What do you think about Sam Rivers?

[blinkbass225]

I have two different opinions about Sam Rivers. One- he has alot of cool sounding bass lines - 2. alot of 'em are easy. I just wanna hear what you think of him, good and bad.

[Herm]

I also have two different opinions about Sam Rivers.

One- he has alot of cool sounding bass lines - 2. alot of 'em are easy

[JimK]

Ed-
...like I've mentioned elsewhere, the Mosaic Set of Sam's Complete Blue Note albums are killin'! The first couple discs are "straightahead"(& a very, very young Tony Williams is totally "gettin' it"!)& the last 2 discs are more about Rivers' foray into the Avant-Garde. The 4-cd set from Mosaic is well worth the $45.
...and I just picked up SUMMIT CONFERENCE by bassist Reggie Workman(Sam Rivers & Andrew Hill are onboard). Out there!

[blinkbass225]

I was speaking of the bassist from Limp Bizkit, but he is pretty good too.

[JimK]

Originally posted by Ed Fuqua
There's also one record with Miles that he's pretty killing on.

Ed-
...that would be MILES IN TOKYO(I stumbled onto an "OOP" MILES IN EUROPE[very similiar to the COMPLETE '64 CONCERT]; can't locate the TOKYO one with Rivers to save my life!).


blinkbass-
...I read about your Sam Rivers in BASS PLAYER & checked out his transcriptions. Pretty good stuff in a 1/16-note Rock-Funk vibe.

[winston]

While I'm not a Limp Bizkit fan, I've liked the basslines to their songs that I've heard on the radio.
But really, who cares if a bass line is easy (or hard) as long as it's a good one?! I've heard many complicated, difficult bass parts that may feed the player's ego but don't fit the song and don't groove.
One of the best places for struggling bass players to start is to figure out good, easy bass lines from the music they enjoy so that they can feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that will inspire them to progress. Many bassists have built rewarding careers upon simple-but-cool basslines; Sting, George Porter (the Meters), Duck Dunn (Stax/Volt session ace), Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads), and Paul McCartney (Beatles) all played lines that can be duplicated by almost anyone with a year or two of playing experience; but their parts were absolutely perfect for the music at hand.
That said, sometimes an easy bass line means that the bassist was lazy or unimaginative; but a lot of the time, producers and other musicians want the bass 'in its place' so it won't get in the way of the other instruments; I've read several interviews with Eddie Van Halen where he said he doesn't want a bass player who challenges him; he just wants someone laying down the roots so he can wail.

[JimK]

Originally posted by winston
I've read several interviews with Eddie Van Halen where he said he doesn't want a bass player who challenges him; he just wants someone laying down the roots so he can wail.

Winston-
...well said(though George Porter, Jr. was waaayyy beyond my scope @2 years playing experience; it's not how many notes, it's WHERE they're placed).

Anyway, about the Van Halen quote-
THAT AIN'T ROCK 'N' ROLL!
...damn, Rock is supposed to be about experimentation; Rock is about playin' with an attitude & goin' for it. When I hear guys say, "...well, so & so is *playing the song*...".
I dunno; that smacks of Pop music(ie NOT Rock, IMO).
(And while I think Van Halen is a pretty good Rock guitarist, what musician wouldn't want to be challenged each & every time they played with others? That's like playing a game of one-on-one basketball & telling the other guy to stand stationary at the key while you're able to roam freely around him. Really, what's the point?!).