Eddie Gomez was the bassist in the Bill Evans Trio for eleven years. His contribution to

the group’s sound was considerable, but while there has been some recognition of his virtuoso

solos in the trio there has been little academic interest in his bass lines. This essay examines

bass lines from the album Since We Met, recorded in 1974 by Evans, Gomez and drummer

Marty Morell. Analysis of the bass accompaniments to the piano solos on “Since We Met”

and “Time Remembered” reveals that they form a fragmented two-feel. A traditional two-feel

employs two notes to emphasise the first and third beats in bar of 4/4 time. In Gomez’s bass

lines these two notes are frequently replaced with short rhythmic motifs. These motifs occur

in a variety of forms and at different metric displacements that alternately propel and retard

the forward motion of the music. Additionally, Gomez uses a wide range of register and

Music, for his unfailing encouragement and support, and to Mr Phil Slater for his insightful

guidance.

Introduction

As a music student in the late 1970s I became fascinated by Eddie Gomez’s bass playing in

the Bill Evans Trio. There was a striking contrast between the flowing bass lines I was being

taught to construct and the fragmented bass lines that Gomez played. Yet despite the virtuosic

and disjointed nature of his bass lines, the trio sounded completely cohesive. My desire to

understand how this was achieved led to this essay.

The trio’s cohesive sound is particularly evident in the album Since We Met. It was one of

the last records made by Evans and Gomez with the drummer Marty Morell. Biographer Keith

Shadwick observes that the “most impressive aspect” of the recording is the “effortless

the article on Evans in Grove Music Online. “This interplay ... re-emerged in his later

recordings with ... Eddie Gomez.” My research began with the assumption that the bass lines

were shaped by their interaction with the piano solo, and that an understanding of the lines

themselves would be best gained by examining the forms this interaction took. However, the

more I analysed the music, the clearer it became that there is little evidence of interplay

between bass and piano. Surprisingly, the independence of the bass line from the piano solo is

a much more significant feature.

explorations of harmonic and metric tension and release (Pressing 202). The walking bass line

can fulfil this role extremely well, and its practice has been so widespread that it has become

1950s, as in Frank Tirro’s Jazz: A History, tend to focus on advances in bass soloing

techniques while accepting that the walking bass lines are an important but relatively

Evans Trio was due to his subversion of this consonant foundation-laying role for the bass. He

rarely played walking bass lines. Instead, his bass accompaniment took the form of an

elaborately embellished two-feel. The resulting line was a fragmented independent voice.

Rather than just providing a foundation for the soloist, Gomez “consistently galvanized whole

sets” (Pettinger 190). He brought variety and contrast to Evans’ thoughtful and logically

become bland” (Pettinger 216).

There is a wealth of academic material available about Bill Evans. He was one of the most

bass in his trios. His first trio (1959-61), with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian,

explored an egalitarian approach to group improvising that revolutionised the jazz piano trio

genre. LaFaro’s interactive role in that trio created an alternate style of bass playing to the

traditional walking line. Wilner has examined this influential first trio, but there is very little

material available on the later trio with Gomez. Literature devoted to Gomez himself is very

sparse, and what little is available focuses on his solos (for example, Hauff). His solos feature

long flowing melodic phrases and are totally different in style to his accompaniments. There

About This Study

Usually it is impractical to treat a single note as the basic unit to study, for two reasons: a

single note has no meaning except in its relationships to other notes; and the task of analysing

a piece of music note by note would be prohibitively long (Agawi 16). However, analysing a

two-feel bass line in a jazz performance, such as in the subject of this analysis, is one case

where it is practical. In a traditional two-feel there are only two notes in each bar, on beats one

feel these two single notes are often replaced with short motifs. They consist of two, three,

four and sometimes five eighth-note triplets that are employed in a variety of rhythmic

displacements, each having different effects on the music. These rhythmic motifs are the focus

solo and the accompanying bass line adhere closely to the harmonic structure of the tune.

Rhythmic diversity is consequently a major feature of the improvisation. It is something

Evans had consciously developed in his playing. In his interview with Marion McPartland,

released by Fantasy records, Evans said:

There is an extensive variety of rhythmic displacement in Gomez’s bass motifs during this

piano solo, and the examination of it occupies much of this essay.

As this is a written essay and not an aural presentation, the analysis needs to be of a visual

representation of the music. Transcription of the bass part cannot impart its full richness: the

array of vibratos that Gomez employs, the ghosted notes, percussive sounds, slurs, slides

between notes and other nuances of articulation do not translate easily onto the page. These

features individuate Gomez’s style and make his bass playing instantly recognizable to those

of or behind the beat, are not easy to notate either. An attempt to include all of these events

contribution to the rhythmic dynamism of the bass part and have been notated in the

transcriptions. Slurring, or sliding from one note to the next without re-plucking the second

note reduces the rhythmic propulsion of the bass line, and instances where the effect is most

striking have also been included in the transcription. The task of transcription was made much

easier by the rhythmic clarity of both Evans and Gomez’s lines. When the music is played

Background

Edgardo (Eddie) Gomez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 4th November 1944. His

family moved to New York when he was one year old, and that is where he spent his youth.

When he was twelve he took up the double bass, and at fourteen began studying with Orin

O’Brien - a student of the influential classical virtuoso, Fred Zimmerman - and eventually

studied bass with Zimmerman himself. However his first love was jazz music, and the warm

(Gilbert 14). One of his greatest subsequent influences was Scott LaFaro, his sound on the

bass and his prominent role in the Bill Evans Trio. Gomez attended New York’s High School

of Music and Art, and was a member of Marshall Brown’s Newport Festival Youth Band. On

About a month after their meeting, a phone call came from Helen Keane, asking Gomez if he

would do a tour with Evans. About halfway through the tour

1980) was, according to Grove Music Online, “one of the most influential jazz musicians of

named “Best Jazz Pianist” in the Down Beat critics’ poll and readers’ poll, and by critics at the

as a jazz artist, and the position of bassist in his trio would have been one of the most sought

after in the world. An aim of this essay is through analysis of Gomez’s bass lines, to

appreciate why Evans asked him to join the trio, and why their collaboration was so

productive for so many years.

line alternates the stabilising downbeats from column B with the destabilising motifs from

is revealed by this short excerpt. Not only is there alternation between stabilising and

destabilising motifs, but also between the types of destabilising motifs. The motifs in bars two

and four that arrive two eight-note triplets after the downbeat (from column D) are alternated

with the motifs in bars three and five which arrive one eight-note triplet after the downbeat

(from column C).

moves away from its initial alternation of contrasting motifs. Variety and unpredictability

Appendix 2 is a paradigmatic flow chart of the entire first chorus of bass line, and shows

its variety on a number of different levels. Two columns have been added to the four that were

introduced at Figure 10. One, labelled E, contains upbeats which imply a four-feel or walking

bass line. The other column, labelled F, contains longer phrases which don’t fit in with any of

Bar six and the first note in bar seven comprise three motifs which land on three successive

downbeats. They reinforce the chromatic descending bass line of the chorus at that point, and

parts with chord symbols to clarify the harmonic discussion in the following paragraphs.

Evans’ solo line in bars seven and eight is a chromatic scale in eighth-note triplets that

begins on the pickup to beat three, ascending through the third beat of bar eight before

descending to the next bar. The first note of each triplet grouping consequently forms a

diminished chord. At the same time that this line begins, the bass also ascends through a

diminished triad of a ghosted A, a C and an E

ambiguity of the chromatic solo line with both note choice and floating rhythmic feel. Often

in jazz music the bass supports the soloist with contrast, by providing clear foundations for

add interest to more consonant solo passages. Gomez on the other hand often enhances the

and eight, and nine bars later he enhances a simple and clear piano line with an equally simple

This is perhaps the simplest and most light hearted solo phrase in the entire chorus, and the

bass line matches the mood exactly for this brief period with a simple and uncluttered bass

Momentarily the music sounds more like a dialogue, with the ‘interplay’ between piano and

bass that some people claim is a feature of this trio. Immediately, however, the bass returns to

playing discreet bass notes, and the listener’s attention is drawn back to the melodic piano

solo line. The ear is drawn to order and melodic development in music. Gomez’s bass line is

irregular and its few short melodic phrases are not developed, which allows the focus to

remain on the evolving piano solo.

There are several aspects of this phrase that are of interest. It is technically difficult to move

first beat of bar 21. The rhythm is complex too, with eighth-note and quarter-note triplets as

well as sixteenth notes. Very few bassists could have executed this phrase in a way that

sounds so effortless. Also, its placement underneath a strongly developing solo line is in

marked contrast to the placement of the melodic bass phrase in bar nine which occurs during a

space between solo phrases. A search for ordered patterns and repetition in the bass line

between piano phrases or simultaneously with piano phrases. The initial alternation between

rhythmically stabilising and destabilising motifs finishes after bar five to be replaced with

random groupings from the different paradigms. Ascending and descending motifs alternate

phrase. Each is subtly different to the others. The first arrives at the downbeat on beat three

and is harmonically clear, with two tonics of the E

new A

new D

downbeat at beat three. The fourth motif is metrically displaced and anticipates the next

downbeat by one eighth-note triplet. It has an unsettling effect on this passage, preventing it

from becoming too comfortable. The last motif is an unambiguous resolution to the dominant

melodic phrase in the bass line. In contrast to the start of the chorus when the bass anchored

the F diminished tonality with a tonic held through the whole bar, this time the bass plays a

interest. Evans marks the beginning of this new A section with a new melodic idea, a

melodic and rhythmic ideas and to the flow of the music is evident during these six bars. He

triads. Where the piano’s consist of swung eighth-notes, almost quarter-note triplets, the

bass’s are in eighth-note triplets. After these two motifs the bass avoids further repetitions and

asserts its independence from the piano solo. It plays half notes and then a whole note which

allows space for the piano figures to evolve without interference or constraint from the bass.

between these two and the two in the following chorus. As can be seen in Figure 14, the bass

line is different for the start of each of these four A sections, demonstrating Gomez’s ability to

find diverse ways of treating the same chord progression.

one. The four note motif in bar 42 is very similar to the motif in bar two, arriving at the major

seventh degree of the Fmajor via the fifth. However it is delayed by 1

means that it functions as the second downbeat of that bar. Like the first time, it arrives after

the downbeat and adds a floating feeling to the music.

The bass line for the second A section of the second chorus, bars 65-68, is different from

the other three. It is much simpler, containing only quarter and half notes. The root notes of

each chord appear on the first downbeat for the first three bars. The descending bass line in

bars 67 and 68 delays the arrival of the E7 chord by two beats. Evans also delays his arrival at

of the bar and there is no comping chord until an E7 chord is played on the third beat

simultaneous with the bass note. It is not possible to conclude from this that the pianist was

affected by the bass line or that Gomez was reacting to Evans’ solo line, but it is another

example of the empathy that existed between them, and a concrete illustration of why the

music sounds so cohesive.

In bars five, six and seven the bass clearly outlined the descending chromatic bass line of

the tune. The same chord sequence occurs in the second A section of the chorus and it is

interesting to compare the contrasting bass lines Gomez plays for this part of each A section in

voicing for this bar is typically ambiguous, allowing the bass the freedom to explore new

In the second chorus, at bar 45-47, Gomez’s ability to find fresh ways through the tune is

apparent. The three bar passage begins with two skipping motifs comprising a ghosted eighth-

note triplet on the beat followed by a quarter-note triplet. These are followed by a flowing

quarter-note triplet phrase that slurs into bar 46. The melodic contour again ignores the

third A section contrasts with the other three both rhythmically and in contour. It follows the

harmony of the tune but is otherwise unrelated to the piano solo. The skips and slurs subtly

push and pull at the rhythmic momentum of the music, adding interest without compromising

held for the value of four eighth-note triplets then each motif would arrive at a downbeat, as

the three labelled (i), (ii) and (iii) do in Figure 16.

two eighth-note triplets which means that the subsequent motif arrives at (iii) a full beat

earlier. This is illustrated at Figure 17.

Figure 17. Metric contraction of three-note motifs. Bars 69 and 70 in “Since We Met”.

fairly decorative part of the piano solo.

The harmonic framework of the tune is adhered to closely by the piano and bass, with only

subtle anticipations and substitutions that effect the harmonic progression very little. This

allows for complex rhythmic explorations and metric displacements. Occasionally though,

most extreme example of this reharmonisation occurs in bars 35 and 36.

Figure 18. Bars 35 and 36 of “Since We Met”.

In the 36th bar of each melody choruses and in the second chorus of the piano solo Evans

plays E

solo line outlines this E

bar. The bass motif in bar 35 arrives at a B note which is held through the next bar. At first

Figure 22. Graph of pitch and duration in the piano solo line and bass line for the first chorus

of “Since We Met”.

The main characteristics of Gomez’s bass line are variety, fragmentation and

independence. It is largely a two-feel constructed with short motifs in the place of the more

traditional single notes. There is prodigious variety in the placement of these motifs relative to

the downbeat. Slurs and ghosted notes are mixed into the bass line which adds to the rhythmic

Analysis of “Time Remembered”

There are similarities between the arrangements of “Since We Met” and “Time

Remembered”. Both tunes are Evans compositions, and on both tracks the piano plays the

melody chorus alone and rubato before the bass and drums join. Both tunes are in 4/4 time but

“Time Remembered” is slower at 144 beats per minute and the chorus is shorter at 26 bars

long. It is an exploration of modal harmony, with all the chords being either major 7th with an

choruses long. The drums are more varied than on “Since We Met,” starting with brushes

implying a half tempo feel, and moving to sticks for the third chorus. This third chorus briefly

reaches a driving swing feel with walking bass line before finishing with an even eighth-notes

constantly across the range of the double bass and alternates between flurries of short notes

and long sustained notes, as it does in “Since We Met”. The choruses have been aligned in the

graph so that the differences and similarities between each chorus are readily apparent. The

first two choruses begin with one pitch sustained across two bars. All three choruses sustain a

single pitch through bars 15 and 16, and the last two bars in the first and third chorus also

have only a single note. Apart from these similarities the choruses are varied within

themselves and different to each other.

the chord on the downbeat, and alternates periods of simple clarity with periods of metric and

harmonic retardation and anticipation. A variety of short motifs are often used in the place of a

rhythmic interest. The ideas in the bass line remain undeveloped and fragmentary which

The range of contrasts within the bass line is even greater than on “Since We Met”. The

sustain through the entire next bar, becoming the major seventh of the C major chord, a

dissonant choice of bass note. The bass’s second note for the piece doesn’t occur until the

third beat of the third bar, and it is a tonic E. This rhythmic space, with only two notes in three

bars, is contrasted in the following few bars. The downbeat the fifth bar is preceded by three

ghosted eighth-note triplets. The second downbeat of that bar is delayed by two eighth-note

whole beat and a long slur occupies the rest of that bar. The E

played by the bass at all, and the only bass note in that bar is an A

anticipates the next downbeat by a full beat. Three successive downbeats in bars nine and ten

the tune at that point. Evans’ chord voicing is recontextualised by these strong bass notes

which change it from a B minor9 to a dark sounding Ab minor

dissonant in bar 15 because Gomez plays the first A

next A

and show the effect that the two slightly different pitches have on the piano voicing.

Figure 23. Bar 15 in “Time Remembered”. A bass note that is sharp.

Figure 24. Bar 16 in “Time Remembered”. A bass note in tune.

note is sharp. The harmonics of this note are consequently sharp too. The first, second and

shown in Figure 24, the wave forms are much clearer, and that is reflected aurally as a

decrease in dissonance. The initial A

than because it is an inherently dissonant note choice. I have spent the time to examine it here

not because playing out of tune is a feature of Gomez’s bass lines, but because it is unusual to

hear such dissonance from him. His virtuosic and fragmentary bass lines only work so

seamlessly with the piano because they are so accurately in tune and in time.

A melodic bass line is used to connect the two chords in bars 21-22. The downbeat to bar

21 is a root note of the B minor chord. The bass line ascends the Dorian scale from B to the

minor third, D, which is held over the barline before descending the G Dorian scale. These

and sparse. In “Time Remembered” an even broader range of timbral devices are used.

Harmonics, made by lightly touching the string with the left hand and plucking firmly with

the right, ring out strongly in bars 18 and 74. In both cases these high notes are juxtaposed

and fifth of each chord in an insistent dotted quarter-note and eighth-note rhythm. Bar 44 he

uses the same rhythm but substitutes a D bass beneath the A minor chord, allowing the

double-stopped fifths to descend stepwise from bar 43 to 45. The rhythmic and timbral

density of these bars is situated between bars 42 and 46 which each contain only a single note.

Gomez plays two passages of walking bass line, in bars 35-40 and bars 60-66. In the middle

37-38. This is a rare example of an obvious ‘interaction’ between the piano and bass. The

walking line is brought to an abrupt halt in bar 40 with two destabilising rhythmic motifs on

beats three and four followed by a downbeat to bar 41 which is sustained for two full bars.

Figure 25. Bar 40 in “Time Remembered”. Two motifs that interrupts the rhythmic flow.

The two-note motifs in Figure 25 arrive at the second eighth-note triplet after the beat, and

by a longer section employing the same motif, as shown in Figure 26. The first two iterations

of the motif are varied, with the first note of each motif omitted. These are followed by six

the repetition of the bass motif and the three repetitions of the piano solo motif perfectly

However the piano keeps developing its motif through that bar, altering the pitches to match

the changing harmony but keeping the rhythm the same and repeating it on every third beat.

The bass complements this in the following two bars with a motif developed from its previous

two-note motif. Like that one, the new motif finishes on the second eighth-note triplet after

the beat, but this one is three notes long and recurs every two beats. Consequently, it doesn’t

development.

Figure 27. Bars 69-71 in “Time Remembered”. Development of a rhythmic motif.

The chords for the last four bars of each chorus are E

C minor. The bass doesn’t play a root note for the E

choruses. Gomez ignores the E

on You’re Gonna Hear From Me made five years earlier, and on Live in Ottawa, recorded

seven months after Since We Met, Gomez plays the E

four bars of every chorus. A comparison between the performances on Since We Met and Live

In Ottawa is particularly revealing. The melody statements by Evans are almost identical. The

piano solos are the same length at three choruses. The drums move from brushes to sticks at

the same point, the start of the third chorus. The bass accompaniment is as varied and

fragmented, but from the second note all the particulars are different. The places in the chorus

where Gomez chooses to find alternatives to the root note are all different to those in the

plays a walking line for much of the third chorus, and when he breaks away from it he does so

with a series of long metrically displaced slurs, not with the motif discussed in the previous

paragraph. After comparing the two versions it is easy to understand Evans’ assertion that in

all their years of playing together Gomez was “resourceful in not allowing the music to

become bland” (Pettinger 216).

Eddie Gomez’s bass lines in the Bill Evans Trio are a vital and unique contribution to the

group’s sound. Evans’ solos are so strong and clear that they don’t require a bass line which

simply keeps the time and outlines the harmonic progression. Evans “was economical in his

frequently anticipating or delaying the meter. A variety of articulations and use of the full

range of the double bass add timbral interest to the music. Gomez demonstrates a keen

awareness of the pianist’s evolving ideas, but consistently avoids direct interaction with the

solo lines. The bass line is not interactive or conversational with the piano, but a richly varied

parallel stream that adds depth and vitality to our listening experience.

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