Pre-Jaco?

[4 stringed fury]

Many consider Jaco to be the best but who was the best before Jaco?


* I don't believe in a BEST bassist but it helps to use the word to get my point out.*

[Matt Till]

Jamerson?

[Dr. Cheese]

Stanley Clarke had just gotten big a year or two before Jaco(1974), so I guess it would be him.

[Marcus Johnson]

Jamerson, for sure. Still sounds fresh.

Billy Cox spun me around pretty hard with Hendrix. Check out "The Cry Of Love".

I have always preferred Alphonso Johnson's work with Weather Report over Jaco's.

But there's no denying it... Jaco changed everything.

[20db pad]

John Entwistle and Jack Bruce were much admired in the pre-Jaco days as well.

[tomvelsor]

obviously james jamerson was probobly the "best" around back then..on electric bass. if you start including upright players, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen probobly takes the cake. even by todays standards, after jaco and all that, his playing (on upright) is still MILES ahead of just about every hott shott bass player. try and find a copy of "chops," its joe pass and NHOP playing some standards, and its one of my favorite jazz albums, and it blew my mind just as much as jaco did when i first heard him.

there is no bass player "better" than someone like Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. theres just other guys with differnt styles..same goes for jamerson..

[Marcus Johnson]

Yeah, NHOP was scary.

[LowBSix]

Stanley Clark was the main Jazzer ..... Jamerson was the Motown Groover along with Duck Dunn with the Memphis & Mussel Shoals sections for Soul... McCartney, Entwhistle & Bruce for Rock...

[Parabolic Box]

Originally Posted by 20db pad

John Entwistle and Jack Bruce were much admired in the pre-Jaco days as well.

+1

[ryco]

Stanley was the jaw dropper pre-Jaco.

He pretty much brought the electric to the fore, IMHO

Everyone else mentioned was a "tasty" session player or in a band.
NOT including the jazz monster DB Gods!

[JimK]

Anyone know when Downbeat started their "Electric Bass" critics/readers polls?
Or when Guitar Player added "Electric Bass" to their readers' poll?
The winners there may give some insight-

FWIW, I would assume Stanley Clarke ("Lopsy Lu" was pretty much a *** is he doing tune).
Alphonso Johnson was up there.
Louis Johnson's debut album with his brother was a head turner.
IIRC, Jeff Berlin & Bunny Brunell were still a couple years away.

Jamerson's genius came after his death, IMO.

In Rock, it was usually McCartney & Jack Bruce...+ John Entwistle.

[superbassman2000]

Originally Posted by 20db pad

John Entwistle and Jack Bruce were much admired in the pre-Jaco days as well.

+1

I would also add Scott LaFaro in the list as amazing bass player before Jaco

[4 stringed fury]

Ahhhh... So many!

[Funk 'N' Stein]

Originally Posted by 4 stringed fury

Many consider Jaco to be the best but who was the best before Jaco?


* I don't believe in a BEST bassist but it helps to use the word to get my point out.*

NHOP ...no contest

Just think for a moment ; an Anthony Jacksonesque level of chops and musicianship....ON UPRIGHT

I think a previous poster mentioned "scary" as an adjective to descibe NHOP. To that I would add my own; "formidable"

When Ray Brown..RAY BROWN... ended his tenure with Oscar Peterson...He told Oscar that he thought NHOP was the only other bassist who could hang with the great maestro of jazz piano; Thus commenced a long association between the two;

[NKUSigEp]

Willie Dixon?

[Dr. Cheese]

I think mentioning acoustic players really skews things. String bass was already hundreds of years old and an established orchestral instrument with a primary instruction book that was about 100 years old (Simandl.) Electric bass was exactly 25 years old as commercially available instrument when Jaco's solo lp was released in 1976. That is why I mentioned Clarke since he had blown up as an electric bassist about two years earlier. In r&b, Larry Graham was just starting to catch on with his slapping, Bootsy had just come out with his first Rubberband record, and Anthony Jackson had done "For the Love of Money about three years earlier.

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by LowBSix

Stanley Clark was the main Jazzer .....

What?!

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

What?!

Yes, if you are talking electric bass, which is appropriate since this is the bass guitar half of TB. I realize Steve Swallow was more prominent among jazz players closer to the the tradition, but among fusion players, Clarke was the man Pre-Jaco, and he was still pretty doggone big after Jaco among more funk oriented players.

[MrBorisSpider]

On electric, probably Jamerson. Every bass player in existence worth their salt will admit James Jamerson was the first true electric virtuoso.

On upright, I'd have to say Mingus.

[Snake Doctor]

Anthony Jackson
Alphonso Johnson
Doug Rauch
Louis Johnson
Rocco
Stanely
Verdine White
Jamerson
Chuck Rainey

Many came before Jaco; not many will leave as much of an impact.

Out

Joe