The first great bassist of the jazz era, without a doubt, was Jimmy Blanton. Blanton was the first to take the instrument out of the rhythm section and turn it into a solo instrument, developing bass lines that not only supported the song, but also presented interesting harmonies and counter melodies in their own right. His stint in the Duke Ellington Orchestra, from 1939 to 1941, is documented on RCA's three-disc Ellington set, The Blanton-Webster Band. Unfortunately, Blanton died of tuberculosis in 1942 at the age of 21, robbing the music world of one of its most promising talents. (Karl Pallmeyer)