Chuck Israels Publishes “Bass Foundations” Instructional/Transcription Book

Chuck Israels Bass Foundations: Principles of Jazz Bass Line Construction

Jazz bass legend Chuck Israels has teamed up with Sher Music to publish a new book called Bass Foundations: Principles of Jazz Bass Line Construction. The 123-page book includes three main sections – “Principles of Jazz Bass Line Construction,” “Transcriptions with the Bill Evans Trio,” and “Transcriptions and Arrangements” – broken down into smaller lessons.

“All jazz bassists recognize the pivotal role that the Bill Evans Trio played in creating a new model for the bass’ function in jazz. In this book, Chuck Israels (one of Bill’s long-time bassists) has created a masterpiece of explaining what that revolution consists of,” Sher Music writes. “Among other crucial concepts, he shows how the bass can both lay down the pulse and have a dialogue with the other musicians at the same time.”

Each transcription includes a YouTube URL for each song to make it easy to listen, watch the bass lines go by, and then play along.

Bass Foundations is available now in paperback or PDF versions through Sher Music.

In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.

Get daily bass updates.

Get the latest news, videos, lessons, and more in your inbox every morning.

Share your thoughts