Joshua Redman with Christian Mcbride...

[bubinga5]

Joshua Redman with Christian Mcbride and co..

what a groove...

just wanted to share....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0rc52uu1AQ

[dmusic148]

Nice. If you like that, check Flea out on this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrCGM...eature=related

[bubinga5]

good call D, that was smokin.. how do you know that was Flea out of interest?

[JimK]

Yes, I remember watching that Redman/McBride/Blade thing on PBS...years ago.
I recall thinking, "...damn, McBride plays electric bass, too"?

PBS also ran the previous Jacksonville Jazz Fest...Corea, Sandoval, & the Flecktones. At that time, early '90s, not too many were hip to the 'Tones. Long & wild solo spot for Wooten on "The Sinister Minister" from that show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqkgBkWlE94

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by bubinga5

good call D, that was smokin.. how do you know that was Flea out of interest?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=http%3A%2F%2Fww...id%3D17709&l=1

[plangentmusic]

I think Christian is a genius upright player, but that was an example of pretty pedestrian electric playing. IMO. It didn't really groove. Kinda rushed.

[Bruhman]

I wonder why everyone is still shocked that Christian plays electric bass?? Has no one ever heard his "Live at Tonic"? HELLACIOUS electric bass playing!! His "Vertical Vision" recording has sick electric playing on it. The "Five Peace Band" with Chick Corea and John McLaughlin had some serious electric moments on there, too. As for this video with Joshua, it's from 1993. To say that Christian's electric playing even on THIS video is "pedestrian" and "didn't really groove".....unless "plangentmusic" is actually Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham or Anthony Jackson, you should probably keep that bizarre opinion to yourself.

[middlebit]

Originally Posted by Bruhman

I wonder why everyone is still shocked that Christian plays electric bass?? Has no one ever heard his "Live at Tonic"?

Yeah, and he even played electric on the studio version of this tune, as can be heard on 94's Mood Swing. I think he's groovin as much as one can within the context, but it's fairly obvious that the tune was speeding - Joshua is really struggling there. Nothing unusual about that in a live situation, happens all the time.

[basmartin]

McBride is bad... In a good way

[JimK]

Originally Posted by Bruhman

I wonder why everyone is still shocked that Christian plays electric bass??

...just to be clear. I was surprised in 1992 (when I first saw the above clip from the Jax Jazz Fest) that McBride also played EB. By that time, IIRC, I was clearly into McBride's acoustic Jazz solo & sideman discs. A little later, after reading a few interviews, it was revealed he started on EB & later went to URB.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by JimK

Yes, I remember watching that Redman/McBride/Blade thing on PBS...years ago.
I recall thinking, "...damn, McBride plays electric bass, too"?

PBS also ran the previous Jacksonville Jazz Fest...Corea, Sandoval, & the Flecktones. At that time, early '90s, not too many were hip to the 'Tones. Long & wild solo spot for Wooten on "The Sinister Minister" from that show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqkgBkWlE94

I saw Christian recently with Blade on that Chick and McLaughlin 'reunion' tour. He played EB about 2/3's of the show, and it was just stupid amazing. He was playing an unlined Atelier Z fretless J (I think a 5 string... might have been a 6... can't remember) and was BLAZING and PERFECTLY in tune.

He's an interesting player, since he is pretty much as 'good' as any of the 'bass heroes' out there, but he doesn't have a 'voice' on the instrument like many others (IMO there... I don't hear it... never heard a recording with McBride playing and immediately identified who the bassist was like some others). I guess, for a player making his living as a side man, that is actually a good thing.

Amazing player.

Brian Blade... there is a guy who has a VOICE on his instrument. Scary good and unique.

[Bruhman]

[quote=KJung;9773978] but he doesn't have a 'voice' on the instrument like many others (IMO there... I don't hear it... never heard a recording with McBride playing and immediately identified who the bassist was like some others). I guess, for a player making his living as a side man, that is actually a good thing.


I think this is very accurate. If McBride played electric as much as he played acoustic, I'm sure he'd develop his own voice. But as you said, you don't necessarily need an identifiable "voice" making a living as a sideman. He's a monster on the electric, he just doesn't have that immediate, "That's McBride" sound....and that's ok!

[Lorenzini]

Honestly u guys definitely don't listen to a lot of Christian. He definitely has his own sound on that Pensa fretless. Can't name any player that sounds like him or uses the same licks.

[pedro]

Originally Posted by KJung

I saw Christian recently with Blade on that Chick and McLaughlin 'reunion' tour. He played EB about 2/3's of the show, and it was just stupid amazing. He was playing an unlined Atelier Z fretless J (I think a 5 string... might have been a 6... can't remember) and was BLAZING and PERFECTLY in tune.

He's an interesting player, since he is pretty much as 'good' as any of the 'bass heroes' out there, but he doesn't have a 'voice' on the instrument like many others (IMO there... I don't hear it... never heard a recording with McBride playing and immediately identified who the bassist was like some others). I guess, for a player making his living as a side man, that is actually a good thing.

Amazing player.

Brian Blade... there is a guy who has a VOICE on his instrument. Scary good and unique.

I'm really curious about that statement. Which players do you think have their own voice?

[KJung]

Originally Posted by pedro

I'm really curious about that statement. Which players do you think have their own voice?

Chris Squire
Victor Wooten
Stanley Clark
Jaco
Manring,
Tommy Kennedy
etc.,

Having your own voice can be a curse... hard to get sideman gigs. Both Jeff Berlin and Jaco have talked about that in interviews in the past. All great players have their own voice to one extent (actually, even a player at my level 'sounds like me' for the most part). However, having a voice (as I'm defining it) is typically a combination of a somewhat unique tone, combined with a unique approach to the instrument. McBride is just a killing bass player to me (like, for example, James Genus), and his 'voice' is more representative of the gigs he does... mostly as a skilled sideman in a wide variety of contexts.

IMO.

[pedro]

Interesting. I don't know Kennedy but am familiar with the others. Not much of a Wooten fan and I never cared much for Stanley's electric bass tone. I like Clark much more on upright but don't hear anything there that makes him distinct, etc. Squire definitely has a voice but I wouldn't have put him in the category of McBride bass wise.

Its all taste and preferences.

Originally Posted by KJung

Chris Squire
Victor Wooten
Stanley Clark
Jaco
Manring,
Tommy Kennedy
etc.,

Having your own voice can be a curse... hard to get sideman gigs. Both Jeff Berlin and Jaco have talked about that in interviews in the past. All great players have their own voice to one extent (actually, even a player at my level 'sounds like me' for the most part). However, having a voice (as I'm defining it) is typically a combination of a somewhat unique tone, combined with a unique approach to the instrument. McBride is just a killing bass player to me (like, for example, James Genus), and his 'voice' is more representative of the gigs he does... mostly as a skilled sideman in a wide variety of contexts.

IMO.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by pedro

Interesting. I don't know Kennedy but am familiar with the others. Not much of a Wooten fan and I never cared much for Stanley's electric bass tone. I like Clark much more on upright but don't hear anything there that makes him distinct, etc. Squire definitely has a voice but I wouldn't have put him in the category of McBride bass wise.

Its all taste and preferences.

My list has nothing to do with 'better/worse' or 'like/not like', but rather an example of players that IMO have a unique voice on their instrument (based on the definition I give)... you can tell it is them from the first 4 bars IMO. Marcus Miller is another guy who has a unique tone and playing style.

[pedro]

Originally Posted by KJung

My list has nothing to do with 'better/worse' or 'like/not like', but rather an example of players that IMO have a unique voice on their instrument (based on the definition I give)... you can tell it is them from the first 4 bars IMO. Marcus Miller is another guy who has a unique tone and playing style.

I understood that. I'm just saying that while Stanley had a unique voice on electric bass it was one that I'd just avoid and while I enjoy his upright playing more, I don't hear anything unique about it. To me Marcus and Wooten have the same 'voice' even though they say different things.

OTOH, I'd say Jack Bruce has a unique (and to me) appealing bass voice.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by pedro

I understood that. I'm just saying that while Stanley had a unique voice on electric bass it was one that I'd just avoid and while I enjoy his upright playing more, I don't hear anything unique about it. To me Marcus and Wooten have the same 'voice' even though they say different things.

OTOH, I'd say Jack Bruce has a unique (and to me) appealing bass voice.

Bruce is another unique voice that I personally can't stand... however, unique it is! I hear NOTHING similar between Victor and Marcus... playing, approach, tone... nothing. Their technique and tone goals are so different. However, they are both unique in that nobody else sounds like them (unless it is guys literally copying their whole thing).

That's another good definition of a 'unique' player. People describing other players as 'clones' of the original. In order to have clones, you must at one point be the original 'voice' for that vibe (Stanley and Jaco being the primary examples of that... Anthony Jackson is another one IMO).

Christian McBride, James Genus, Will Lee.... among my favorite players, but again wouldn't say they had a unique style/tone/playing approach that total defines them. That's why these guys work more than the 'players with unique voices' IMO!

[pedro]

I hear NOTHING similar between Victor and Marcus... playing, approach, tone... nothing. Their technique and tone goals are so different. However, they are both unique in that nobody else sounds like them (unless it is guys literally copying their whole thing).

LOL!! They sound very similar to me. Both fancy that slappy, sizzly h-fi sound that's become the rage. I'd probably agree that Stanley was the first really to grab onto it but its another reason that when I first heard Stanley (Return to Forever) and Jaco I immediately gravitated to Jaco's much warmer tone.