Bassists that rock?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Flint Loveless
  • Start date Start date
Flint Loveless said:
I guess I'm looking for complication. Victor Wooten's got game, but it's a lot of riff-raff! Jaco Pastorious is the same way. Claypool's got some sick solo's that make you wanna get up, but I can only find two of them, that and when I re-listened to them I realised that I got way better then that. Stanley Clarke is my boy though! He's got melody game, other then that I'm not impressed.

Am I asking too much?

-Flint
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Why don't you show us all your "game" and let us know how many records you've sold? Wankery is for wankers. A great bass player lays the melodic and groove foundation for a song. Everything else is just sprinkles.
 
jalbert said:
Christian Mcbride
Ray Brown
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+1

And,

Slam Stewart
Milt Hinton
Jimmy Blanton
Oscar Pettiford
Paul Chambers
Sam Jones
Red Mitchell
Scott LaFaro
Jimmy Garrison
Charlie Haden
Gary Peacock
Eddie Gomez
Marc Johnson
Wilbur Little
Rufus Reid
 
Geddy Lee
Chris Squire
John Entwistle
Jaco
Flea
Chuck Rainy
Les Claypool
Justin Chancellor
John Wright (Nomeansno)
 
Flint Loveless said:
I guess I'm looking for complication. Victor Wooten's got game, but it's a lot of riff-raff! Jaco Pastorious is the same way.
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Jaco's playing was a lot of riff-raff? Are you serious? During his prime (before the drugs and mental issues overwhelmed him), Jaco's playing was an incomparable combination of chops, groove, and melodicism. A perfect example would be his playing on the Weather Report track "Havona" on the "Heavy Weather" album. He holds down a tight groove throughout the entire tune. Then, his solo consists of slow, melodic figures contrasted with precisely intonated 32nd notes (remember: he played a fretless) around a series of difficult chord changes. It's as "complicated" and yet graceful as any solo that I've ever heard...bass or otherwise. If you're looking for some strictly "complicated" playing, how about the first ten seconds of his first album? I don't know too many bass players who can handle the head to "Donna Lee" at that tempo. Unlike Stanley Clarke's bass style, which I don't think has aged well, Jaco's playing still sounds fresh to this day.

I can sort of see how one could see Victor Wooten's playing as being "riff-raff" or schtick, but there's no denying that he is tremendously talented. His use of sweep picking and artificial harmonics on the bass is innovative, and he's taken both slapping and fingerstyle techniques to new levels.

One of my modern day favorites for combining chops and taste is Michael Manring. His bass solo pieces are beautiful to listen to and yet as complicated to play as anything you'll find. On "My Three Moons," he plays several basses simultaneously, holding down pedal tones on one or two of them while tapping out parts on two others. On "The Enormous Room," he combines hipshot thwacking, natural and artificial harmonics, and perfectly intonated fretless chords into a piece of music that's beautiful even outside of its technical merits.

Some other names? How about Jeff Berlin, Gary Willis, Dominique Di Piazza, Jonas Hellborg, Squarepusher, Marcus Miller, and Anthony Jackson? Other folks have listed some fanstastic bass players as well.

If none of these folks are at your level of playing, then I will gladly fly you out to Massachusetts at triple scale (no less) to record some tracks for me.

- Jerfo
 
What does 'complication' look like to you?

Do you have any idea how much technical knowledge in harmonic structure (coupled with amazing chops) it takes to be able to come up with, and execute, the lines and parts that these 'wankers' invent? I think, based on your comments, that it may be a whole lot more complicated than you realize.

These guys are not about flash - they're literate musicians who have spent decades honing their craft and creating a characteristic sound that is all their own.

Maybe you were thinking more about people like Paul McCartney :o ? He's a great composer and a fine bassist. Same goes for folks like Sting, John Paul Jones - fine musicians and distinctive composers. I'm just not sure I'd put any of them on the definitive short list of 'bassists that rock'.

-- Glenn
 
jerfo said:
Jaco's playing was a lot of riff-raff? Are you serious? During his prime (before the drugs and mental issues overwhelmed him), Jaco's playing was an incomparable combination of chops, groove, and melodicism. A perfect example would be his playing on the Weather Report track "Havona" on the "Heavy Weather" album. He holds down a tight groove throughout the entire tune. Then, his solo consists of slow, melodic figures contrasted with precisely intonated 32nd notes (remember: he played a fretless) around a series of difficult chord changes. It's as "complicated" and yet graceful as any solo that I've ever heard...bass or otherwise. If you're looking for some strictly "complicated" playing, how about the first ten seconds of his first album? I don't know too many bass players who can handle the head to "Donna Lee" at that tempo. Unlike Stanley Clarke's bass style, which I don't think has aged well, Jaco's playing still sounds fresh to this day.

I can sort of see how one could see Victor Wooten's playing as being "riff-raff" or schtick, but there's no denying that he is tremendously talented. His use of sweep picking and artificial harmonics on the bass is innovative, and he's taken both slapping and fingerstyle techniques to new levels.

One of my modern day favorites for combining chops and taste is Michael Manring. His bass solo pieces are beautiful to listen to and yet as complicated to play as anything you'll find. On "My Three Moons," he plays several basses simultaneously, holding down pedal tones on one or two of them while tapping out parts on two others. On "The Enormous Room," he combines hipshot thwacking, natural and artificial harmonics, and perfectly intonated fretless chords into a piece of music that's beautiful even outside of its technical merits.

Some other names? How about Jeff Berlin, Gary Willis, Dominique Di Piazza, Jonas Hellborg, Squarepusher, Marcus Miller, and Anthony Jackson? Other folks have listed some fanstastic bass players as well.

If none of these folks are at your level of playing, then I will gladly fly you out to Massachusetts at triple scale (no less) to record some tracks for me.

- Jerfo
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Now HERE's a man who knows what he's talking about! Anybody who listens to the best work of Jaco or Victor Wooten and only hears wanking needs to work on their listening skills! These are true musical artists of the highest order.

And bonus points must be given for mentioning the incomparable Dominique DiPiazza. A truly unique and exciting voice on the bass guitar!
 
Jerfo, you listed off a quite impressive mass of names but unfortunatly none of which mean much to me on account you didn't give me a firm grasp on where they came from. They got bands? Names don't mean much to me, it's all about the skill. It's hard looking up bassists on LimeWire so if you could be so good as to help me understand who you made mentioned I would be forever in your debt... And maybe I could make some points of my own. Granted, I suppose I should know these people, but I think we can all agree that playing speaks louder then words. I've probably heard these cats some time or another and could comment myself.

-Flint
 
Abraham Laboriel, Nathan East and, of course, Jaco (and his Echoplex tape machine). :eek:
 
Flint Loveless said:
Jerfo, you listed off a quite impressive mass of names but unfortunatly none of which mean much to me on account you didn't give me a firm grasp on where they came from. They got bands? Names don't mean much to me, it's all about the skill. It's hard looking up bassists on LimeWire so if you could be so good as to help me understand who you made mentioned I would be forever in your debt... And maybe I could make some points of my own. Granted, I suppose I should know these people, but I think we can all agree that playing speaks louder then words. I've probably heard these cats some time or another and could comment myself.
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Your best bet is to go to www.allmusic.com and look up the names. They have surprisingly good biographies of all but two of the names that I listed: Gary Willis, and Dominique Di Piazza.

Gary Willis is best known as the bassist for Tribal Tech, although he's worked with numerous other artists in the jazz and fusion genres. His site, www.garywillis.com, is stocked with MP3s and enough instructional tools to keep you busy for quite a while. His playing is along the lines of a modernized Jaco.

To be honest with you, I've only heard Dominique Di Piazza on John McLaughlin's "Que Alegria" album. However, his playing is so brilliant on this album that I had to mention his name. I just googled his name and discovered why there wasn't much information available about him: after recording "Que Alegria," he left the music scene for seven years to become a pastor. (Here's a good link.) His solo bass track "Marie" has become the stuff of legends, and is partially transcribed here . You can find a 30 soundclip of it on amazon.com. He's recently done a project with Dennis Chambers, which I'll have to check out. Has anybody else heard it?

- Jerfo
 
Flint Loveless said:
Anyone know of any bassists that don't horribly blow? I know, we got the Les Claypool fans and there's always Vic to fall back on, but I've been mulln' it over and I think they're a couple of blow hards. Over rated by far! Anyone got my back on this? And could someone please impress me with some talent!

-Flint
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Edgar Meyer?
 
G. Simon said:
Do you have any idea how much technical knowledge in harmonic structure (coupled with amazing chops) it takes to be able to come up with, and execute, the lines and parts that these 'wankers' invent? I think, based on your comments, that it may be a whole lot more complicated than you realize.

These guys are not about flash - they're literate musicians who have spent decades honing their craft and creating a characteristic sound that is all their own.

Maybe you were thinking more about people like Paul McCartney :o ? He's a great composer and a fine bassist. Same goes for folks like Sting, John Paul Jones - fine musicians and distinctive composers. I'm just not sure I'd put any of them on the definitive short list of 'bassists that rock'.

-- Glenn
Click to expand...

any list of "bassists that rock" that doesn't include john paul jones is incomplete, pure and simple.

what is this fascination with complexity? someone around here needs to define "rock". "fusion" is probably more accurate.
 
Despite the hype given to Flea, I have to say that NORWOOD FISHER of FISHBONE is the rockingest bassist out there. Flea and P-Nut of 311 owe their styles to 'Wood.

Also check out original Funkadelic bassist BILLY 'BASS' NELSON. One of the originaters of mixing hard rock and funk back in the early 70's. LARRY GRAHAM is the man to, his fuzz-box'ed bass lines are sick (check out the bass playing in Sly & the Family Stone's Woodstock set).
 
rockcamaro97 said:
jaco, victor wooten, stu hamm(gotta love peanuts), P-nut from 311 imo is one of the most talented rock bassist right now
Matt
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How much Fishbone have you listened to??? P-Nut himself points out that he is a mere student in Norwood Fisher's classroom....
 
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