What does a newb like me need to look for...

[midbass]

When evaluating how good bassists are on the songs I listen to?

I hear songs with the big names like Nathan East, Anthony Jackson, Marcus Miller and I'm curious what it is that they bring to the table that distinguishes them as top A players?

Is it the choice of notes, usage of subtle techniques, ability to lock in with the drummer?

I'm talking specifically on songs that don't use fancy slapping, popping, etc.

Or is it the fact that I don't sometimes "notice" them makes them great?

Teach me to become a better bass aficionado!

[Splinky]

A lot of it depends on the genre. Tony Levin is a beastly progressive bassist because he is very technically skilled, and that idea could probably apply to a lot of metal and some alternative. Somebody like Tim Commeford writes basslines that are charged with rage, and in a huge span of genres, having strong emotions in your bass playing is what defines you, and often your music. Somebody like Victor Wooten is praised for playing and improvising with great precision, but simultaneously plays very soulfully, and this characteristic is really definitive of jazz bassists.

[duderasta]

Originally Posted by Splinky

A lot of it depends on the genre. Tony Levin is a beastly progressive bassist because he is very technically skilled, and that idea could probably apply to a lot of metal and some alternative. Somebody like Tim Commeford writes basslines that are charged with rage, and in a huge span of genres, having strong emotions in your bass playing is what defines you, and often your music. Somebody like Victor Wooten is praised for playing and improvising with great precision, but simultaneously plays very soulfully, and this characteristic is really definitive of jazz bassists.

+1 hehe earlier I was struggling to find a good response this is a pretty good one.

Being a good bass player is about playing for the environment even beyond genre... the makeup of a band or ensemble can also have a huge effect on the role of the bass.

[One Drop]

People can tell you what to listen for, but if you have to ask the answers won't help anyway.

The more I play and listen to bassists the more I get from them- when I started playing I could only discern very basic tonal differences, and how a line related to the chords and melodies in a given song was way beyond my understanding. I always did get a strong emotional response from listening to bass parts so everything was judged on that level alone at first.

The more I played the more I understood the practical, technical and theoretical choices different players make and why, and this of course is an ongoing process that at which I am still at a relative early stage.

The main thing is to listen and try to pay the parts of as many different bassists in as many different musical styles and your ear will mature, as will your understanding of melody and harmony, and of course rhythm. I find my own understanding of other bassists' qualities comes in a series of little or big revelations, where all of a sudden I 'get' someone and what they are doing on the instrument. Often it's when I'm not really paying attention (hearing a song at a bar, etc.) other times it's because I'm intensively studying someone's parts. It's a fun process but you can only accelerate it by listening and playing more.

To better answer your question, every bassist has different qualities and strengths, so you may find you listen to one for note placement, another for groove, another for tone, et al. These of course can overlap and some players are such monsters that you can learn on many levels from everything they play. There is no one thing to listen for in a good bassist, as there are many skills and qualities required to be proficient, including what one has gained in life besides time spent on the instrument (emotional maturity, life experiences, etc.).