Dominic Duval

Dominic Duval (c. 1944 – July 22, 2016) was an American free jazz bassist. Since the 1990s, Duval was active principally on the New York City jazz scene. He did not begin recording regularly until the 1990s, but since then had appeared on a very large number of albums, particularly on the labels CIMP, Cadence Jazz, and Leo Records. As a result, Duval was described by Allmusic as "unquestionably...one of the most-recorded free jazz bassists on the planet". Todd Jenkins describes Duval and drummer Jay Rosen as the "house rhythm section" for CIMP, given the number of recordings on which they have jointly appeared. Duval's freedom of expression was paramount in his playing. Duval played his Hutchings bass more often like a violin, guitar or lead saxophone. He displayed fast lines and rich textures. Seldom did he play the bass in a traditional role low pitch rhythmic role. Instead he freely interacted with other members within the ensemble. Duval died on July 22, 2016.