Oscar Pettiford

The tune is "Caged Bird." And then Abbey Lincoln, going back to her Painted Lady release.

This is 1981 album, and here we are with the tune "Caged Bird." Bud Powell with the Oscar Pettiford tune, "Blues in the Closet." He gives it that bebop feel here on his album In Europe.

And then Sunny Red, going back to 1960.

[jazz music]

Leonard Thompson, piano.

This week, we're featuring the music of two of the most important bassists in jazz, Ron Carter, born May 4th, 1937, and Oscar Pettiford, born September 30th, 1922.

Both musicians advanced the technical possibilities of their instrument in jazz and contributed to its acceptance as a solo voice in the music.

While Ron Carter is often remembered as the bassist in the second great Miles Davis quintet, he is one of the most recorded bassists of all time and continues to play, compose, and record prolifically in his 80s.

Jazz bassist Christian McBride called Pettiford, quote, probably the most important bass player of that bebop generation in terms of creating new language for the bass, end quote.

A number of his tunes have become jazz standards as well.

Okay, we're featuring Ron Carter and Oscar Pettiford, both for the first time.

Yeah,

Very underrated these days.

Oscar Pettiford was born in 1922, a jazz double bassist who was a pioneer of the bebop era.

He played alongside Dizzy Gillespie.

He also introduced the cello as a solo jazz instrument.