{"artistName":"Steve Swallow \u0026 Robert Creeley","artistId":120080,"artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/626/626bd88a267689f3d95475178945a009_xl.jpg","srcset":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/626/626bd88a267689f3d95475178945a009_sm.jpg 50w,https://artist99.cdn107.com/626/626bd88a267689f3d95475178945a009_md.jpg 80w,https://artist99.cdn107.com/626/626bd88a267689f3d95475178945a009_lg.jpg 200w,https://artist99.cdn107.com/626/626bd88a267689f3d95475178945a009_xl.jpg 340w","artistBio":"\u003cp\u003eSteve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is a jazz double bass and bass guitarist and composer born in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. \nOne of the leading bassists in jazz, Swallow is noted for collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton and Carla Bley. He was also one of the first acoustic bassists in jazz to switch entirely to bass guitar, on which he has a distinctively nimble sound. \n Biography\n\nAs a child, Swallow studied piano and trumpet before turning to the double bass at age 14. While attending a prep school, he began trying his hand in jazz improvisation. In 1960 he left Yale, where he was studying composition, and settled in New York City, playing at the time in Jimmy Giuffre's trio along with Paul Bley. After joining Art Farmer's quartet in 1964, Swallow began to write. It is in the 1960s that his long-term association with Gary Burton's various bands began. \nIn the early 1970s, Swallow switched exclusively to bass guitar, of which he prefers the 5-string variety. Along with Monk Montgomery and Bob Cranshaw, Swallow was among the first jazz bassists to do so (with much encouragement from Roy Haynes, Swallow's favorite drummer). 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. \nIn 1974-76 Swallow taught at the Berklee College of Music. It is often speculated that he had an influence on the contents of the \"Real Book,\" which includes a fair number of his early compositions. He later recorded an album of the same name, with the picture of a well-worn, coffee-stained Real Book on the cover. \nIn 1978 Swallow became an essential and constant member of Carla Bley's band. He has been Bley's romantic partner since the 1980s. He toured extensively with John Scofield in the early 1980s, and has returned to this collaboration several times over the years. \nSwallow has consistently won the electric bass category in Down Beat yearly polls, both Critics' and Readers', since the mid-80s. His compositions have been covered by, among others, Jim Hall (who recorded his very first tune, \"Eiderdown\"), Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Stan Getz and Gary Burton.\u003c/p\u003e","musicPath":"/music/Steve+Swallow+Robert+Creeley","playStationPath":"/stations/283329537/play","stationId":283329537,"bioPath":"/music/Steve+Swallow+Robert+Creeley/_full_bio","similars":[{"musicPath":"/music/Marc+Copland","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/301/3016a025221c1dcd336f52cbf5418573_md.jpg","artistName":"Marc Copland","artistId":130220,"station_id":285078740},{"musicPath":"/music/Ben+Allison","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/f67/f672ebb4ef9e6b0ed23237af2f9abb6e_md.jpg","artistName":"Ben Allison","artistId":104118,"station_id":281861629},{"musicPath":"/music/Greg+Osby","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/7d2/7d26c893c31cac25c2e4266c3c8663c6_md.jpg","artistName":"Greg Osby","artistId":108769,"station_id":281863299},{"musicPath":"/music/Bob+Berg","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/0d9/0d9106838f0767bd710d483ee7998198_md.jpg","artistName":"Bob Berg","artistId":64563,"station_id":263769060},{"musicPath":"/music/Lonnie+Plaxico","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/78e/78e33eb3ba40fe725ad7e143d14b3b73_md.jpg","artistName":"Lonnie Plaxico","artistId":126491,"station_id":284348243},{"musicPath":"/music/Jonathan+Kreisberg","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/dd1/dd1f7831b32108ec852dcc84d118eea2_md.jpg","artistName":"Jonathan Kreisberg","artistId":119726,"station_id":283329274},{"musicPath":"/music/Mark+Turner","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/3d5/3d588370b0b84b22528fce2b02234577_md.jpg","artistName":"Mark Turner","artistId":112947,"station_id":282285032},{"musicPath":"/music/Brian+Blade","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/aed/aedea748e1f1939a09f2c62bc8669d5c_md.jpg","artistName":"Brian Blade","artistId":18069,"station_id":261220550},{"musicPath":"/music/Brandi+Disterheft","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/80d/80d6d01bd3989d131d826fe0adfc6007_md.jpg","artistName":"Brandi Disterheft","artistId":114443,"station_id":282865249},{"musicPath":"/music/Paul+Bley+Trio","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/4cf/4cf16dfef4daf4110a7b74fb1b3192e5_md.jpg","artistName":"Paul Bley Trio","artistId":250285,"station_id":360170708},{"musicPath":"/music/Jerry+Bergonzi","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/112/1120370f20db4c26ed47f0ae997aa8e0_md.jpg","artistName":"Jerry Bergonzi","artistId":101230,"station_id":279419196},{"musicPath":"/music/Jeff+Berlin","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/f99/f99d845f915db5c2d59ec7c60c1be487_md.jpg","artistName":"Jeff Berlin","artistId":125573,"station_id":284183578},{"musicPath":"/music/John+Scofield+Pat+Metheny","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/61f/61f36f2c32ba515834ce9cd3985b8602_md.jpg","artistName":"John Scofield \u0026 Pat Metheny","artistId":101867,"station_id":287828380},{"musicPath":"/music/Anat+Fort","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/153/1539379cb02f40f235d3da39e1af2437_md.jpg","artistName":"Anat Fort","artistId":103698,"station_id":287828515},{"musicPath":"/music/Wayne+Krantz","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/dd2/dd2f246c53b906e800dee892e1034c1d_md.jpg","artistName":"Wayne Krantz","artistId":104024,"station_id":280822870},{"musicPath":"/music/Ravi+Coltrane","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/588/588b06ae9ae147fe64bd28b28880097c_md.jpg","artistName":"Ravi Coltrane","artistId":109610,"station_id":282140695},{"musicPath":"/music/Gateway","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/322/3220a3d0ac6370f4e8517cff3d015ae3_md.jpg","artistName":"Gateway","artistId":138777,"station_id":287060389},{"musicPath":"/music/Scott+Henderson+Steve+Smith+Victor+Wooten","artistDefaultImage":"https://artist99.cdn107.com/46a/46a106c7dab53daa5bde94e27de13dbd_md.jpg","artistName":"Scott Henderson, Steve Smith, Victor Wooten","artistId":111199,"station_id":282283243}]}