Michael Manring - playing BASS

[kesslari]

Until now, I'd only heard Michael Manring doing his solo bass stuff, which, while technically brilliant, is just not my bag.

Tonight a friend loaned me a John Gorka DVD. Gorka is a singer-songwriter. Manring is playing bass, and playing in a beautiful supportive way that is just wonderful.

I'm really impressed, in a really nice way.
Beautiful playing.

[Baryonyx]

A great record for you to check out would be "Equilbré" with David Cullen. Jaco does his fair share of soloing, but using his fingerstyle chops, and I've never heard Manring play a support role in this way (though I've not heard his recordings as a session bassist for Windham Hill either). He plays intelligently and with such taste and refinement, it really is superb. I love his solo bass stuff but it is nice to see a completely different side of his musical personality!

Oh, and the tunes are amazing too, especially "Shuffle In" and "Turbograss".

[tomas_almeida]

Got to really check this out!

[bassbrad]

Some other recordings to check out from Manring are the "Yo Miles" cds, he lays down a thick and funky groove. I had the 1st Yo Miles for years and really liked it, then I saw Manthing in a clinic and went mad getting his stuff and was surprised when i saw this on a discography, dug it out and yes he was the only bass player.

[deckard]

+1 on "Equilibre'"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By far my favorite non-solo Manring cd... so far.

IMNSHO, to really appreciate Manring solo you have to see him live.

"The Absolute Joy of Playing" right from the get-go!!!

And the nicest, most low-key guy you'd ever want to meet, too.

[jerry]

Originally Posted by bassbrad

Some other recordings to check out from Manring are the "Yo Miles" cds, he lays down a thick and funky groove. I had the 1st Yo Miles for years and really liked it, then I saw Manthing in a clinic and went mad getting his stuff and was surprised when i saw this on a discography, dug it out and yes he was the only bass player.

+1, those albums contain some of my favorite playing by Manring! Very groovy!

[Marcury]

The Yo Miles stuff is great. band is lead by Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith two real heavyweights in their own right.

BTW MM started out as the house bassist for Windham Hill. Not my cup of tea, but...

[Kyo6JM]

You should check out Jim Matheos' "Away With Words", a beautiful instrumental album with acoustic guitar and violin supported by Manring's tasty fretless bass and Matheos' former Fates Warning bandmate Mark Zonder on drums. One of my all-time favorites!

[JimmyM]

Manring's a pro. On his solo CD's he can do whatever he feels like doing, but when he backs someone else up, he does it the way they want him to do. That's what you call "professionalism." I'm often surprised when people consider that a foreign concept.

[Baryonyx]

Originally Posted by Marcury

BTW MM started out as the house bassist for Windham Hill. Not my cup of tea, but...

What kind of music does (or did?) the Windham Hill label make?

[jerry]

Originally Posted by Chris2112

What kind of music does (or did?) the Windham Hill label make?

New Age. But IMHO, Windham Hill was above most of the labels that started putting out New Age music. They had a lot of artist like the late great Michael Hedges, Mark Isham, Montreux[which included Manring] etc, who released very engaging music. Plus they were smart enough to give Manring a solo deal.

[JimK]

Windham Hill did, rightly so, get branded as a New Age label...there are some nuggets, however-

Lost Tribe's (Fima Ephron, Adam Rogers, David Gilmore, Ben Perowsky) debut was on Windham Hill.
Billy Childs had some early releases on Windham Hill, too (w/ Jimmy Johnson & Tony Dumas on bass).

...and the Yo! Miles discs with Manring are great!

[jerry]

Originally Posted by JimK

Windham Hill did, rightly so, get branded as a New Age label...there are some nuggets, however-

Lost Tribe's (Fima Ephron, Adam Rogers, David Gilmore, Ben Perowsky) debut was on Windham Hill.
Billy Childs had some early releases on Windham Hill, too (w/ Jimmy Johnson & Tony Dumas on bass).

...and the Yo! Miles discs with Manring are great!

Ha, I forgot Lost Tribe was on Windham Hill, those albums alone are enough to get some credit.

[JimK]

Jerry-
It was only their first album...which is now OOP.

[jerry]

Originally Posted by JimK

Jerry-
It was only their first album...which is now OOP.

I thought so too, but my Soulfish CD says Windham Hill along with BMG on it.

[JimK]

Wow, I'll have to check my copy of of Soulfish!

[Spinal Tapper]

Since we're on the topic of amazing Manring performances:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waIhJDgC5dQ

Just thought I'd share...seriously, I almost piss my pants every time I watch this.

[jmtitus]

In case anyone is interested in seeing Michael play both solo and as part of this trio, we are playing two shows next weekend, July 11th & 12th. Friday night is at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, CA and Sat is at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, CA.

FYI - Michael and I will be playing at least one Michael Hedges tune together, which is rare these days for Mr. Manring.

For more info on my harp sympitar (dedicated to Hedges) or the album, tour, etc. go to http://harpsympitar.com

The other stuff we play together, besides the music from my album, is a mix of "Flamenco Fusion" (a la Paco, John & Al) and Jazz Fusion (like Weather Report, etc.) This is a rare opportunity to see Michael "go off" with two high-energy guitarists.

[jsingles]

i pissed my pants at 2:20 of that video

[MR PC]

Originally Posted by jsingles

i pissed my pants at 2:20 of that video

The aftermath of that unfortunate event could would sum up MM's style! IMHO