Scott Ambush

[NWB]

Bassist for Spyro Gyra. An incredible player that I haven't seen mentioned around here.

I caught Spyro last summer and Scott did an amazing solo which left the audience standing and cheering more than any other moment of the show. The guy has great chops and groove.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04FXg4sqH1k

Oh, he also built his own bass!

[Bass_Thumper]

Scott gets mentioned every now and again but not enough. I'm guessing there just aren't as many modern jazz fans on this board as you might think. I caught him last year as well as he grooved hard the entire time and layed down a killer solo as well.

[SteveC]

Great player. Never got to play an Ambush bass but they certainly spec'd out nice.

[Phil Smith]

To really appreciate how great Scott is, you need to listen to him in the context of other bassists that people go ga-ga over. I had the opportunity to do that at a Bass Player event in NYC some years back(2004) and it was a real eye opener as to how good this cat is.

For your listening pleasure:

http://www.4shared.com/mp3/DdaLNDVw/..._allstar_.html

[gimmeagig]

Originally Posted by Phil Smith

To really appreciate how great Scott is, you need to listen to him in the context of other bassists that people go ga-ga over. I had the opportunity to do that at a Bass Player event in NYC some years back(2004) and it was a real eye opener as to how good this cat is.

For your listening pleasure:

http://www.4shared.com/mp3/DdaLNDVw/..._allstar_.html

I guess you had to be there.
I hate these open E slap fests that always go on waaaaay too long and maybe never should have started in the first place.
Oh yeah and let's throw Chameleon in there too. I bet nobody has ever thought of that before

[JimK]

Originally Posted by Bass_Thumper

Scott gets mentioned every now and again but not enough. I'm guessing there just aren't as many modern jazz fans on this board as you might think.

Been here since 1999...there used to many more fans of "modern Jazz" around here...but, IMO, Spyro Gyra's most recent albums are not really "modern Jazz". YMMV.
That said, Ambush is absolutely killer.
Spyro Gyra's live album from the '90s Road Scholars) should be a must-have for Ambush fans.

Similarly, The Rippingtons' Kim Stone (& an ex-Spyro Gyra bassist) doesn't get mentioned all that much either.

[Edward G.]

Seeing/hearing Scott Ambush play is a humbling experience.

[SteveHeissner]

I used to think of Scott Ambush as the "Eddie Van Halen" of bass, but now that I've watched more clips of him on YouTube I realize that's an insult... to Scott. He's much better than that.

[Roy Vogt]

I was playing with The Stan Lassiter Group when we opened for Spyro Gyra in the early 90s on one of Scott's first tours. He is an amazing player and a very nice guy. He also makes a great bass as well!
http://www.myspace.com/scottambush
http://www.bgra.net/2004/review.php?id=1207&type=bass

[mam1862]

I saw Scott at the House of Blues with Spyro Gyra this past year and he was nails. Not only was he amazing, but that entire band is comprised of some really good musicians. They have been doing it for a long time. I would recommend checking them out if you get the chance.

[TRichardsbass]

Scott played at this year's NAMM Bass Bash. He is a monster with chops. Also, nice guy. I liked his performance.

[phillybass101]

I'm here to say that there is nothing wrong with slap fest in E. What's wrong is that we need to stop being negative in what we say publicly. I happen to still like slapping in E. You never hear slappers saying oh great, another Jaco Clone, or another fingerstyle guy saying how great a tone they're deriving when out in the room you still hear boom. Let's all say it's all bass and it's all good. If you don't have nothing nice to say, don't say it. Bass players stop being arrogant, opinionated snobs. Leave that to the other Lead Instruments :-) If you don't like something a nice way to say it would be not my cup of tea. For example, hearing another monster player take an extended finger style solo is not my cup of tea. Or hearing yet another player try to play like Jaco while I can appreciate the effort, it's just not my cup of tea. Or hearing that guy wanking away, slap style, while I can apprciate the work that goes into building up a good slap technique, is not my cup of tea.

[NWB]

Originally Posted by JimK

Been here since 1999...there used to many more fans of "modern Jazz" around here...but, IMO, Spyro Gyra's most recent albums are not really "modern Jazz".

I rather enjoy their latest one, A Foreign Affair. Before that though, they seem to put out some "evelator music" albums.

I did like Down The Wire pretty well.

[NWB]

Originally Posted by phillybass101

I'm here to say that there is nothing wrong with slap fest in E. What's wrong is that we need to stop being negative in what we say publicly. I happen to still like slapping in E. You never hear slappers saying oh great, another Jaco Clone, or another fingerstyle guy saying how great a tone they're deriving when out in the room you still hear boom. Let's all say it's all bass and it's all good. If you don't have nothing nice to say, don't say it. Bass players stop being arrogant, opinionated snobs. Leave that to the other Lead Instruments :-) If you don't like something a nice way to say it would be not my cup of tea. For example, hearing another monster player take an extended finger style solo is not my cup of tea. Or hearing yet another player try to play like Jaco while I can appreciate the effort, it's just not my cup of tea. Or hearing that guy wanking away, slap style, while I can apprciate the work that goes into building up a good slap technique, is not my cup of tea.

Good post.

As an example, I've found that Michael Manring's music doesn't really resonate for me. But I'd never go after someone who does appreciate his music. What's the point in putting down someone else's tastes?

[gimmeagig]

Originally Posted by NWB

Good post.

As an example, I've found that Michael Manring's music doesn't really resonate for me. But I'd never go after someone who does appreciate his music. What's the point in putting down someone else's tastes?

I think Scott Ambush is a great bassplayer, I like slapping in E too, I like songs that contain slapping in E.
I didn't mean any disrespect.
I was just saying that in order to fully be able to appreciate the moment you had to be there.

But if you guys liked the E jam clip with Scott, you'll probably also like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdRG-hD5ZKo

The mother of all slap fests (I'm only kidding.....no I'm not)
:bass ist:

[NWB]

Originally Posted by Edward G.

Seeing/hearing Scott Ambush play is a humbling experience.

And a serious treat!

[DWBass]

IMO, Scott is easily on par with all the top tier bassists of the world! Was a major coup when Spyro Gyra grabbed him! The guy he replaced (Oscar Cartaya) wasn't to shabby either. If you've seen Spyro Gyra as many times as I have (Contemporary Jazz music lover here), you get used to his 'showcase' at every show. His solo is typically 4-8 minutes or more (that's a pretty long solo). Let's just face it.....chops guys like to stretch every now and then. If it's in E...........so be it!

[spcmstrbtasp]

Any guesses as to type of strings Scott's using here? There's a unique character to his sound that doesnt' sound quite like typical rounds to me.

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by spcmstrbtasp

Any guesses as to type of strings Scott's using here? There's a unique character to his sound that doesnt' sound quite like typical rounds to me.

I agree. He doesn't have a 'signature' sound either and it seems, at least to me, that the upper register of his basses the intonation is off and no real note definition. But that's just my ears. I'd like to hear him playing a different bass as I really don't dig the way his sounds.

[MonetBass]

A co-worker turned me onto that 20/20 album many years ago. It's one of my favorites, and Scott blew me away when I first heard it (especially that track you posted).