Who Played bass on "Brother to Brother"

gottawalk · #1 03-14-2007, 12:59 AM

I'm at a loss to find this anywhere on the web and I know that this album, (Brother to Brother), is the first album that Gino Vannelli used an actual bass player instead of keyboard bass and the stuff is really great. Who was the bassist off that album?

Any takers?

Boss Bass · #2 03-14-2007, 01:07 AM

That bassist is the great Jimmy Haslip.

CraigG · #3 03-14-2007, 06:04 AM

Actually I had thought Leon Gaer was the bass player. Now I see that both he and Haslip are credited with playing on the recording.
http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/stor...179930,00.html

I found this link to help clear up some of the question. Looks like Haslip only played on three of the tunes on Brother to Brother (People I Belong To, Feel Like Flying and the bass solo on the title cut). I would assume that means Leon Gaer took the rest... http://ginovannelli.tripod.com/YellowJackets.html

Craig

gottawalk · #4 03-15-2007, 11:32 PM

Thanks, guys!

Craig Garfinkel · #5 03-17-2007, 08:07 AM

Um...I'm going to check further on this, but as I recall "Brother to Brother" is nearly all synth bass, with the exception that Haslip plays the whole bass track on one tune and the bass solo fills on the title cut. I see the credit for Leon Gaer...but I'm pretty sure that's either a mistake, or he's on maybe one track. I am quite sure that the lion's share of the record is synth bass.

CraigG · #6 03-17-2007, 03:01 PM

Yes and No. Here is what's actually on the album credits (I'm taking this directly off my copy)...

Jimmy Haslip
Electric Bass on "People I Belong To," "Feel Like Flying" and Bass solo on "Brother to Brother"

Leon Gaer
"Synthesized Electric Bass"

So, Gaer apparently has much of the bass parts and apparently his electric bass is synthesized, but a bass none the less. Gaer also played bass on some Phil Keaggy stuff, if anyone is familiar with Phil, back in the good old days.

Craig Garfinkel · #7 03-17-2007, 03:10 PM

Well Craig, you're close, but I think I was a tad closer. I found my CD and here are the bass credits:

Leon Gaer - Synthesized Electric Bass
Jimmy Haslip - Electric Bass on "People I Belong To", "Feel Like Flying" and Bass solo on "Brother To Brother"

btw...cool first name and last initial.

fcleff · #8 03-17-2007, 03:17 PM

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't you two Craig G's just post the same thing?

CraigG · #9 03-17-2007, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig Garfinkel

Well Craig, you're close, but I think I was a tad closer. I found my CD and here are the bass credits:

Leon Gaer - Synthesized Electric Bass
Jimmy Haslip - Electric Bass on "People I Belong To", "Feel Like Flying" and Bass solo on "Brother To Brother"

btw...cool first name and last initial.

Thanks, Craig. Let's say we're equally close.

Synthesized Electric Bass. Of course, unplug the synth unit and it's still an electric bass.

Craig Garfinkel · #10 03-17-2007, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigG

Leon Gaer
"Synthesized Electric Bass"

So, Gaer apparently has much of the bass parts and apparently his electric bass is synthesized, but a bass none the less. Gaer also played bass on some Phil Keaggy stuff, if anyone is familiar with Phil, back in the good old days.

Hmmmm. Yes but, the record came out in 1978. I don't recall any "synthesized electric basses" even being around. The Roland guitar synth had just come out, but I don't remember a bass version until much later.

I just don't remember what was available then, but I suspect that what Gaer used was a keyboard bass synth and not a stringed instrument. I certainly could be wrong, and would love if someone could come up with the absolute definitive answer.

CraigG · #11 03-17-2007, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fcleff

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't you two Craig G's just post the same thing?

Yeah, sort of. I fine tuned mine original reply when I found my album. Sorry for the confusion!

Craig Garfinkel · #12 03-17-2007, 03:23 PM

Holy Weirdness, Craig...we've got the same first name and same last initial and were born in the same year! What are the odds of that? Well...pretty good I guess but...

Do you recall any bass synths that you could operate with an actual bass guitar "back in the day"?

CraigG · #13 03-17-2007, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig Garfinkel

Hmmmm. Yes but, the record came out in 1978. I don't recall any "synthesized electric basses" even being around. The Roland guitar synth had just come out, but I don't remember a bass version until much later.

I just don't remember what was available then, but I suspect that what Gaer used was a keyboard bass synth and not a stringed instrument. I certainly could be wrong, and would love if someone could come up with the absolute definitive answer.

Probably an Electro Harmonix synth unit. I'm nearly positive they had a bass synth pedal at the time. I can't imagine Gino ever having Gaer, who was a bass player, laying down bass tracks on synth when Gino's brother Joe was part of the project. Just speculating.

CraigG · #14 03-17-2007, 03:34 PM

OK, I'm finding some dirt on Gaer and the Brother to Brother recording. On the title cut he played an Alembic Series 1 short scale bass. He also used a Fender Precision with a 360 systems pickup system (the synth unit I'm guessing). He was also using a stereo Mutron Biphase...

Hey, you have to check this out! It's fascinating and answers a number of questions...

http://basscast.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=138441

Listen to the Basscast. It's an interview with Leon. Man, it sounds like he really fell into a bed of roses! The kind of break many of us can only dream about!

Craig Garfinkel · #15 03-17-2007, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigG

Probably an Electro Harmonix synth unit. I'm nearly positive they had a bass synth pedal at the time. I can't imagine Gino ever having Gaer, who was a bass player, laying down bass tracks on synth when Gino's brother Joe was part of the project. Just speculating.

Probably correct. I was not hip to the EH unit of that time.

I seem to remember though a few bass player/producer types at the time laying down synthesizer parts on stuff like the Fairlight because, as actual bass players they came up with parts that a real bass player would play. I know it sounds goofy what with the whole "well why not just use a real bass" point of view, but "B to B" was fairly revolutionary for it's sound. This was just before the deluge of synth bass to come in the marvelous early 80's "new wave" movement.

Whatever the actual answer is, there's some incredible playing (and singing) on that record. Carlos Rios just rips it up on guitar.

Craig Garfinkel · #16 03-17-2007, 03:42 PM

Man I should just stop typing and let you have the reins man...you da man!

Gotta be the name and year of birth.

CraigG · #17 03-17-2007, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig Garfinkel

Whatever the actual answer is, there's some incredible playing (and singing) on that record. Carlos Rios just rips it up on guitar.

You're right. One of the tighest projects I was aware of at the time. The musicianship was unbelievable. I wish I knew what happened to Rios. I have tried to locate other projects he was on using Google but have not had much success. He really shined on that recording. Would love to hear more of that kind of playing from him!

CraigG · #18 03-17-2007, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig Garfinkel

Man I should just stop typing and let you have the reins man...you da man!

Gotta be the name and year of birth.

Yeah, the name and year of birth! Such a funny coincidence.

Actually, Leon Gaer, Abe Laboriel and (such a different player compared to Leon and Abe) Gene Simmons were the guys that got me really stoked when I was in my early years of bass playing. That's one of the reasons I was so quick to respond earlier about Gaer. He's been a hero of mine for a LONG time. I was rather amazed to see his name pop up and just had to chime in!

Craig Garfinkel · #19 03-17-2007, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigG

Yeah, the name and year of birth! Such a funny coincidence.

Actually, Leon Gaer, Abe Laboriel and (such a different player compared to Leon and Abe) Gene Simmons were the guys that got me really stoked when I was in my early years of bass playing. That's one of the reasons I was so quick to respond earlier about Gaer. He's been a hero of mine for a LONG time. I was rather amazed to see his name pop up and just had to chime in!

I am not hip to Leon at all, I'm afraid.

Probably why I didn't recall the credits for that record other than the "synthesized" part, which I always assumed meant a keyboard synth. I will check him out and the link you posted above a little later.

My original record (vinyl) is long gone, and all I have now is the CD, which quite frankly is in serious need of a re-mastering. Levels are way low and bass needs some serious EQ "love", especially compared to the rest of my collection.

Anyone aware of a re-mastered CD?

thumpzilla · #20 01-04-2008, 08:20 PM

Leon Gaer was THE bass player in the late 70's around LA.. I was working in and around the music scene back then....He spent a fortune with me on his custom built "360".. I was a music store owner back then in Tarzana (SFV)
He was playing with Don Randi at the Baked Potato.. Sado Watanabe.. if there was a need for a bass player and he was up for it he usually got the gig... it probably didn't hurt that he was one of the only people to put together a functioning Synth bass.. if I remember right he was using Oberheim modules and 360 was the company that did the pitch to voltage conversion..
imho he is one of the best...and you will never find a kinder more honest person on this planet..
He used a early 60's blue Precision (raised "A" pole pieces) with Labella 360 flat wounds..
If you want to hear him play.. get the Chad Wackerman CD..
Leon walked away from EVERYTHING for love... at the peak of his career, he met the woman of his dreams and moved lock stock and barrel to Australia.
I talked to him a few years ago, he's happy as a clam down there.[/i]