Best Bassist You've Met

[scrunks11]

Anyone met a really awesome bassist? The best bassist I've met is TM Stevens. Here's a pic of him with me and my bass teacher. It was taken like two years ago so I look tiny I'm the one on the right.

[Deathblade Eric]

Met Colin Hodgkinson a couple of years back, really nice bloke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFKxnj5PMvU

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Friday, August 8th, 2008...

[4001]

Yes. I met Gary Willis on two occasions.
A real nice guy, and we had a short conversation each time.
The last conversation was right after a set where they just had played Herbie Hancock's "Actual Proof." I was blown away at the performance and just how friggin' tight Tribal Tech was. He signed my Spears and Dr. Hee LP's and I have them framed, on the wall of my music room.

There is supposed to be a new Tribal Tech album this year. Should be good.

If you have the chance this year, and if they ever stop by your town, go see Tribal Tech.

[banks]

when bass day was in new york, i met stanley clarke in the elevator. really nice guy talked with everyone the whole ride down, also met billy shehan, adam nitti.

[ChrisAlan]

Originally Posted by scrunks11

Anyone met a really awesome bassist?

A buddy and I ran into Billy Sheehan at a LA bar long ago. He actually shoo'ed off a couple of women to sit and talk with us a while. Pretty nice guy.

[Sendaii]

Yeah, I met Roman Haviland of Maylene and the Sons of Disaster at a gig they played with In Flames and Killswitch Engage. He's a pretty cool guy, isn't obnoxious like a lot of musicians that I have met and he's really down to earth. His work with Maylene really inspired me.

[Wyrm74]

Brian Bromberg. Super guy and very humble. I liked him so much, I bought his signature bass!

[capnsandwich]

Met Dave LaRue after a Dixie dregs show. That dude's got everything in his tool box.

[Fullmetal]

I met Dream Theater back in Oct. '09. Was able to have a brief chat with the bassist (John Myung) before the show. He's a really nice guy, quiet but appreciative. I wasn't able to discuss much with him, but I was able to explain how much I admire him and his work.

[Hoover]

Probably Mark Dresser, when I mixed FOH for his septet's performance in Boston ~10 years ago. Mind-bogglingly good technique coupled with an encylopedic awareness of music, big ears, and a sense of humor.

I've also met Jerome Harris, Drew Gress, Greg Cohen, Stomo Takeshi, Mark Helias...when you get the reputation as a sympathetic audio engineer who knows how to mix weird jazz you get to meet an awful lot of extremely talented -- albeit relatively unknown -- musicians.

I met Jeff Berlin & Santi Debriano when they did clinics at my undergraduate school.

Don't think I've ever met a bassist of note backstage after a gig, I just don't do the Hang Out By The Stage Door thing.

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by capnsandwich

Met Dave LaRue after a Dixie dregs show. That dude's got everything in his tool box.

Oh yeah, I also met Dave LaRue back when he was still at Berklee; I jammed with him there once when I was still fooling myself into thinking I could play guitar. (What's amazing is that after playing with Dave I somehow still thought I could play bass!)

[JoZac21]

I once met Stanley Clarke after a gig... he laughed when I asked him to sign my cell phone, which he did wind up signing.

Also, Trevor Dunn is an occasional customer at the wine shop I work at... we have a few celebrities who shop here, but he's the one who, when he walks in, I turn into a little girl. Mr. Bungle was a big part of my childhood and he was a big influence on me... so it's hard to keep it cool when he's around... he probably thinks I'm weird... he'd be right.

[bassteban]

Jeff Schmidt is quite pleasant, as is Steve Lawson.

[Roy Vogt]

I'm giving away my age, but Jaco Pastorius after a Weather Report concert at North Texas State University in 1976. He was totally nice.
We ran into each other several times after that and once he played drums while I played bass while the U of M band read his charts down....they showed up on Invitation and The Birthday Concert.
I was scared silly, BTW!

[Beepo]

Once had dinner with Richard Bona and his band at a Greek restaurant in Oslo.
He picked up a hand drum from the empty house stage behind his chair while waiting for his food, started jamming a little, before a waiter came up to him and told him to put it back down ("Please do not touch the musicians instruments, Sir"). I almost told the waiter that this guy is one of the greatest percussionists in the world, but decided to leave it..

[ugly_bassplayer]

Originally Posted by 4001

Yes. I met Gary Willis on two occasions.
A real nice guy, and we had a short conversation each time.
The last conversation was right after a set where they just had played Herbie Hancock's "Absolute Proof." I was blown away at the performance and just how friggin' tight Tribal Tech was. He signed my Spears and Dr. Hee LP's and I have them framed, on the wall of my music room.

There is supposed to be a new Tribal Tech album this year. Should be good.

If you have the chance this year, and if they ever stop by your town, go see Tribal Tech.

That's "Actual Proof".

[Chad Michael]

Rocco Prestia. He came to Music World in Spokane in the mid '80's. I hoped he would give a clinic, or play, or at least act interested in being there but it was none of the above. He just acted like "I'm here to autograph stuff and don't have time for chit chat". Who knows, maybe we caught him on a bad day.

Regardless, he is an excellent bassist with his own style, I have a genuine respect for that.

[markkoelsch]

The best bassists I have met were Vic Wooten and Steve Bailey before they did a bass extremes clinic. I was head down playing my butt off ( at least as well as I can) when I noticed a coupleof people walk up and listen. I looked up and it was them. I stopped playing, and they in essence said I should keep playing as I play well. It is one of the proudest moments I have had as a player.

[Lightning Rider]

Myself. I'm the only bassist I've ever personally known in my life.