Who Is Bill Laswell?

[AlphaMale]

I tried reading his wikipedia article, apparently he's worked with every musician to ever make an album. But seriously he seems to have the most obscure and impressive resume of artists to have worked with. so who is he?

[Dr. Cheese]

A really great bassist for one thing. Check out some of his old stuff with Material like Memory Serves. He is only consistent in being consistently outside or avant garde.

[bongomania]

So you read the Wikipedia article (or "tried to") and you still have to ask who he is? Isn't the article pretty much a summary of who he is, at least musically speaking?

Anyway he's a bassist and producer, and a big fan of chaos theory. And yes, he has worked with nearly everyone.
http://www.bassplayer.com/article/bi...ce/jan-00/6982
http://remixmag.com/artists/electron..._bill_laswell/

[dlmarquez]

He's played with Miles Davis, he's got about 150 songs available for download on iTunes, and he is the creator/owner/manager of his own label and if you have a taste for Dub or trance or electronica or avante garde, or eastern music there is something there for you to hear.
Very experimental, very talented (in my opinion)
He did a PBS special a couple of years ago with Buckethead and a number of other collaborators and it really caught my ear and got my attention.
Check out "Black Lotus" from the album "Nagual site"

[skulletwhip]

PAINKILLER.

[Hoover]

Did Laswell ever actually play *with* Miles Davis? I thought the closest he came was producing that posthumous remix of Agartha or whatever that more-or-less recent project was. (edit: I'm talking about Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969-1974, Laswell's "recompilation & remix" of Miles' electric music, released in 1998.)

I'm not trying to take anything away from his storied resume, just want to find out if I missed an important milestone (no pun intended).

[Matt Till]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SkkITACMu4

First time I've heard anything from him, this is great.

[jerry]

I'm a longtime fan of his very large and varied body of work, just incredible!

[Argali]

Originally Posted by jerry

I'm a longtime fan of his very large and varied body of work, just incredible!

He's a lot like John Zorn - his output is so massive that just by the law of averages, there are definitely some clunkers in there.

I liked his work in Last Exit and Painkiller personally. As a bass player I don't find him to be all that great; like Miles Davis, Laswell is often more interesting for the people he puts together and the magic that happens from it.

[SMASH]

Originally Posted by Matt Till

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SkkITACMu4

First time I've heard anything from him, this is great.

Good stuff. Sadly reminds me that there's nothing quite as efficient at ruining a good jam as a "turntablist".


I've got a bunch of his albums. Very diverse. Genrally I can dig it. R.O.I.R. records in N.Y. has a bunch of his stuff, sometimes for cheap and they're quick to ship. http://www.roir-usa.com/news/index.php

[Les Izmor]

Funny, I just added him to my influences (in my profile) yesterday, then this morning I see this post.

Here are two links to some stuff he did with the group Massacre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SaW_...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETxtSbfpjHE

Sounds a bit dated now, but when I heard it in the late 80's it killed me. To me it acknowledges that anything is possible in music.

What I like about what he does is how he combines grooving with "outside" playing. So many improvisational bassists aren't into "time". I like the juxtaposition.

[Les Izmor]

Originally Posted by Argali

like Miles Davis, Laswell is often more interesting for the people he puts together and the magic that happens from it.

Are you saying Miles Davis is more interesting for the groups he put together, than for composing songs like Kind of Blue? If you are saying that, I couldn't disagree more. He did put together good groups, but it was his creative vision encompassing his compositions and playing and inspiring the players around him that contributed to making him not just "interesting" but truly one of the greatest of all time.

I do concede however that his electric stuff doesn't really do it for me, and the above comment is referring to his acoustic music, in particular the album Kind of Blue.

[baba]

Great bassist!

Saw him live at Bimbos in San Fran in the mid 90's with Bernie Worrell and James Blood Ulmer.

[Matt Till]

Originally Posted by Les Izmor

Funny, I just added him to my influences (in my profile) yesterday, then this morning I see this post.

Here are two links to some stuff he did with the group Massacre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SaW_...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETxtSbfpjHE

Sounds a bit dated now, but when I heard it in the late 80's it killed me. To me it acknowledges that anything is possible in music.

What I like about what he does is how he combines grooving with "outside" playing. So many improvisational bassists aren't into "time". I like the juxtaposition.

He's in Massacre? Ha, I had no idea. I have one of their albums, but never knew who was in the band. Very crazy stuff.

[lambro]

with a handle liek Alpha Male should you be showing us the way...


Bill Laswell serious force since the early 80's, although now not in great health


Upright Man anyone?

[bassbrad]

Originally Posted by lambro

Upright Man anyone?

Oh Yeah, constant touch stone.