how come Ashton Barrett doesnt get more love from the bass community

[dontay]

Hi Guys,

I am a new bass player and I way into reggae...I also like jazz, rock and other stuff but I just noticed that someone like Ashton Familyman Barret doesnt get much mention when it comes to his work on the bass guitar. Almost every Bob Marley tune features ashton on bass. He doesnt seem to get mentioned with the greats like, larry graham, jaco, Carole K..etc

Are reggae bass players considered less skillful..I was just wondering?

[dhsierra1]

Originally Posted by dontay

Hi Guys,



Are reggae bass players considered less skillful..I was just wondering?

Holy cow, definitely not in this town (Santa Cruz, CA)

Not sure I've ever encountered a fellow bassist who at some level couldn't appreciate what reggae has brought to the low end table. It's a formidable contribution.

Ashton Barrett for me is where I go to first when I need to brush up on reggae.

[Lesfunk]

I thought his name was Aston

[HolmeBass]

Yeah it is Aston. And he gets plenty of love on TB! Search for reggae and ska threads, you'll see.

[subnautic]

Aston, alongside Robbie Shakespere, is the whole reason i started playing bass. Big ups to all reggae bass players!!

[dontay]

Robbie is awesome as well.

nuff respect

[peledog]

Family Man is well known in these parts. Don't know where you heard he doesn't get love in the community.

[One Drop]

Aston Barrett

Glad to hear he's made a new fan!

[Duckwater]

Aston is one of my favorites

[M.Wrenn]

Family Man gets plenty of love to my knowledge. A lot of it probably gets over shadowed by all the dumb arguments about people like Vic, but most guys give the credit where it's due to Fams. His feel is damn near unbeatable.

[baba]

His lines hold some of the sweetest pockets I've ever heard. Woodshedding his material is like a lesson in itself. He gets lots of love and Family Man delivers the groove!

[M.Wrenn]

Originally Posted by baba

His lines hold some of the sweetest pockets I've ever heard. Woodshedding his material is like a lesson in itself. He gets lots of love and Family Man delivers the groove!

I never slept in 6th grade because I'd try to fall asleep to marley every night and I'd end up grabbing my bass and learning all the tunes. Huge influence on my style and playing.

[One Drop]

Originally Posted by dontay

Hi Guys,

I am a new bass player and I way into reggae...I also like jazz, rock and other stuff but I just noticed that someone like Ashton Familyman Barret doesnt get much mention when it comes to his work on the bass guitar. Almost every Bob Marley tune features ashton on bass. He doesnt seem to get mentioned with the greats like, larry graham, jaco, Carole K..etc

Are reggae bass players considered less skillful..I was just wondering?

To answer your last question, some people measure skill in speed and number of notes, and so-called 'chops', whereas others measure measure skill in a player's' ability to convey emotion, to groove, and to support a given piece or style of music. The two are not mutually exclusive, of course, but it's easy for a non bassist or a beginning one to mistake the lack of notes and 'simple' bass-lines for being easier to play. IME it's harder to play less notes well, as every one counts for more, and the spaces are as important as the notes they fall between, for creating tension and release, for leaving room for the song to breathe and to let the other instruments lock in as a whole made up of small parts.

In any case, reggae bass is great because you can be LOUD, and listeners are locked into what you are doing. Nowhere to hide, man, just like we like it!

[Session1969]

Aston has my love. We opened for the Wailors once and I even touched his P-Bass with Flats on it. I was thirty-two at the time and I felt like a teenage girl at a Bieber Concert. Lots a love for the Family Man from me.