Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with

Jimmy Giuffre James Peter Giuffre (, ; April 26, 1921 – April 24, 2008) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He is known for developing forms of jazz which allowed for free interplay between the musicians, anticipating f ...

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be h ...

, and

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936) is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera '' Escalator over the Hill'' ...

. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar.

Biography

Born in Fair Lawn,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, United States, Swallow studied piano and trumpet, as a child, before turning to the

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

at age 14. While attending a prep school, he began trying his hand in jazz improvisation. In 1960, he left

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

, where he was studying composition, and settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, playing at the time in

's trio along with

Paul Bley Paul Bley, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live performance on the Moog and ...

. After joining

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doub ...

's quartet in 1963, Swallow began to write. It is in the 1960s that his long-term association with

's various bands began. In the early 1970s, Swallow switched exclusively to electric bass guitar, of which he prefers the five-string variety. Along with Monk Montgomery and

Bob Cranshaw Melbourne Robert Cranshaw (December 3, 1932 – November 2, 2016) was an American jazz bassist. His career spanned the heyday of Blue Note Records to his recent involvement with the Musicians Union. He is perhaps best known for his long associa ...

, Swallow was among the first jazz bassists to do so (with much encouragement from

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jaz ...

, one of Swallow's favorite drummers). He plays with a pick (made of copper by Hotlicks), and his style involves intricate solos in the upper register; he was one of the early adopters of the high C string on a bass guitar. In 19741976, Swallow taught at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. He contributed several of his compositions to the Berklee students who assembled the first edition of The Real Book. He later recorded an album, '' Real Book'', with the picture of a well-worn, coffee-stained book on the cover. In 1978, Swallow became a member of

's band. He has been Bley's romantic partner since the 1980s. He toured extensively with

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in th ...

in the early 1980s, and has returned to this collaboration several times over the years. Swallow has consistently won the electric bass category in ''

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Ch ...

'' yearly polls, both Critics' and Readers', since the mid-1980s. His compositions have been covered by, among others, Jim Hall (who recorded his very first tune, "Eiderdown"),

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre ...

and

Partial discography

As leader/co-leader

*'' Hotel Hello'' with Gary Burton (ECM, 1974) *''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. ...

''music to poems by Robert Creeley (ECM, 1980) *'' Night-Glo'' with Carla Bley (Watt, 1985) *''

Carla Carla is the feminized version of Carl, Carlos or Charles, from ''ceorl'' in Old English, which means "free man". Notable people with the name include: * Carla, French singer and former member of the children's music group Kids United * Carla A ...

'' (Xtra Watt, 1987) *''

Duets A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers. Duets or The Duets may also refer to: Films and television * ''Duets'' (film), a 2000 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Huey Lewis * "Duets" (''Glee''), a 2010 episod ...

'' with Carla Bley (Watt, 1988) *'' The Life of a Trio: Saturday'' with

and

(Owl, 1989) *'' The Life of a Trio: Sunday'' with Paul Bley and Jimmy Giuffre (Owl, 1989) *'' Swallow'' (Xtra Watt, 1991) *'' Go Together'' with Carla Bley (Watt, 1992) *'' Real Book'' (Xtra Watt, 1993) *'' Songs with Legs'' (Watt, 1994) with Carla Bley and Andy Sheppard *'' Parlance'' (Instant Present, 1995) with John Taylor *'' Deconstructed'' (Xtra Watt, 1996) *'' Are We There Yet?'' with Carla Bley (Watt, 1998) *'' Always Pack Your Uniform on Top'' (Xtra Watt/ECM, 2000) *''Noisy Old Men'' (Jam, 2002) with Mick Goodrick, John Abercrombie, Gary Chaffee *'' Damaged in Transit'' with Chris Potter and Adam Nussbaum (Xtra Watt, 2003) *''So There'' with

Robert Creeley Robert White Creeley (May 21, 1926 – March 30, 2005) was an American poet and author of more than sixty books. He is usually associated with the Black Mountain poets, though his verse aesthetic diverged from that school. He was close with Char ...

(Xtra Watt, 2006) *''L'Histoire du Clochard'' with Ohad Talmor (Palmetto, 2007) *'' Carla's Christmas Carols'' with Carla Bley and the Partyka Brass Quintet (Watt, 2009) *''Playing in Traffic'' with Ohad Talmor and Adam Nussbaum (Auand, 2009) * ''Into the Woodwork'' (Xtra Watt, 2013) – recorded in 2011 * '' The New Standard'' with Jamie Saft and Bobby Previte (RareNoise, 2014) * ''

Loneliness Road ''Loneliness Road'' is an album by keyboardist Jamie Saft, bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bobby Previte with vocals by Iggy Pop featured on three tracks which was released on the RareNoise label in 2017. Reception On All About Jazz, Dan McCl ...

'' with Jamie Saft, Bobby Previte and

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

(RareNoise, 2017)

As sideman

With

Rabih Abou-Khalil Rabih Abou-Khalil ( ar, ربيع أبو خليل, born August 17, 1957) is an oud player and composer born in Lebanon, who combines elements of Arabic music with jazz, classical music, and other styles. He grew up in Beirut and moved to Munich, G ...

* ''

Blue Camel ''Blue Camel'' is an album by the Lebanese oud player and composer Rabih Abou-Khalil. The album fuses traditional Arabic music with jazz. It was recorded in 1992 and released on the Enja label.

'' (Enja, 1992) * ''

The Sultan's Picnic ''The Sultan's Picnic'' is an album by the Lebanese oud player and composer Rabih Abou-Khalil, fusing traditional Arab music with jazz, which was recorded in 1994 and released on the Enja label.

'' (Enja, 1994) With

* 1978: ''

Musique Mecanique ''Musique Mecanique'' is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in 1978 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1979.

'' (Watt, 1979) * 1979: '' Social Studies'' (Watt, 1980) * 1980: '' Live!'' (Watt, 1981) – live * 1981–83: ''

I Hate to Sing ''I Hate to Sing'' is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded at the Great American Music Hall in 1981 (at the same concerts that produced '' Live!'') combined with three tracks recorded at Grog Kill Studi ...

'' (Watt, 1984) – live * 1983: '' Heavy Heart'' (Watt, 1984) * 1986–87: '' Sextet'' (Watt, 1987) * 1988: ''

Fleur Carnivore ''Fleur Carnivore'' is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded at the Jazzhus Montmartre in 1988 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1989.

'' (Watt, 1989) – live * 1990: ''

The Very Big Carla Bley Band ''The Very Big Carla Bley Band'' is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley released on the Watt/ECM label in 1991.

'' (Watt, 1991) * 1993: ''

Big Band Theory ''Big Band Theory'' is an album by the American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley, recorded and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1993.

'' (Watt, 1993) * 1996: ''

The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church ''The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church'' is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in Perugia, Italy as part of the Umbria Jazz Festival and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1996.Fancy Chamber Music'' (Watt, 1998) * 1999: ''

4 x 4 Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer ca ...

'' (Watt, 2000) * 2002: '' Looking for America'' (Watt, 2003) * 2003: '' The Lost Chords'' (Watt, 2004) – live * 2006: ''

Appearing Nightly ''Appearing Nightly'' is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley, recorded in Paris in 2006 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 2008. Track listing All compositions by Carla Bley. # "Greasy Gravy" - 8:50 # " ...

'' (Watt, 2008) – live * 2007: '' The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu'' (Watt, 2007) * 2013: '' Trios'' (ECM, 2013) * 2015: '' Andando el Tiempo'' (ECM, 2016) * 2019: '' Life Goes On'' (ECM, 2020) With

* '' Footloose!'' (Savoy, 1963) * '' Closer'' (ESP-Disk, 1966) * '' Hot'' (Soul Note, 1985) With

* ''

The Groovy Sound of Music ''The Groovy Sound of Music'' is an album by vibraphonist Gary Burton recorded in 1964 and released on the RCA label which features jazz interpretations of tunes from the Broadway musical ''The Sound of Music'' written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar ...

'' (RCA, 1963) * '' The Time Machine'' (RCA, 1966) * ''

Tennessee Firebird ''Tennessee Firebird'' is an album by vibraphonist Gary Burton recorded in 1966 and released on the RCA label in 1967.Duster'' (RCA, 1967) * ''

Lofty Fake Anagram ''Lofty Fake Anagram'' is an album by vibraphonist Gary Burton recorded in 1967 and released on the RCA label.

'' (RCA, 1967) * ''

A Genuine Tong Funeral ''A Genuine Tong Funeral'' is an album by vibraphonist Gary Burton featuring compositions by Carla Bley recorded in 1967 and released on the RCA label in 1968.

'' (RCA, 1967) * '' Gary Burton Quartet in Concert'' (RCA, 1968) * ''

Country Roads & Other Places ''Country Roads & Other Places'' is an album by vibraphonist Gary Burton recorded in 1968 and released in 1969 on the RCA Victor label. Burton doubles on piano with a quartet of guitarist Jerry Hahn, bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Roy Haynes. ...

'' (RCA, 1969) * ''

Throb ''Throb'' is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from September 6, 1986, to May 21, 1988. The series, created by Fredi Towbin, was produced by Procter & Gamble Productions in association with Taft Entertainment Television, and was dist ...

'' (Atlantic, 1969) * '' Good Vibes'' (Atlantic, 1969) * ''

Paris Encounter ''Paris Encounter'' is an album by vibraphonist Gary Burton and violinist Stéphane Grappelli recorded in 1969 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic, 1969) with Stéphane Grappelli * ''

Dreams So Real Dreams So Real were an American alternative rock band from Athens, Georgia, who gained national exposure in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They recorded three albums, including two releases on Arista Records. History The trio was led by songw ...

'' (ECM, 1975) * '' Passengers'' (ECM, 1977) * ''

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

'' (ECM, 1978) * '' Easy as Pie'' (ECM, 1980) * '' Picture This'' (ECM, 1982) * '' Whiz Kids'' (ECM, 1986) * '' Real Life Hits'' (ECM, 1984) * '' Quartet Live'' (Concord Jazz, 2009) With

* ''

Interaction Interaction is action that occurs between two or more objects, with broad use in philosophy and the sciences. It may refer to: Science * Interaction hypothesis, a theory of second language acquisition * Interaction (statistics) * Interaction ...

'' (Atlantic, 1963)with Jim Hall * '' Live at the Half-Note'' (Atlantic, 1963)with Jim Hall * '' To Sweden with Love'' (Atlantic, 1964)with Jim Hall * '' The Many Faces of Art Farmer'' (Scepter, 1964) * '' Sing Me Softly of the Blues'' (Atlantic, 1965) With

* ''1961'' (ECM, 1992 – re-issue of the 1961 Verve-albums '' Fusion'' & ''

Thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144 ...

'')with

* '' Emphasis, Stuttgart 1961'' (hatArt, 1992) * '' Flight, Bremen 1961'' (hatArt, 1993) * '' Free Fall'' (Columbia, 1962) With Steve Kuhn * ''Three Waves'' (Contact, 1966) * ''

Trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

'' (ECM, 1974) * ''

Wisteria ''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), that includes ten species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and north ...

'' (ECM, 2012) * ''At This Time'' (Sunnyside, 2016) With Michael Mantler * '' The Jazz Composer's Orchestra'' (JCOA, 1968) * ''The Hapless Child'' (WATT, 1976) * ''Movies'' (WATT, 1977) * ''More Movies'' (WATT, 1980) * ''Something There'' (WATT, 1982) With

Paul Motian Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer. Motian played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties. He first came to prominence in the ...

* ''

Reincarnation of a Love Bird ''Reincarnation of a Love Bird'' is an album by Paul Motian, released on the German JMT Records, JMT label in 1994. It contains performances of bebop jazz standards by Motian with the Electric Bebop Band. The album follows on from the 1992 releas ...

'' (JMT, 1995) * '' Flight of the Blue Jay'' (Winter & Winter, 1995) * '' Trio 2000 + One'' (Winter & Winter, 1997) * '' Play Monk and Powell'' (Winter & Winter, 1998) With George Russell * ''

Ezz-thetics ''Ezz-thetics'' is a studio album by the George Russell sextet, released on Riverside Records in mid-1961. Recording and music The album was recorded in May 1961. In addition to himself on piano, Russell's sextet contained trumpeter Don Ellis, ...

'' ( Riverside, 1961) * ''

The Stratus Seekers ''The Stratus Seekers'' is an album by George Russell released in May or June 1962 on Riverside Records. The album contains performances by Russell with John Pierce, David Baker, Paul Plummer, Don Ellis, Steve Swallow and Joe Hunt. Reception ...

'' (Riverside, 1962) * '' The Outer View'' (Riverside, 1962) With

* ''

Bar Talk ''Bar Talk'' is an album by jazz guitarist John Scofield. It was recorded in August 1980 at Celebration Studios in New York City and produced by Mark Bingham and John Scofield. It was the first release featuring Scofield’s trio with bass guita ...

'' (

Arista Novus Novus Records (later Arista Novus and RCA Novus) was an American jazz record label run by Steve Backer. Backer worked at Impulse! Records until 1974, when Clive Davis, founder of Arista Records, asked him to oversee the jazz division at Arista. ...

, 1980) * ''

Shinola Shinola is a defunct American brand of shoe polish. The Shinola Company, founded in Rochester, New York in 1877 as the American Chemical Manufacturing and Mining Company, produced the polish under a sequence of different owners until 1960. "Shin ...

'' (Enja, 1982) * ''

Out Like a Light ''Out Like a Light'' is a live album by jazz guitarist John Scofield, recorded in 1981 and released in 1983 on Enja Records. It is the last of three albums to feature his trio with bass guitarist Steve Swallow and drummer Adam Nussbaum. The alb ...

'' (Enja, 1983) * '' Quiet'' (Verve, 1996) * '' EnRoute: John Scofield Trio LIVE'' (Verve, 2004) * ''

Country for Old Men ''Country for Old Men'' is an album by American jazz guitarist John Scofield. It earned Scofield a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. It features longtime Scofield collaborators Larry Goldings on piano & organ, bass guitarist Steve Sw ...

'' ( Impulse!, 2016) * '' Swallow Tales'' (ECM, 2020) With others * Dave Douglas, '' Riverside'' (Greenleaf, 2014) – recorded in 2014 *

Don Ellis Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his li ...

, '' Out of Nowhere'' (Candid, 1988) – recorded in 1961 *

Pierre Favre Peter Faber (french: Pierre Lefevre or Favre, la, Petrus Faver) (13 April 1506 – 1 August 1546) was a Jesuit priest and theologian, who was also a co-founder of the Society of Jesus, along with Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier. Pope F ...

, ''Window Steps'' (ECM, 1996) – recorded in 1995 *

, '' The Stan Getz Quartet in Paris'' (Verve, 1967) – live recorded in 1966 *

Chico Hamilton Foreststorn "Chico" Hamilton (September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He came to prominence as sideman for Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Lena Horne. Hamilton became a bandleader ...

, '' El Exigente: The Demanding One'' (Flying Dutchman, 1970) *

Tore Johansen Tore Johansen (born 23 December 1977) is a Norwegian jazz trumpeter and the younger brother of drummer Roger Johansen. He has worked with Chick Corea, Karin Krog, Kenny Wheeler, Steve Swallow, Lars Jansson, Hal Galper, Siri Gellein, and Jan Gu ...

, ''I.S.'' (Inner Ear, 2010) *

Sheila Jordan Sheila Jordan (born Sheila Jeanette Dawson; November 18, 1928) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to recording her own albums. Jordan pione ...

, ''

Portrait Of Sheila ''Portrait of Sheila'' is the 1963 debut album of American jazz singer Sheila Jordan, released by Blue Note Records. In the 1963 ''DownBeat'' magazine Critics Poll, she was ranked first in the vocal category for "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition ...

'' (Blue Note, 1963) * Pete La Roca, ''

Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is han ...

'' (Blue Note, 1965) *

Joe Lovano Joseph Salvatore Lovano (born December 29, 1952)"Joe Lovano." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 13. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 1994. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, May 5, 2017. is an American jazz saxophonist, alto clarin ...

, ''

Universal Language Universal language may refer to a hypothetical or historical language spoken and understood by all or most of the world's people. In some contexts, it refers to a means of communication said to be understood by all humans. It may be the idea of ...

'' (Blue Note, 1992) *

Gary McFarland Gary Robert McFarland (October 23, 1933 – November 3, 1971) was an American composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist. He recorded for the jazz imprints Verve and Impulse! Records during the 1960s. '' Down Beat magazine'' said he made "on ...

, '' Point of Departure'' (Impulse!, 1963) *

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progr ...

and

, '' I Can See Your House from Here'' (Blue Note Records, 1994) * Jimmy Raney, Jim Hall and

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

, '' Two Jims and Zoot'' (Mainstream, 1964)

References

External links

Watt/XtraWatt the recording company run by Swallow and Bley

Steve Swallow and Carla Bley video interview about ''Dreams So Real'' and working with ECM Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swallow, Steve 1940 births 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Living people Yale University alumni Berklee College of Music faculty People from Fair Lawn, New Jersey American jazz bass guitarists American male bass guitarists ECM Records artists American male jazz musicians RareNoiseRecords artists