My favourite musicians: Bass players

uglymusicuglymusic
edited February 2011 in Musicians
Having had the teething troubles integrating the Young DAC into my system, I realised again how much I listen to bassists. I then started thinking who are my favourites; five of each.

Acoustic bassists:
William Parker
Charles Mingus
Dave Holland
Gary Peacock
Henri Texier

Electric bassists:
Jaco Pastorius
Steve Swallow
Bill Laswell
Michael Henderson
Jah Wobble (more for his music than his technical prowess!)

How much do you disagree?

Comments

  • GromitGromit
    Yup - I'd go for most of those. :)

    My faves would probably be (who aren't on Dave's list)...

    Acoustic:

    Eddie Gomez
    John Patitucci

    Electric:
    Jaco (who else - included because the rules say you have to!). :)
    Tom Kennedy
    Marcus Miller
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    You're a bit of a fusion nut on the quiet, aren't you?
  • JimJim
    Yup to Eddie Gomez.

    Also for me:

    Ray Brown
    Danny Thompson
    Marcus Miller
    Cordell Mosson
    John Paul Jones

    Different styles and no distinction twixt acoustic and leccy.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Damn! I forgot Danny Thompson. But who do I squeeze out?
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Maybe we need a Musicians category for threads like this. Then I can add Bootsy and Wilton Felder.
  • GromitGromit
    You're a bit of a fusion nut on the quiet, aren't you?
    Aye :)
  • DocfosterDocfoster
    My own inspiration as a half arsed bassist was always jack bruce (a fully arsed bassist). Also steve scipio of cyamande is a supremely musical 4 stringer.
    I'm not good enough to discern well between modern jazz bassists. Though, and this is but my opinion, I can't stand jack pastorius - like coltrane at his frantic twiddly worst (but not his soulful best) - technically accomplished, but without any emotional merit. Or like juggling chainsaws, impressive but for me not at all enjoyable.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Jaco always makes me smile. I absolutely love his playing.

    I was lucky enough to see him live three or four times, and to me he was the complete musician, chops and emotion, compositions and arrangements.
  • DocfosterDocfoster
    May be I need to revisit his work...
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    I think you should  ;)

    Try his work with Joni Mitchell - Hejira, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter - for a some non-jazz music.
  • DocfosterDocfoster
    Will do. Which of his jazz offerings would you suggest? Nothing too intricate.
    Ben
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Weather Report - Heavy Weather or Black Market (he joins WR on this one, so Alphonso Johnson is on some tracks, but he sounds very different).

    Or Word of Mouth, his second album under his own name.
  • JamielJamiel
    edited February 2011
    Having been a drummer it is perhaps rhythm sections for me.
    Bass player then drummer in each case.

    Chris Squire & Bill Bruford (Yes)
    Mick Karn (RIP) & Steve Jansen (Japan)
    John Paul Jones & John Bonham (RIP) (led Zeppelin)
    Gail Anne Dorsey & Zachary Alford (Bowie mid 90's)
    George Murray & Dennis Davis (Bowie mid- late 70s)
    Both those Bowie rhythm sections big, bashy and great.
    Justin Chancellor & Danny Carey (Tool - seeing them live, some parts that I thought were lead guitar were bass, and Danny Carey has such amazing feel (emotion?) is his drumming)

    I love Geddy Lee's playing, but am not much of a fan of Neil Peart (Rush).

    I think I might also have to put in John Wetton, but only with Bill Bruford again from King Crimson in the early 70's.

    Individual bass players, Jaco Pastorius, Danny Thompson, Charles Mingus, Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree).

    John Deacon in Queen never seems to get a mention, but his playing was great.

    I also like Sting and Mike Rutherford, not players who you are blown away by, but I really like the way they pin down the rhythm section and allow whoever is the drummer behind them to have a lot of space to work with. I think Noel Redding might be similar, I have been told he was not that good, but if no-one had anchored the music behind like Jimmy Hendrix and Mitch Mitchell it would have been a mess.

    I must try and hear some more Jack Bruce too.

    Perhaps I should have read that this was under jazz before commenting, sorry.
  • DocfosterDocfoster
    Dave following your orders I purchased Joni Mitchell's hejira, and have paid careful attention to pastorius' bass work. I can be impressed by his technique and musicianship, but musically it's not for me. I think it's rhythmically too far from what I personally expect and want a bass to be doing.
    May be I'm too young...? ;-)
    Ben
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    I'm really sorry Hejira didn't bite. 

    Note to self: don't recommend music to Ben or he'll say rude things to me next time we meet :-)

    I guess, in a way, you're saying the flipside to what we Jaco nuts say. He found whole new ways of using the bass guitar. If you see a bass as having a specific role within a band, I guess you may have trouble with Jaco ripping up the rulebook.

    Sorry, again.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Having been a drummer it is perhaps rhythm sections for me.
    Bass player then drummer in each case.


    George Murray & Dennis Davis (Bowie mid- late 70s)

    I'd forgotten about them. They were fantastic. I loved them at the time.
  • DocfosterDocfoster
    I'm really sorry Hejira didn't bite. 

    Note to self: don't recommend music to Ben or he'll say rude things to me next time we meet :-)

    I guess, in a way, you're saying the flipside to what we Jaco nuts say. He found whole new ways of using the bass guitar. If you see a bass as having a specific role within a band, I guess you may have trouble with Jaco ripping up the rulebook.

    Sorry, again.
    So I'm too conservative...?
    Now who's throwing insults...?

    :p

    In fact you're probably right. Also as a small time bass player myself, jaco's a bit intimidating. @-)
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    I think I'd better shut up - as Denis Healey once said, 'If you're in a hole, stop digging'!  :-D
  • JimJim
    Or as someone said after that, "If you see Healey digging, hire a JCB"


    :-)) :-))
  • JamielJamiel
    Wow, Hejira is one of my favourite albums, but Jaco does play lead bass over much of it, which if you want the bass in the rhythm then I guess it is not your thing.

    Ben do your find Mick Karn in Japan the same a Jaco?
    - Sons of Pioneers
    - Methods of Dance

    Although a band who really died on me, I did think of another fantastic rhythm section.
    Flea and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers).

    I also forgot to mention Percy Jones with Brian Eno, among others.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    The Chillis at their peak have the best rock rhythm section. Full stop. (IMHO)

    Percy Jones with Brand X, of course. I saw them, too, back in the 70s.
  • JamielJamiel
    edited February 2011
    The Chillis at their peak have the best rock rhythm section. Full stop. (IMHO)

    Percy Jones with Brand X, of course. I saw them, too, back in the 70s.
    It is a tough one, but John Paul Jones on fretless, mirroring Jimmy Page's slide lead, with John Henry Bonham thumping out the funkiest blues beat on 'In My Time of Dying' is right up there.

    If you have the Led Zeppelin DVD, pop it on and watch Jones in the background, it is mind blowing.

    From personal taste though nothing beat Chris Squire's thumping the bass while Bill Bruford drops beats in the most unexpected places, on 'Close to the Edge', 'Fish out of Water' or especially 'Heart of the Sunrise'.

    Another rhyhtm section I forgot, which might just be starting to show a bit of a bias of mine but, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    There you go everyone. I've set up a Musicians category, so my original narrow Discussion on jazz bassists (OK I stretched it a bit with Jah Wobble, but he did make an album with Evan Parker!) can run wherever we want it to.
  • WKBWKB
    James Jamerson of Motown - Bernadette by the Four Tops & You keep me hangin' on by the Supremes are my favorites but of course there are dozens more.

    Bernard Edwards of Chic. I want your love, My Forbidden Lover, just so melodic.

    Ron Baker played on most of the great Philly records, try Bad Luck by Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes

    Marcus Miller for all those lusicious lines on Luther's greatest tracks, I just love the start of Never too much.



  • uglymusicuglymusic
    OK. If we're in that part of the musical universe, I'll have to raise you a Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone  :)
  • JamielJamiel
    edited February 2011
    Actually a great jazz bass player Michael Henderson with Miles Davis in the early 70's, the bass was almost bigger than him, but boy cold he groove.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Yup. He was part of my original list at the start of this Discussion.

    Miles poached Henderson from Stevie Wonder. 
  • WKBWKB
    OK. If we're in that part of the musical universe, I'll have to raise you a Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone  :)
    Yep,  I have a 45 of Graham Central Station doing "Feel the need in me" , just a great stomper. Let's not forget Bootsy Collins on "I'd rather be with you" on Strechin' Out or Robert Bell on Jungle Boogie. Anyway back to work...
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