I found it liberating of necessity to devise my own style and my own tactics and to look for a voice on the instrument because there weren't really any that impacted strongly on me.

One of the leading bassists in jazz Swallow is noted for collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre Gary Burton and Carla Bley. His compositions have been covered by among others Jim Hall (who recorded his very first tune "Eiderdown") Bill Evans Chick Corea Stan Getz and Gary Burton. After joining Art Farmer's quartet in 1964 Swallow began to write.

Steve Swallow (born October 4 1940 Fair Lawn New Jersey) is a jazz double bass and bass guitarist and composer noted for his numerous collaborations. He was also one of the first acoustic bassists in jazz to switch entirely to electric bass guitar on which he has a distinctively nimble sound.