Chester Zardis

If the bass player is the foundation of an ensemble, jazz master Chester Zardis was born for the job, both in stature and philosophy. He was a short, stocky man, who was nicknamed "Little Bear" by bandleader Fats Pichon when they played music in the 1930s on the river boat S.S. Capital, running between New Orleans and St. Louis. Zardis believed that it was the bass player's duty to maintain the group's tempo without undue fanfare, like a good helmsman who keeps his boat on course. Zardis managed to do that in his seven decades in the music business. Born at the dawn of the 20...