Nathan East

dmusic148 · #1 08-26-2011, 09:09 PM

Man. After 30 years of gigs, sessions, practicing well and a lot, whathaveyou, JUST when I think I can play really well, I go and listen to an Anita Baker track, such as 'Lead Me Into Love,' 'Giving You The Best That I Got,' or, 'Just Because,' among others, and I just want to sell my stuff. I mean, I'm a huge A.J. fan, too, just huge. He always makes me want to start an Ebay auction too, but Nathan just has this 'thing.' And it just kills me.
Not mega-chop stuff mind you, just so, so right, and so incredibly insightful and tasteful. So right for the song, the moment, and for the singer, which is something I've been trying to perfect over the last 20 years or so. And I'm really pretty darned good, but compared to Nathan (or A.J.), just forget it.
Thoughts?

Bassamatic · #2 08-26-2011, 09:49 PM

I am such a fan of his, and know just what you mean. I have his 'instructional" video and watching him whip off amazing runs and licks just makes me feel oh so incompetent.

He is probably my favorite player.

dmusic148 · #3 08-26-2011, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassamatic

He is probably my favorite player.

Word, Bassamatic. Anyone else?

conqr · #4 08-26-2011, 11:43 PM

HUUUUUUGE fan of Mr East - been listening to and learning from him for decades with various artists. He's my kind of player, spanning a range of tones and styles. David Foster makes the same point the OP does about his impeccable note choices and musicality. It just does not get better than Nathan.

dmusic148 · #5 08-27-2011, 12:52 AM

I just did some more listening. I think that a big part of what I call his 'thing', is his choice of note length. It's absolutely key; important for every bassist, but he is an absolute master of it.

T-MOST · #6 08-30-2011, 08:59 AM

Nathan is the man! He is one of my top 3 bassists of all time.

Fishbrain · #7 08-30-2011, 09:41 AM

I've not heard much of his stuff, any recommended listening?

DWBass · #8 08-30-2011, 10:57 AM

There's a reason he's first call for any high profile session (assuming they can afford him)!

4-string · #9 08-30-2011, 01:19 PM

Nathan East is just amazing. I've seen him live with EC, but would love to see him in a more jazz/fusion oriented setting as well.

fretless Bob · #10 08-30-2011, 01:22 PM

Anyone got a must own discography of Nathan, he is a player i would love to get into.

Dave

Emibass · #11 08-30-2011, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishbrain

I've not heard much of his stuff, any recommended listening?

Eric Clapton, Four Play to name so few....just youtube-it and you´ll find so much..

As for me Nathan East is the bassist...love his taste of playing

JTE · #12 08-30-2011, 01:43 PM

I first noticed his playing on the first Whitney Houston album (which, for some reason, my wife got me in cassette with a tiny little picture of Ms. Houston instead of the LP album which had a great big picture of her.... but I digress). The SOUND and perfect placement of the bass sound within the track along with the note choices and note lengths caught my ear. And he's ALWAYS sounded great. It's not gear, as he's sounded great whether in the studio, playing the five or the six, upright, or ABG, using Trace-Elliot, Eden, or Aquilar rigs. It's his sound that comes through no matter what, but always perfect for the song and the context.

And being a long-time Clapton fan, East's playing permeates what I think of now. I got the chance to see him with EC live (along with Steve Gadd and Billy Preston in the band!) around 2001 too. One of my favorite things about him is that he's so good at reinterpreting classic lines (e.g. Jack Bruce, Rich Grech, Carl Radle, etc.) and making them his own. He remains true to the feel of the original but never slavishly copies it. He knows it's all about how to make the song sound great right now with THIS band.

Recommended recordings include:

"One More Car, One More Rider" by Eric Clapton- live recording of the 2001 tour with Gadd and Preston.
"Unplugged" by Eric Clapton to hear Nathan in an acoustic setting. He played upright and an Guild ABG for this one.

Various recordings by Fourplay, he's also the juice on the Philip Bailey/Phil Collins collaboration that produced "Easy Lover". And my second all-time favorite Christmas album has him all over it too; Anita Baker's "Christmas Fantasy".

John

bottomzone · #13 08-31-2011, 07:43 PM

I have had the pleasure of meeting and seeing Nathan in action in a recording studio. Back in the day, my younger brother became very good friends with the late great arranger Gene Page, whom I also was fortunate to meet. Gene was in charge of a recording session at a studio in Los Angeles-I believe it was Baby 'O Studio. Knowing that I had been playing bass for a few years, Gene invited me to the session! Nathan was asked to replace the bass lines that had been previously recorded by another bassist (name unknown). I happened to arrive before Nathan did and Gene said that he did not want Nathan to hear the original bass parts. Nathan arrived a short time later and he takes out of his case a Fodera 5-string (my first time seeing and hearing of Fodera). He listened to the tracks, wrote out his own charts on the spot and layed down some amazing grooves, smiling the whole time!!! Somewhere around the house, I have some photos of the session and his autograph. It is very easy to understand why Nathan has the reputation that he has for lighting up a studio, not only with his bass, but with his smile and vibe! So far, Nathan is the coolest professional musican that I have ever met!!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

Dave44 · #14 09-01-2011, 07:33 AM

Nathan East has been a fave of mine since I first heard him play on a Fourplay CD. And like everyone here has said he's smooth, bluesy and can play a mean groove. To top it all off he can fit into just about any style of music presented to him, a true pro and from what I have read a very humble and good person.