• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

16th Note Finger Funkers?

#44
j-raj said:
....Or on John McLaughlin's Que Alegria and Live at the Royal Festival Hall.

I distinctly remember him on the live album about to launch into a solo with a barrage of 16th on an open string before he opened a can of whoop-ass... Oh, yeah he was gigging on a double necked headless David King at that time... :eek:
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure he played his Schack doubleneck.
 
#46
OK, I'll go out on a limb here - Jeff Berlin, "Joe Frazier" :ninja:

He also plays some mean 16th note stuff on the track "City" on Kazumi Watanabe's "Spice of Life" album

Oh yeah, and not necessarily funky, but interesting rock 16th note lines came from the late Bobby Sheehan of Blues Traveler, but that's probably getting too out there for this thread :D
 
#47
j-raj said:
....Or on John McLaughlin's Que Alegria and Live at the Royal Festival Hall.

I distinctly remember him on the live album about to launch into a solo with a barrage of 16th on an open string before he opened a can of whoop-ass... Oh, yeah he was gigging on a double necked headless David King at that time... :eek:
Click to expand...
:)
yeah got those great albums and the gregory james one also,
i really like his solo cd although his playing is not really melodic like it's always.

i know he plays a hotwire bass now - fretted and another fretless - don't know the brand.
 
#48
Here is a bad pic. But I played that bass a few years ago in a German store (he sold it). He also played Clover graphite-neck basses and a Peter Coura fretless 5 back then.
He just recently started to use Hotwires.
 
#49
JMX said:
Here is a bad pic. But I played that bass a few years ago in a German store (he sold it). He also played Clover graphite-neck basses and a Peter Coura fretless 5 back then.
He just recently started to use Hotwires.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's the doubleneck that I was thinking of....

I saw him last time he was in Asheville (Stella Blue) with Garaj and he had a sweet sounding hotwire vintage burst 5 string... He also had a pair of 15 year old 1X15 glocks. Sounded awesome.
 
#50
ebozzz said:
Know anything about that Danny Wilson fella Jim? ;)
Click to expand...

Uh, no.
;)
I'm still meaning to get a PM back to you!


I just picked up the new Bass Player(Pino cover).
Rainey's awesome line to "Kid Charlemagne " is charted out, although it may not be 100% complete. I'll have to listen with some phones on...be back later with the verdict.
 
#52
Kid Charlemagne said:
What I find a bit curious is that you in a way seem to measure funkiness in the level of technical complexity that a players' basslines contain.
Click to expand...

That is exactly the opposite of what I have been saying throughout this thread!! :confused:

So - I have been saying that Paul Jackson is one of the funkiest ever players and he has a great feel that is very hard to duplicate.

You have just been misreading my posts!!!

So what I said was that the bass riff on the track that JimK mentioned wasn't that hard to play and it was the main part of the head .

Anyway - my main point was that if somebody starts talking about Rocco and 16th note finger funk - then this suggests people like Jaco and Gary Willis etc. as being in a similar vein.

So - what I have been saying is that Paul Jackson is of course very funky - but my view is that he is not the same sort of player as Rocco Prestia and it would be misleading to group them together for any reason ! :hmm:

I will copy some of my previous posts in this thread below, to illusttate that what you suggest is not what I have been saying...
 
#53
Bruce Lindfield said:
Oh - I've been saying all through that he is one of the funkiest players ever and his feel is incredible and he plays some great lines.

But it is very different from a Jaco,Willis, Oteil fast 16th note funk lines,
Click to expand...


Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield
I've got that album and have listened to it a lot - very funky, often slow...
 
#55
Jacob Bartfield said:
I'm not going to deny what you're saying. He was "the first" in a lot of ways, and he had a huge influence on most of the other bassists that people have mentioned. I just don't quite put him in the category of a 16th note funk bass player. It's true that he was funky, and played a lot of 16th notes, but when I hear the term "16th note funk", I think of a bass line made of almost all16th notes, which Jamerson's bass lines usually weren't.
Click to expand...

I can't say that you're not right, that may indeed be the intent of this thread.

OTOH my definition would be someone who incorporates 16ths in their grooves. There's a ton of 1/8 note Funk out there with little or no 16th content.

Which reminds me... I'll mention Alphonso Johnson.

The trick with relentless 16ths is that it's not easy to do it AND be funky. While I love Jaco and Rocco, most of my favorite stuff by them has space. It breathes.

That's why I say Jamerson. I think it's a much harder style to play. With all 16ths I tend to go on autopilot, as a lot of people do. JJ definitely incorporated loads of 16ths AND kept it interesting IMO and very musical
 
#56
Brad Johnson said:
The trick with relentless 16ths is that it's not easy to do it AND be funky. While I love Jaco and Rocco, most of my favorite stuff by them has space. It breathes.
Click to expand...

I agree - I think lines with more space are far funkier - there's nothing like a groove with a lot of space and slight rhythmic displacements!

Whereas, the "relentless" thing can be very exciting to hear - but is usually less funky. I see these as two separate things. So - you either go for slower and funkier or faster, relentless bubbling lines that add excitement and energy to the music.
 
#57
Bruce Lindfield said:
I've got that album and have listened to it a lot - very funky, often slow - but not what I think of as 16th note finger funk...what do Jim and Brad think?
Click to expand...

Sorry, didn't see this question earlier.

I agree that we're not clear on the intent of this thread. If it's relentless 16ths, as I like to call it, Paul Jackson is the gray area;). The guy plays with some of the hardest feel to cop that I've ever heard. I think Jim's post pointed out something that is key in respect to Jackson... it's not just the 16ths you play, it's the ones you don't. If that makes sense.

Because of PJ's uncanny feel you anticipate... at least I do:D. And what I anticipate is usually 16ths. I think people do the same with Rocco, which is probably why I hear so many interesting interpretations of his lines.

So, my short answer would be... yes:D. Even when he didn't play 'em, I heard 'em;)

I'd put PJ down as one of the funkiest bassists I've ever heard.
 
#58
Bruce Lindfield said:
I agree - I think lines with more space are far funkier - there's nothing like a groove with a lot of space and slight rhythmic displacements!

Whereas, the "relentless" thing can be very exciting to hear - but is usually less funky. I see these as two separate things. So - you either go for slower and funkier or faster, relentless bubbling lines that add excitement and energy to the music.
Click to expand...

Agreed but I'll add a third option... fast, funky, with space.

Then we could get into a discussion about what "funky" is;)
 
#59
Brad Johnson said:
Sorry, didn't see this question earlier.

I agree that we're not clear on the intent of this thread. If it's relentless 16ths, as I like to call it, Paul Jackson is the gray area;). The guy plays with some of the hardest feel to cop that I've ever heard. I think Jim's post pointed out something that is key in respect to Jackson... it's not just the 16ths you play, it's the ones you don't. If that makes sense.

Because of PJ's uncanny feel you anticipate... at least I do:D. And what I anticipate is usually 16ths. .
Click to expand...

Yes - that's what I was saying - if we are talking about the relentless thing - then I'm doubtful. I'd rather put him in a distinct category of his own, with a unique feel - more about space....
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back