Good or great keyboard bass players?

[Skel]

I was just listening to this song, I think it was Peter Gabriel ("I want to be your sledge hammer"?). The bass sounded like it was done on a keyboard and it was quite good bass playing. I think it would have sounded even better on a real electric bass, but nonetheless, whomever played this was a good bass player and more. I know the guy in the Doors played keyboard bass, which did the job pretty well.

If you play keyboards, you're a bass player, to some degree.

Are there any other notable keyboard bass players?

[James Hart]

Neal Evans of Soulive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH0ouPLZFjE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI9T6SPRfV4


I'm pretty sure Sledgehammer was mostly Mr Tony Levin....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO-TM9GA3Tg

[Skel]

Originally Posted by James Hart

Neal Evans of Soulive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH0ouPLZFjE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI9T6SPRfV4


I'm pretty sure Sledgehammer was mostly Mr Tony Levin....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO-TM9GA3Tg

James, thanks for the pointer! I've heard of Tony Levin but never heard him....he smokes! I wonder if what I heard on the studio recording was a keyboard, or a synthesized/processed electric bass?

[James Hart]

I know Peter Gabriel is a studio wiz and I'm sure the bass has been completely tweaked in the recording process. Tony plays his Music Man basses and Stick on "So" (and most everything Peter Gabriel has done)... and uses lots of compression. It's said he had stuffed baby diapers under the strings for a track... he also uses his "Funk Fingers" which is basically short drum sticks rubber banded to his fingers.

[skaliwag66]

Doy ou mean one of those keyboard basses that you hold like a guitar (a la Moog Liberation)?
Ray Manzerak played a fender/Rhodes Piano bass which isn't at all the same thing.

[Ace Of Bass]

Stevie Wonder's left hand work is ridiculous. Listen to "All I Do" on the "Hotter Than July" album. Careful.U just might sh!t your pants.......

[pbass2]

Originally Posted by Ace Of Bass

Stevie Wonder's left hand work is ridiculous. Listen to "All I Do" on the "Hotter Than July" album. Careful.U just might sh!t your pants.......

Steve Wonder's left hand is one of the best bassists in all of popular music. Anybody trying to play funk, r&b, etc. etc. should study those lines.

[manicbassman]

John Paul Jones... when he's not playing his Bass...

[20db pad]

+1 on Stevie. As far as I know, he basically introduced bass synth to the pop/r+b world. Of course, keyboard bass on the Hammond organ predates all that by many years, in both Jazz and Gospel.

"American Idol" judge did a lot of great keyboard bass back in the day - that's him on Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know".

I also dig Richard Niles' work that he did with the 80's Brit-Pop band Swing Out Sister. Jane Child also did a lot of great stuff besides her old hit "Don't Wanna Fall in Love".

[gweimer]

Thomas Dolby. Listen to what he does with the bass line on "Hyperactive"

[JimK]

Greg Philliganes
...a decent example would be Chaka Khan's cover of "We Can Work It Out".

David Frank of The System

David "Hawk" Wolinski of Rufus

Michael Omartian
...check out "Yah Mo B There" from James Ingram's debut album.

Bennie Worrell of P-Funk

[MixBass]

Some great names listed and another who just moved on and will be missed is Joe Zawinul.The man loved great bass and played some great slippery stuff.

[JohnSS]

If you count pedals, Felix Cavaliere with the Rascals and Mike Rutherford with Genesis both have done some nice footwork bass lines.

Nile Rogers, Terry Lewis & Jimmy Jam also have laid down some nice synth bass parts on their productions with Madonna, Janet Jackson, Jodi Watley and others.

[bkbirge]

A couple that haven't been mentioned yet from the jazz funk B3 realm...
1. Johnny Hammond
2. Jimmy Smith

[Buzzgroove]

Originally Posted by Skel

I was just listening to this song, I think it was Peter Gabriel ("I want to be your sledge hammer"?). The bass sounded like it was done on a keyboard and it was quite good bass playing. I think it would have sounded even better on a real electric bass, but nonetheless, whomever played this was a good bass player and more. I know the guy in the Doors played keyboard bass, which did the job pretty well.

If you play keyboards, you're a bass player, to some degree.

Are there any other notable keyboard bass players?

I'm pretty sure 'Sledgehammer' was played on bass, Tony Levin was playing for him at that time and he used a strange looking technique involving tapping on with what looked like sticks.

[wodock]

Somewhat of an obscure band - The Johnny Down Band's drummer plays bass foot pedals while druming. I also think one tour with Traffic in the 60's Stevie Wynwood played both organ and guitar along with foot pedal bass.

TW

[acleex38]

Marco Benevento of the Benevento/Russo Duo. When Mike Gordon sits in with them, on the song "Becky", he plays Marco's original bass line (at least for the most part).

[Skel]

Originally Posted by Buzzgroove

I'm pretty sure 'Sledgehammer' was played on bass, Tony Levin was playing for him at that time and he used a strange looking technique involving tapping on with what looked like sticks.

Ok, didn't know this...it sounds so "synthesized". Anyway I love realizing who a famous bass player like Tony Levin is by not knowing who's playing that fabulously creative bass line until I ask around.

[gweimer]

Originally Posted by Buzzgroove

I'm pretty sure 'Sledgehammer' was played on bass, Tony Levin was playing for him at that time and he used a strange looking technique involving tapping on with what looked like sticks.

Funk Fingers

[Dr. Cheese]

Bernie Worrell of Parliament-Funkadelic for stuff like"Fladshlight" and "One Nation Under a Groove." Stevie Wonder was the keyboard bass pioneer in funk, Bernie Worrell really made it popular among the masses.