Defining moments in the evolution of bass playing

[morf]

Gotta love TB. What a mine of information. Keep posting people this is really interesting stuff!

[Marcury]

Not to hijack the thread and make it a referendum on Percy Jones but talking about him here led me to see what's up on Youtube these days and I found that his complete Bass Explorations video is now up there for anyone whose interested.

Part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwcPon5FzPg

[Alan Vorse]

I'd like to say that "further out on the branches", you find people like:

Mick Karn: I challenge you to find anyone who plays like this guy.

Tom Jenkinson AKA Squarepusher: Taking chops-y bass playing into the electronic realm.

Doug Wimbish: He took the Larry Graham/Bootsy Collins concept of bass through effect pedals to new heights.

[Larry99]

Not sure if there was one moment but I think when Jaco burst onto the scene, generally speaking, it was a really important time for bass. Some really insightful thoughts regarding Jaco's impact from two great musicians speaks for itself:

Marcus:
http://www.jacopastorius.com/feature...rcusmiller.asp

Pat Metheny:
http://www.jacopastorius.com/biography/life.asp

and I really love what Rick Suchow did to bring Jaco's version of Donna Lee into focus (thanks for this Rick, this is awesome!):
http://www.ricksuchow.com/music-47.html

[kzpilot247]

a guy called nathan hughes, i first heard about him earlier this week and the melodies that he creates using his bass are unbelievable in my view

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXImi2etl7I

he also sings which is a bit of a rarity with solo bassists

[JimK]

1971(IIRC)...Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band score a Top-10 hit with "Scorpio"....basically a 3+ minute instrumental that is about 2 minutes worth of a Bob Babbitt bass solo.

From the SITSOM DVD, Ralphe Armstrong & Nate Watts say "...you weren't a bass player unless you could play "Scorpio"".

[seanm]

Originally Posted by Barkless Dog

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.

But how much did it have to do with Jaco? I loved Birdland, it was the only Weather Report song I liked. But I never paid attention to the bass player, except as part of the band, and didn't even know who Jaco was until I joined TB.

I really think Jaco had little to do with Birdland being a top 40 hit, although it may have been a defining moment for bass players.

[JimK]

Jaco's false harmonic melody/intro on "Birdland"...many assumed that it could not be a bass doing that. I'm guessing that's why Barkless Dog cited that tune.

[marcray]

oh yeah, just the coolest...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-7QSMyz5rg