years.

In Episode 2 of Upright Citizens, Bob and Reuben break down how professional musicians actually learn new music fast: not through some trick, but through a specific way of listening. They react to Ulysses Owens Jr.'s "Better Days," Bob tells the story of learning an entire live set on a six-hour drive to Fayetteville with zero charts, Reuben tells his own story of jumping into Gerald Clayton's trio on a day's notice, and they break down the exact order of what to listen for - form, feel, key, and the lines that actually matter - plus why it's okay to mess it up along the way.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

(00:00) Cold open
(00:22) Welcome to Upright Citizens
(00:38) Today's topic: learning fast
(01:02) Listen to This: Ulysses Owens
(02:46) A word from Open Studio
(03:09) Bob's story: the Fayetteville gig
(06:24) How to listen: intent and repetition
(07:27) Order of importance: form, feel, key
(08:27) Know just enough to let go
(09:07) Reuben's story: the Gerald Clayton gig
(12:33) Deep listening in the moment
(16:09) The non-negotiable takeaway
(16:41) Learning from a person vs. the page
(18:10) The 3 keys to learning fast
(19:18) Close

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob and Reuben both have their own in-depth bass courses on OpenStudioJazz.com, alongside Masters like Christian McBride and Ron Carter - dig deeper into everything you hear on this show.

As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you're a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor. 

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

Click here to view the episode transcript.

You're playing all the right notes - the changes, the time, everything. So why does your bass line still feel like it's just not dancing?

Bob and Reuben break down the 'one thing' that separates a bass line that swings from one that just sits there: note length. They react to an unreleased Ron Carter duo track, Reuben tells the story of the studio session that changed how he thinks about note length forever, and they connect it all back to the physical mechanics of your right and left hand - on both upright and electric.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

As the premier online jazz education platform, with an ever-expanding course library and 20,000+ members, Open Studio (OS) has everything you need to excel and thrive on your jazz journey.

Featuring everything from beginner to advanced lessons, engaging courses from A-list instructors, step-by-step curriculum, real-time classes and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, OS is the perfect platform to level up your jazz playing, whether you're a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level improvisor. 

Try OS Membership today! → https://osjazz.link/about

‘Practice in all  12 keys’…It’s advice we often hear, but do we really need to???

"Any musician always dreams of getting to play with their heroes, and we also have our own unsung personal heroes in our lives as well. Join Reuben and Bob for a candid discussion about what it's like playing with their heroes, and how their personal mentors have changed their lives forever for the better." 

We hope you enjoy this conversation and we'd love to hear your thoughts. Reach out to the Upright Citizens anytime at [email protected] and let us know what's up. Peace! 

"What does it mean to lead a band from the bass? What's different, what's the same, and what do two professional bassists think about what it takes? Listen in to this discussion about what we really think about being a bass leader..."

We hope you enjoy this conversation and we'd love to hear your thoughts. Reach out to the Upright Citizens anytime at [email protected] and let us know what's up. Peace! 

"Your life is your greatest musical asset - so go live it. In this episode of Upright Citizens, we're talking about why the best thing you can do for your playing might have nothing to do with practicing."

We hope you enjoy this conversation and we'd love to hear your thoughts. Reach out to the Upright Citizens anytime at [email protected] and let us know what's up. Peace! 

"In this episode, Bob and Reuben explore the hidden beauty inside musical “mistakes” - and why the notes we didn’t mean to play might be the ones that move us forward. Through stories and reflection, they invite us to loosen our grip on perfection and discover how missteps can open the door to something honest, creative, and unexpectedly beautiful."

We'd love to hear your thoughts as well! Reach out to the Upright Citizens anytime at [email protected] and let us know 

"We do need to have good technique to play and say what we hear on the bass - but how much is enough? Can technique go too far, and what is essential? In this episode Reuben and Bob share their thoughts on just how much technique we really need"

We'd love to hear your thoughts as well! Reach out to the Upright Citizens anytime at [email protected] and let us know