Doug Rauch

Bassist30 · #1 04-01-2006, 05:52 PM

Does anyone know of Doug Rauch? I heard him play on Santana, Cobham and others recordings. His style was similar to that of Victor Wooten. With his down up thumb style. He died either 1979 or 1980. In an interview Jeff Berlin mentioned him as a great player in one of his earlier interviews. This guy was a head of his time and the people who did play with him praised his playing. Does anyone know how he came about to play this way, and who was his influences. Also a little history of this great and unknown bassist. I can't find anything on him. Im hoping maybe others who go on talkbass may have known him.

rulyøngo · #2 04-02-2006, 07:56 AM

A very good player, I love his playing with Santana. I remember an interview where Bill Laswell said that he was one of his favorite bassists, and coming from Laswell!!!

I only know his work with Santana, can you recommend any cd with other artist?

jerry · #3 04-02-2006, 09:04 AM

On the re-release of Santana's Welcome album, there is a bonus song Mantra that just kills! Besides the Cobham albums his work on Lenny White's Venusian Summer and other early solo albums was great too.
There seems to be little info out there on Doug, but I read that somebody is trying to hopefuly rectify that.

Bassist30 · #4 04-02-2006, 12:29 PM

I have tried to get information from many players and Im still trying. A very good drummer Tony "Thunder" Smith stated he talked alot about Chuck Rainey and he helped Tony to get to New York, I guess it was for the Jan Hammer Band. So far what I know he played with Jan Hammer, Santana, Lenny White, Billy Cobham, and the Harlem Singers. I know he was friends with Rocco Prestia and others of Tower Of Power and Paul Jackson of Herbie's Headhunters. Maybe we can get more info on this great player.

PhR · #5 04-05-2006, 07:11 AM

He also appears (at least) on these albums:

Betty Davis: s/t (one track only)

Buzzy Linhart: Music
-he was a member of Buzzy's band in the late sixties, the band also featured Doug's friend Doug Rodriguez on guitar. There's a videoclip at Buzzy's site (http://www.buzzylinhart.com) from the late 60's that features young Doug on bass.

Giants: s/t
-a 1971 session for percussionist Michael Carabello's abandoned solo project "Attitude". Greg Errico produced and the tracks were released in 1978 as "Giants". Doug's unique slapping/thumbing sound is evident on the track "Attitude".

Suzuki Shigeru: Bandwagon
-an obscure Japanese session with Rauch, Errico, Kermode and the guys from Little Feat.

Jose Chepito Ares: s/t
-Santana percussionist's solo album from 1974

He also played in a band Loading Zone with Tony Smith, Linda Tillery and Tom Coster and appeared on albums by Carly Simon and Papa John Creach. The book "The Voices Of Latin Rock" mentions also a project called Cobra circa 1974 which featured Rauch, Areas and Tony Smith amongs others but no recordings were made.

Has anybody heard any live recordings of Cobham/Duke/Rauch/Scofield band that recorded the "Life & Times" album? I've seen some bootlegs but never heard any.

Was there ever any kind of obituary written when he passed and what was the exact year? There's a track on Lenny White's "Big City" (1977) which is subtitled as a "Rhythmic Interlude for Doug Rauch" so maybe that is the year he died?

Anyway, he was a great player with a unique and a pioneering style. A smart dresser too, pity about the drugs that got better of him.

seebee · #6 04-05-2006, 09:07 AM

Doug Rauch also played on Lenny White's Venusian Summer check out the tracks Chicken Fried Steak and Away Go Troubles Down the Drain. I remember listening to those tracks for hours as a kid. It just became available on CD a few years ago. Doug Rauch was also one of those "***" moments when I first started playing.

PhR · #7 04-05-2006, 11:11 AM

Yeah, "Chicken-Fried Steak". It was composed by Rauch and Rodriguez and the descending guitar part was played as early as on the 1972 Santana tour as a part of "Look Up (To See What's Coming Down)".

Bassist30 · #8 04-05-2006, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhR

He also appears (at least) on these albums:

Betty Davis: s/t (one track only)

Buzzy Linhart: Music
-he was a member of Buzzy's band in the late sixties, the band also featured Doug's friend Doug Rodriguez on guitar. There's a videoclip at Buzzy's site (http://www.buzzylinhart.com) from the late 60's that features young Doug on bass.

Giants: s/t
-a 1971 session for percussionist Michael Carabello's abandoned solo project "Attitude". Greg Errico produced and the tracks were released in 1978 as "Giants". Doug's unique slapping/thumbing sound is evident on the track "Attitude".

Suzuki Shigeru: Bandwagon
-an obscure Japanese session with Rauch, Errico, Kermode and the guys from Little Feat.

Jose Chepito Ares: s/t
-Santana percussionist's solo album from 1974

He also played in a band Loading Zone with Tony Smith, Linda Tillery and Tom Coster and appeared on albums by Carly Simon and Papa John Creach. The book "The Voices Of Latin Rock" mentions also a project called Cobra circa 1974 which featured Rauch, Areas and Tony Smith amongs others but no recordings were made.

Has anybody heard any live recordings of Cobham/Duke/Rauch/Scofield band that recorded the "Life & Times" album? I've seen some bootlegs but never heard any.

Was there ever any kind of obituary written when he passed and what was the exact year? There's a track on Lenny White's "Big City" (1977) which is subtitled as a "Rhythmic Interlude for Doug Rauch" so maybe that is the year he died?

Anyway, he was a great player with a unique and a pioneering style. A smart dresser too, pity about the drugs that got better of him.

That is some interesting stuff. Its amazing how his jaw drop funk sounds new even for today. What a great player. Wish I new of a Family member or a close friend who can give some insite on Doug's life. I bet it would be a good book. I wish BassPlayer or another magazine would do a write up on him. It just seems so sad that someone as talented as him will go unnoticed as time goes on. He was ahead of his time no question. So many great players talk highly of him. I mean Jeff Berlin would never say good things about someone if he thought he wasn't one of the greats. He said and I quote

"Berlin: I've been playing jazz since the middle seventies, but as a career, I had this reputation as sort of a technically proficient bass player, especially in the seventies when there was only Jaco Pastorious, Stanley Clarke and myself. There was no one else, really, who had so-called "technique." I mean, Larry Graham was maybe the first slap bass player, and there was another slap bass player who would have been as big as anybody, but who died unfortunately, named Doug Rauch. He played with Cobham. Astonishing bass player."

I just wish more knew of him......................

tkozal · #9 04-05-2006, 12:43 PM

I'm pretty sure its Rauch on the various boots from the Santana McLaughlin tour in 73 (73?), Cobham on drums. Rauch really gets to wail on this live stuff, he was a great player.

PhR · #10 04-05-2006, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkozal

I'm pretty sure its Rauch on the various boots from the Santana McLaughlin tour in 73 (73?), Cobham on drums. Rauch really gets to wail on this live stuff, he was a great player.

Yep, it's him, and he also played on the album "Love Devotion Surrender".

A pic from the album sessions

**j-raj** · #11 04-05-2006, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhR

Yep, it's him, and he also played on the album "Love Devotion Surrender".

A pic from the album sessions

"Love Devotion Surrender"
Yeah that's one of my favorite albums with him on it!!

Mike Flynn · #12 04-05-2006, 03:42 PM

I just discovered Rauch via a brilliant UK jazzer session guy called Mike Mondesir - I took a lesson with him (he's a monster reader and has played with Jeff Beck, Whitney Houston and Jan Hammer among many others) and Mike recommended Venusian Summer as well - I managed to rip from a P2P site (I couldn't buy it anywhere) and it's great stuff.

Sadly Rauch died of a heroin overdose when in his mid 30s - in Mike's words - "Not a happy bunny..." - real shame.

M

Mojo-Man · #13 04-06-2006, 10:37 AM

Saw Doug with Santana, and Mclaughlin early 70's.
Real good player, funky, and solid.

nysbob · #14 04-06-2006, 11:00 AM

I saw him on the Santana Caravaserai tour (he also plays on side one of that record) ...although I don't play in that style, his phrasing, note selection and abiltiy to drive a track has been very influential on my playing. He was a monster.

The Owl · #15 04-07-2006, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkozal

I'm pretty sure its Rauch on the various boots from the Santana McLaughlin tour in 73 (73?), Cobham on drums. Rauch really gets to wail on this live stuff, he was a great player.

+1!!

I have a recording from a Chicago appearance the McLaughlin/Santana band did in 1973 (touring in support of their duet album "Love Devotion and Surrender") Doug is just KILLIN' on that thing!

PhR · #16 04-09-2006, 04:43 PM

Has anyone seen "Soul To Soul" DVD which has The Voices Of East Harlem playing alongside Santana, Ike & Tina Turner and others? It's from a 1971 festival and Doug Rauch should be in The Voices Of East Harlem backing band.

PhR · #17 02-15-2007, 07:16 AM

Soundclips from Lenny White's "Venusian Summer" for bassist15.

http://www.guitar9.com/venusiansummer.html

Baryonyx · #18 02-15-2007, 07:47 AM

I remember Mark King also having praise for him, which is great for Doug!

bassist15 · #19 02-15-2007, 09:27 AM

So was Rauch a slapt and pop guy ? Off a few sound clips I listened to from lenny white's album it sounds like he just slaps with his thumb. Did he play fingerstlye also?

PhR · #20 02-15-2007, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassist15

So was Rauch a slapt and pop guy ? Off a few sound clips I listened to from lenny white's album it sounds like he just slaps with his thumb. Did he play fingerstlye also?

He was a double thumber and played also fingerstyle (usually near the neck). It seems he favoured thumb more and more during the last years of his career.

His thumbing style, 3 pickup Jazz Bass and the use of phaser effect all contributed to his unique/unusual sound.