"Mike Downes is as strong a player as he is a composer"
- Brian Brennan,
Calgary Herald
Bass Lines
Mike Downes is the Bass
Department Head at prestigious Humber College in Toronto,
where he teaches private lessons, bass masterclasses,
and jazz theory. He is the author of The Jazz Bass
Line Book, now available through Advance Music!
The Jazz Bass Line Book is a comprehensive approach
to the construction of improvised bass lines. Intended
for beginners and professionals alike, the book deals
with playing in "2", creating walking bass lines, 3/4
time, using a "broken feel", modal and slash-chord harmony,
ballads and much more. Each chapter is full of fundamental
and advanced concepts and ideas, accompanied by transcribed
examples from the masters of jazz bass playing.