Hard to pick just five, and many of the greats have already been listed.. and great choices, all. Here's a couple that come to mind, in no particular order...
Scott LaFaro
Gary Peacock
Marc Johnson
Ray Drummond
Lynn Seaton
Ray Brown has been mentioned in almost every post, and rightly so, so I skipped him, and also Paul Chambers and Christian McBride. I'm surprised Milt Hinton isn't mentioned more often, and that Slam Stewart and Major Holley didn't make anyone's lists yet (although I admit to skimming the thread and could have missed them).
I got a last minute call to play a short 5-day tour with Lynn Seaton years ago when their piano player couldn't make it on short notice. He's been one of my favorite bass players ever since, both as a bassist and as a human. I didn't have the experience or ability of the rest of the well-known hardcore players in the band like Lynn, but he treated me like an equal, played his butt off, and was a joy to be around.
