In the jazz tradition the Tuba was the bass in the rhythm section up until the mid-twenties. It was then the upright bass replaced the Tuba in many ensembles as the jazz music moved north and continued to develop. After this period the Tuba’s roll, as bass in the rhythm section, was at a standstill and did not develop through Swing and Bebop.

It wasn’t until Cool Jazz of the 1950’s when the Tuba was used by Miles Davis and Gil Evans in “Birth of the Cool” as an ensemble horn. The Tuba, like s...