Jazz bassists have long been plagued by jokes about their solos. You may have witnessed a jazz club get noisy the moment the bass player begins his solo. The phenomenon is hardly unique to this generation. Listen to Bill Evans' Waltz for Debby, one of the great live jazz albums, recorded live at the Village Vanguard in June 1961. Even through Scott LaFaro's solos—some of the most breathtakingly innovative bass improvisations in the history of jazz—you can hear the audience yakking.