Defining moments in the evolution of bass playing

Barkless Dog · #1 01-17-2008, 06:45 AM

Stanley Clarke School Days- not only nothing like this had ever been heard from in bass playing - His Alembic sound was an equal part of his style-

To top it off School Days recieved top 40 airplay and like the big bang, bass playing was never the same- From Marcus to Claypool he influenced not just bass playing and players but music itself, featuring bass as the focus of the band & songs (not just wanking).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC001Z3XWKE

Bass playing will never be the same.

Barkless Dog · #2 01-17-2008, 06:59 AM

John Entwistle

A top 40 bass player who was the lead player, but stood stoically still in the back ground while Pete windmilled power chords.

My Generation - was the first top 40 hit to feature a bass solo that changed the world of bass playing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdRs1gKpeGg

He blew bass playing away with one simple song, but that was only the beginning, Quadraphenia was John's bass playing masterpiece, in my opinion - but not his break through in bass - that was My Generation.

The wild part was he kept getting better & better till the end-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meu9rERnTf8

I still like his tone better when he played his Precision, Fenderbird & Tbirds-much warmer less sterile tone than his active 5 battery Warwicks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDs7m...eature=related

John was "the" rock bassist.

Barkless Dog · #3 01-17-2008, 07:07 AM

Jaco broke through with bird land

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

Not only did he put fretless bass in vogue, but his use of harmonics and jazz style spawned a million clones.

You can argue with who did what or who is a better bassist, but Weather Report & Bird land, another top 40 hit, brought it to the masses and spawned a style jazz/fusion that non musicians listened to. It evolved into smooth jazz which is unfortunate.

Barkless Dog · #4 01-17-2008, 07:16 AM

Dance to The Music

For Me I first heard Dance To The Music as a kid, the bass floored me with it's huge funk sound. Larry Graham perfected/created slapping that sounds now like so many bass players.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1IuD...eature=related

Graham is finally getting the respect he deserves.

Barkless Dog · #5 01-17-2008, 07:24 AM

I have trouble going past these three songs/clips as other players like Claypool, Marcus Miller, Wooten are more derivitive of these players here.

These three had breakout songs/moments & styles that, to the masses, had never been heard before and not easily seen as dirivitie. Yes everyone takes from the past, but these three made it their own and had top 40 airplay to take it world wide as an influence.

morf · #6 01-17-2008, 07:48 AM

Not enough Jamerson in this thread

stedtale · #7 01-17-2008, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morf

Not enough Jamerson in this thread

+1

Barkless Dog · #8 01-17-2008, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Not enough Jamerson in this thread

I can't agree enough, but I can't think of "the" defining moment for him. He influenced modern music from the shadows with Motown as a movement in music. I personally can't point to that breakthrough moment. I did not intentionally leave him out, but am not knowledgeable enough to post about him in a detailed moment. Sorry

I was kind of hoping that someone else could point to it?

Alan Vorse · #9 01-17-2008, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barkless Dog

Dance to The Music

For Me I first heard Dance To The Music as a kid, the bass floored me with it's huge funk sound. Larry Graham perfected/created slapping that sounds now like so many bass players.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1IuD...eature=related

Graham is finally getting the respect he deserves.

I'd also nominate this one because its probably the earliest example of a bass going through an effects pedal.

morf · #10 01-17-2008, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barkless Dog

I can't agree enough, but I can't think of "the" defining moment for him. He influenced modern music from the shadows with Motown as a movement in music. I personally can't point to that breakthrough moment. I did not intentionally leave him out, but am not knowledgeable enough to post about him in a detailed moment. Sorry

I was kind of hoping that someone else could point to it?

So was I

I looked on you tube but everything I watch blows my mind. I'm sure someone able will post soon enough.

Barkless Dog · #11 01-17-2008, 09:57 AM

With Jamerson, I can't think of "the song" so I guess you must take his body of work as "the break through" ?

I thought maybe it was my ignorance of not knowing when that breakthrough was or what song put him on the map.

Someone who followed Motown must know?

Barkless Dog · #12 01-17-2008, 10:08 AM

It really is kind of a family tree of bass influences-

Jamerson - All music & bass fundimentals

Maybe Jamerson is the root of the tree with no breakout recognition song one can point to, but as an unknown in his day, he influenced the electric bass at the root of bass playing itself, the foundation, but never had the "look at me" hit to put his name in the heads of people worldwide at the time of his career.

This is my assumption, if wrong please educate me.

bottomzone · #13 01-17-2008, 10:22 AM

The defining moment for James Jamerson was when he made the switch from upright to electric!!! The electric bass has never been the same since!!!!

For Anthony Jackson, "For The Love Of Money" was his defining moment and lit up the landscape of the electric bass and the charts!!!

For Alphonso Johnson, his defining moment was joining and recording with Weather Report on Mysterious Traveler. One of the tunes he co-wrote was "Cucumber Slumber" displayed his very fluid, rubbery and funky bass lines-which was a major shift for Weather Report.

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

bradjonesbass · #14 01-17-2008, 10:56 AM

Francis "Rocco" Prestia on "What is Hip?" 'nuff said.

James Hart · #15 01-17-2008, 11:06 AM

Marcury · #16 01-17-2008, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barkless Dog

Jaco - Jazz/fusion - Percy Jones, Mick Karn

There is no evidence for the influence of Jaco on Percy Jones, while he has expressed admiration for him, Percy started playing fretless @ 1971 and he hit most people's ears fully formed in 1975. Jaco's first mainstream recordings were '75 and '76 (not counting the '74
Pastorius, Metheny, Ditmas, Bley recording).

BTW you also would need to include Stanley as part of the Larry Graham branch.

Barkless Dog · #17 01-17-2008, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Stanley as part of the Larry Graham branch.

I agree somewhat, but I don't find Stanley's playing derivative of Larry's. Influenced yes, but to me, no one sounds like Stanley Clarke.

Unfortunately Percy Jones only influenced a handful of open minded/non pop bassists and was never mainstream. He might have had a fretless before Jaco, but so did Jamerson, Bill Wyman, Ralphe Armstrong. It's what Jaco did, in that defining moment of Bird Land.

Also with Alphanzo Johnson & Bootsy - who was first with the Rubber Band Bass sound?

Marcury · #18 01-17-2008, 11:45 AM

But you're post specifically stated influence, right. So Graham influenced Stanley and Jaco didn't Percy. All I'm sayin'.

Barkless Dog · #19 01-17-2008, 11:54 AM

Funny, what you say might true, but on the whole Percy was haunted unfairly by the label of being a Jaco clone.

By the way I like Percy Jones far more than Jaco, but Jaco exploded fretless playing on a worldwide scale where Percy & Brand X influenced only a handful of elite musicians/bass players at the end of the Jazz Rock/Fusion movement.

Marcury · #20 01-17-2008, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barkless Dog

Funny, what you say might true, but on the whole Percy was haunted unfairly by the label of being a Jaco clone.

By the way I like Percy Jones far more than Jaco, but Jaco exploded fretless playing on a worldwide scale where Percy & Brand X influenced only a handful of elite musicians/bass players at the end of the Jazz Rock/Fusion movement.

Absolutely true. Personally it's always bothered me: I prefer Percy (no slights to Jaco), I find him to be completely original. For me the "Jaco clone" statements come from people's tendency to extrapolate without listening, in other words: "Oh he plays fretless so that means Jaco"

BTW one of the reasons I started playing fretless was Percy's work on Another Green World.