What fusion bassists are you listening to?

[primedynasty]

I have also loved fusion and mostly gravitate toward the more rock side of the mix, for instance Mahavishnu Orchestra and King Crimson. I am not really up on current stuff out there, so what are people listening to and who are the players to keep up with?

[Bassman7PM]

Matthew Garrison
Hadrian Feraud
Doug Johns
Adam Nitti

[Stereo Joe]

Right now, I'm really enjoying listening to an Australian bassist named Dane Alderson. He's in a band called Void - it's great stuff.

[RONQUITO]

Percy Jones - Brand X

Ric Fierabracci - Donati, Gambale, Fierabracci, (he´s Yanni´s Bass guy but keeps busy working with several other musicians)

Miroslav Vitous - Weather Report

Jeff Berlin - Any of his work with Bill Bruford will do.

They´re not new boys in town but that´s what i´m listening right now.

Sean Malone with Gordian Knot

Steve Digiorgio with Dark Hall

Marco Mendoza with his trio

Billy Sheehan with Niacin

Rob Pagliari with Ohm

[Barkless Dog]

Geddy Lee

Chris Squire

Les Claypool - John The fisherman

[Mojo-Man]

Jonas Hellborg
Richard Bona
Jeff Berlin
Mick Karn

[RL6]

Alain Caron (!!!)
Matt Garrison
Jonas Hellborg
Hadrien Feraud (as I am typing this...)
Mark Egan

[onewebfoot]

Thanks for asking. I'm still trying to catch up on artists cited months or a year ago around here. Noting the OP taste for the rockish side...

Alain Caron (Alain Caron le band)
Matthew Garrison & Hadrien Feraud & Tony Grey (John McLaughlin's Industrial Zen)
Victor Miranda (Al DiMeola)
Victor Wooten (Flecktones - less of a rockish emphasis and more focus on fusion with anything and everything)
Guy Nsangué Akwa and others (Still catching up with Jean-Luc Ponty's work and bassists)

[lamarjones]

heard the vital techtones cd (get the FIRST one) with vic wooten, steve smith, and scott henderson?

there was also this disc with robben ford, jimmy haslip and vinny colliuta (I butchered that one) that I just thought about that I lost.... pretty freakin cool.

[Fretless1!]

Tom Kennedy (Dave Weckl's band)

[StanFan]

Alphonso Johnson's work with Weather Report, The Billy Cobham/George Duke Band, and his solo work is some of my favorite fusion (along with some of what has been mentioned).

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by StanFan

Alphonso Johnson's work with Weather Report, The Billy Cobham/George Duke Band, and his solo work is some of my favorite fusion (along with some of what has been mentioned).

+1

I really wish Alphonso had done more solo recordings after (but in a similar vein as) Spellbound. He has a unique tone/touch and a deceptively tasteful sense of restraint, plus a monster groove.

I especially love his work on Allan Holdsworth's much maligned Velvet Darkness

[Hoover]

check out Bill Laswell's playing on the first Material album Memory Serves, as well as his first solo album Basslines. Flirts closer to the free jazz/avant-garde camp than most "fusion" bassists typically do, but also clearly displays some monster chops, muscular facility, and just enough debt to Jaco to be required listening for fusion bass fans.

[KeithPas]

Tony Grey
Alain Caron

[Toronto Bassist]

Don't forget Gary Willis! Also Stanley Clarke's stuff with Return To Forever

[Pieterland]

Have you ever heard Carles Benavent with Paco de Lucia?

[bkbirge]

Originally Posted by Hoover

check out Bill Laswell's playing on the first Material album Memory Serves, as well as his first solo album Basslines.

+1, Bill Laswell is a monster. Baselines is in my top 5 favorite albums of all time. Other great choices:

Kev Hopper - Stump, A Fierce Pancake, rock oriented strangeness well worth listening to if you can find it. I think the guy actually gave up bass for awhile at some point to play musical saws, gives you an idea of his approach.

Mark Egan - Mosaic, great melodic fretless & 8 string droning.

Jeff Berlin - Master Strokes with Bill Bruford, required listening for any fusion fan.

Since you like rock, you may also really like Pascal Mulot, he sounds like someone who came to fusion from a metal side.

[primedynasty]

I actually received both Hellborg, Lane & Sipe and Alex Machacek, Jeff Sipe, and Matthew Garrison, and like both of those a lot.

I forgot to say that I listen to a lot of Return to Forever and Stanley, how could you not?

I was fortunate enough to see Hadrian Feraud play with John McLaughlin at the House of Blues in Chicago last year. That was a cool show, just wish John would of played an encore of some sweet Mahavishnu tune... or any encore for that matter

I need to check out Alphonso, I know I have listened to his stuff in the past but I am not familiar with it.

I have also seen Victor in concert, I think three times, each time with a different band. First, Bela Fleck which was a fantastic show. Then I saw him play a high school in Spring Lake, MI, with W3W which was three of the Wooten brothers a drummer from Spring Lake. I actually got to meet Vic and have a picture with him that is signed by everyone who played, pretty proud of that. Then saw him play with all of his brothers I think last year on the Wooten Circus or whatever it was called. That was interesting. Not that I think of it, I saw Bela twice. But all good stuff for sure. He has definitely been a bass hero for me.

I have recently started getting into Gary Willis, but oddly not so much for his music, but for his technique. His three fingered approach is amazing. I need to go find some of his stuff I have. I know I have some solo stuff and some Tribal Tech stuff.

This gives me a great list to go and start finding some stuff I haven't heard. Thanks a lot for the awesome response.

[bassnug47]

ummm... why has noone said Jaco?