In preparation for a lecture recital about Larry Grenadier’s solo record The Gleaners and the lineage of unaccompanied double bass albums, jazz bassist and composer Marty Isenberg put together this awesome list of unaccompanied double bass albums. Several DBHQ community members also added suggestions to fill out this great resource.
A big thanks to Marty for his work on this, and be sure to check out his latest album The Way I Feel Inside: Inspired by the films of Wes Anderson.
Unaccompanied double bass albums listed by decade
1960s/70s
- Barre Philips – Journal Violone (AKA Bass Barre or Barre Unaccompanied), 1968
- Alan Silva – Inner Song, 1974
- Henri Texier – Amir, 1976
- Fernando Grillo – Fluvine, 1976
- Barry Guy – Statements V-XI, 1977.
- Dave Holland – Emerald Tears, 1978
- Gary Peacock – December Poems, 1978
- Henri Texier – Varech, 1979
1980s
- Roberto Miguel Miranda – The Creator’s Musician, 1980
- David Friesen – Paths Beyond Tracing 1980
- Barre Phillips – Journal Violone II, 1980
- Jonas Hellborg – The Bassic Thing, 1981
- Rob Wasserman – Solo, 1983
- Jonas Hellborg – Elegant Punk, 1984
- Miroslav Vitous – Emergence, 1986
- Stefano Scodanibbio – Untitled, 1987
- Ron Carter – All Alone, 1988
- Klaus Koch – Basse Partout, 1988
- Peter Kowald – Open Secrets, 1988
- William Parker – Painter’s Autumn, 1989
1990s
- Mark Helias – Available Light, 1990
- Aladar Pege – Virtuoso Solo Bass, 1990
- Barre Philips – Camouflage, 1990
- Anders Jormin – Alone, 1991
- Léon Francioli – Acoustic Ladyland, 1991
- Joëlle Léandre – Urban Bass, 1991
- Malachi Favors – The Natural and the Spiritual, 1992
- David Friesen – Long Trip Home, 1992
- Barry Guy – Fizzles, 1993
- Eberhard Weber – Pendulum, 1993
- Tatsu Aoki – Avant-bass live : solo bass performance, 1993
- Peter Kowald – Was Da Ist?, 1994
- Robert Black – State of the Bass, 1994
- Franz Pillinger – Eros-ion, 1994
- Joëlle Léandre – Sincerely, 1994
- Dave Holland – Ones All, 1995
- Mark Dresser – Invocation, 1995
- Glenn Moore – Dragonetti’s Dream, 1995
- Michael Pfeuti – Resonanz, 1995
- John Lindberg – Luminosity : Homage To David Izenzon, 1996 Mike Milligan – Solo Flights, 1996
- Renaud Garcia-Fons – Legendes, 1996
- William Parker – Testimony, 1996
- Dominic Duval – Nightbird Inventions, 1997
- Michael Formanek – Am I Bothering You?, 1997
- William Parker – Lifting The Sanctions, 1998
- Franz Pillinger – I Am Because You Are : Art Of Bass, 1998
- Stefano Scodanibbio – Voyage That Never Ends, 1998
- Giovanni Maier – Polaroid – Bass Solo 1998
- Jonathan Zorn – Contrabass, 1998
- Hakon Thelin – A P) Reference to Other Things, 1998
- Joe Fonda – When It’s Time, 1999
- Hartmut Kracht – Kontrabass pur, 1999
2000s
- Lynn Seaton – Solo Flights, 2000
- Dominic Duval – Anniversary, 2000
- Stefano Scodanibbio – Geographia Amorosa, 2000
- Michael Cameron – Basso Solo, 2001
- Peter Kowald – Silence and Flies, 2001
- Joëlle Léandre – No Comment, 2001
- Wilbert De Joode – Olo, 2002
- Anthony Cox – That & This, 2002
- Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten – Double Bass, 2003
- Paul Rogers – Listen, 2002
- Barry Guy – Symmetries, 2001
- Peter Kowald – Silence and Flies, 2001
- Barre Phillips – Journal Violone. 9, 2001
- Ed Schuller – Ong Song Music For Solo Bass, 2002
- Kent Kessler – Bull Fiddle, 2002
- Ken Filiano – Subvenire, 2002
- Marcin Oles – Ornette On Bass, 2003
- Franz Pillinger – Gamba Tunes & Jazz Sonatas, 2003.
- Jonas Tauber – Storm Walking Singing, 2004
- Rob Clutton – Dubious pleasures, 2005
- Michael Manring – Soliquy, 2005
- Mark Dresser – Unveil, 2005
- Donovan Stokes – Gadaha, 2006.
- Dominic Duval – Song for Krakow, 2007
- Nina De Heney – Archipelago, 2007
- Deiter Ilg – Bass, 2008
- Brian Bromberg – Hands, 2008
- Jan Roder – Double Bass, 2008
- Mauro Sereno – My Jazz Vol. 1, 2008
- Ron Merhavi – One on One, 2009
- Henry Grimes – Solo, 2009
- Barre Philips – Portraits, 2009
2010s
- Stefano Scodanibbio – Oltracuidansa, 2010
- Nina De Heney – Three, 2011
- Hakon Thelin – Light, 2011
- Renaud Garcia-Fons – Solo, 2011
- James Ilgenfritz – Compositions (Braxton), 2012
- Sebastian Gramss – Atopie, 2012
- Renaud Garcia-Fons – Solo : the Marcevol Concert, 2012 Charnett Moffett- The Bridge, 2013
- Nenad Vasilic – The Art of Balkan Bass, 2014
- Gil Lachenal – El Paseo : Contrebasse Solo, 2014
- Hakon Thelin – A Stefano Scodanibbio, 2014
- Scott Worthington – Prism, 2015
- Marco Bardoscia – Tutti, 2015
- Hakon Thelin – Folk, 2015
- Louis-Michael Marion – 5 Strophes, 2015
- Lloyd Goldstein – The Way Back, 2016
- Various Artists – A Tribute to Teppo, 2016
- Robert Black – Possessed, 2017
- Peter Dominguez – Groove Dreams, 2017
- Barre Philips – End to End, 2018
- Larry Grenadier – The Gleaners, 2019
- Brandon Lopez – Quoniam Facta Sum Vilis, 2018
- Sigurd Hole – Elvesang, 2018
- Barre Philips – Call me when you get there, [2018], p1984.
- Federico Bagnasco – Le trame del legno, 2019
- Bruno Laurent – Inox-erable ! 2019
- Darek Oleszkiewicz – Blues of Charlie, 2019
- John Patitucci – Soul of the Bass, 2019
- Nenad Vasilic – Bass Room, 2019
2020s
- Darek Oleszkiewicz – The Promise, 2020
- Dan Fortin – The latest tech : nine pieces for solo double bass, 2020
- Fabien Sevilla – Rites : contrebasse solo. Vol. III , 2020
- Michael Bisio – Travel music, 2020
- Jorge Roedor – El Suelo Lio, 2020
- Vitold Rek – Bassfiddle Alla Polacca, 2021
- Dion Nijland – I Play Me, 2021
- Jacob Ferrazza – Wood Tales, 2021
- Hans Sturm – Voyage, 2021
- Massimo Pinca – Fragments, 2021
- Marc Johnson – Overpass, 2021
- Johannes Fend – Journey, 2021
- Joseph Warner – Alon:Es, 2021
- Clovis Nicolas – Autoportrait, 2021
- Vladimir Torres – Music for a Locked in Double Bass, 2021
- Michael Formanek – Imperfect Measures, 2021
- Jacques Emery – ARCO, 2022
- Andreas Waelti – Lowdown, 2022
- Stephen Crump – Rocket Love, 2022
- Vega Trails – Tremors in the Static, 2022
- Kyle Motl – Hydra Nightingale 2022
- Michael Bisio – Inimitable, 2022
- Thomas Pol – Blue Soil, 2022
- Rick Rosato – Homage, 2022
- Florentin Ginot – Contrabasse, 2022
- Darek Oleszkiewicz – Inspiration, 2022
- Florent Ghys – Ritournelles, 2022
- Rodrigo Mata – Mar del Norte, 2022
- Helen Svoboda – I Heard the Clouds, 2022
- Kham Meslien – Fantomes… Futurs, 2022
- Brandon Lopez – Vilevilevilevile, 2023
- Max Gerl – Max Gerl, 2023
- Mark Dresser – Tines for Change, 2023
- Johannes Eick – Music for Solo Six-String Double Bass, 2023 Bruno Raberg- Look Inside, 2023
- Pedro García Rivera – Luna Roja, 2023
- Joseph Warner – Shaman, 2023
- Ole Amund Gjersvik – Cortado, 2023
