Jamerson is, was, always will be the Real Mother ...

[Cy_Miles]

I think it is funny that as I am to post this, there is another thread called "Bassists you are tired of hearing about". Well there are reasons why certain bass players get talked about all the time.

And if anyone is going to be talked about all the time it is James Jamerson. Because most all modern bass players were either influenced by him directly or was influenced by someone who as influenced by James.

I have been studying Jamersons licks pretty extensively the last year or so, and I love that fact that even though some of his lines show a PHD level mastery of rythm and scales, they are for the most part very approachable, (for one because the tunes are so ingrained in my musical lexicon) but also because his lines as complex as they may get are elegant and flow well.

I also love the fact that there are some Jamerson lines you could use to teach a student on his/her very first bass lesson. eg "Dancin in the Street" or even "Get Ready"

The song that got me all pshyched and jazzed up to venture out of the Luthiers Corner to make this post was "The House on the Hill" at the end of Stevie Wonder's For Once In My Life." The stacatto notes hold down a solid beat while bubbling up in a brothy boiling counter rythms.

The thing that I hear him do that inspire me, besides his uncanny counterbeats, is his use of chromatics. And from following tabs I have found in Hal Leanords Motown Bass Classics, it has opend up what I am doing in the first position, using open strings in different keys.

All that said. Dunn is the other guy I am spending a lot of time with lately.

MY favorite line of influence I have heard is Macartney sighting Jamerson as an early influence and Dunn sighting MaCartney.

If you can't find a good band to play with, put on CDs and go to work!

Tata, it's back to the builders shop for me.

[StyleOverShow]

I remember the first time I heard "Grapevine". I was playing sax at the time, in high school, but was so impressed with the lyrical bass riff that accents the tom-tom driven beat. The hook was a monster.

[woolysock]

And check out the bass on Gladys Knight's version of Grapevine. Even better.
The other thing to keep in mind about Jamerson is that his style of playing was unheard of on pop records at that time. And so here he goes sight reading a sketch/chart and adding chromatic passing tones and funky syncopations all the while knowing there won't be more than one or two takes. Brilliance and balls.

[mccartneyman]

Much prefer Gladys' version of "Grapevine" to Marvin's, although both are great.

[Sav'nBass]

Originally Posted by mccartneyman

Much prefer Gladys' version of "Grapevine" to Marvin's, although both are great.

That's a tough one there for me.. I like em both so much.

[One Drop]

Great post, and i'm with you all the way.

It's beautiful to know a mere mortal like me can go back to the source for the rest of my life and continue to pull ideas and inspiration from his massive oeuvre.

[Icon5]

I would agree. All of his stuff is very musical while being complex at the same time. When I grew up in the early '80s, my parents would play Motown records but I never really "heard" the music, just the lyrics. It's nice to realize an entirely new layer to classic hits and discover what JJ was doing with that bass. Crazy stuff indeed. I've only been messing around with bass for 2 years so some of his best stuff is a bit over my head but even something so simple as My Girl (one of the first songs I learned) was made interesting with these heavy, bassy thick ghost notes. That's when I learned it's all about the feel instead of stressing about the notes.

[Craig_S]

Originally Posted by StyleOverShow

I remember the first time I heard "Grapevine". The hook was a monster.

Which version?