Now that is ...FUNNY!
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Bassists few people talk about...
- Thread starter jd56hawk
- Start date
Dave Paton
Colin Bass
Richard Sinclair
Felix Pappalardi
Andy Kulberg
Colin Bass
Richard Sinclair
Felix Pappalardi
Andy Kulberg
There are so many that few talk about. All were amazing influences. Here are four of many that had passed on before they really got going...
Terry Jackson: Reba Macintyre, Thomas Dolby
Wayne Pedziwater: Blood, Sweat & Tears
Wayne Brathwaite: Herbie Hancock, Billy Ocean
Steve Logan: David Sanborn
some here, some gone, all awesome:
Alex Blake: Lenny White, Manhattan Transfer
Renaud Garcia Fons
Panagiotis Andreou: Gonzalo Grau
Cecil McBee: Sun Ra, Pharoah Saunders
Phil Lynott: Thin Lizzy
Jimmy Blanton, (badass) Joe Osborn (listen to the bass part on “America”, Sam Jones, Bernard Edwards, David Hungate, The other Johnson Brothers (Gordon and Jimmy), Willie Weeks, Tony Newton, Wilbur Ware, Peter Cetera, Oscar Pettiford, Jeff Ament, Doug Pinnick, Nathaniel Phillips, Percy Jones, Jorge Calderon, Larry Gales, Peter Nordin, Dee Murray, Ayumu...(WTAF!), Milt Hinton, Red Callendar, Andy West, Bob Birch, the inimitable Carles Benevant...
For me, the one the few speak of is the doubler, Al McKibbon. Aside from countless credits, there are some that should be mentioned...
Birth Of The Cool w/Miles (could only play on one tune because he was busy with Monk that week... told Miles no and still got called!)
Manteca w/ Dizzy Gillespie
Batman TV Show theme & series (played on an Ampeg electric fretless w/pick)
The Odd Couple TV show theme & series.
There are so many from so many genres... I got excited. Sorry, I’ll STFU now.
Terry Jackson: Reba Macintyre, Thomas Dolby
Wayne Pedziwater: Blood, Sweat & Tears
Wayne Brathwaite: Herbie Hancock, Billy Ocean
Steve Logan: David Sanborn
some here, some gone, all awesome:
Alex Blake: Lenny White, Manhattan Transfer
Renaud Garcia Fons
Panagiotis Andreou: Gonzalo Grau
Cecil McBee: Sun Ra, Pharoah Saunders
Phil Lynott: Thin Lizzy
Jimmy Blanton, (badass) Joe Osborn (listen to the bass part on “America”, Sam Jones, Bernard Edwards, David Hungate, The other Johnson Brothers (Gordon and Jimmy), Willie Weeks, Tony Newton, Wilbur Ware, Peter Cetera, Oscar Pettiford, Jeff Ament, Doug Pinnick, Nathaniel Phillips, Percy Jones, Jorge Calderon, Larry Gales, Peter Nordin, Dee Murray, Ayumu...(WTAF!), Milt Hinton, Red Callendar, Andy West, Bob Birch, the inimitable Carles Benevant...
For me, the one the few speak of is the doubler, Al McKibbon. Aside from countless credits, there are some that should be mentioned...
Birth Of The Cool w/Miles (could only play on one tune because he was busy with Monk that week... told Miles no and still got called!)
Manteca w/ Dizzy Gillespie
Batman TV Show theme & series (played on an Ampeg electric fretless w/pick)
The Odd Couple TV show theme & series.
There are so many from so many genres... I got excited. Sorry, I’ll STFU now.
Attachments
Canada is funny - you can be a huge star here and completely unknown outside the borders. Bryan Adams, Rush of course, the Guess Who/BTO... all well known, but there are so many great bands that unless you live in Canada or maybe upstate New York, you’re unfamiliar with. One of those is Blue Rodeo. Their bass player, Bazil Donovan, has been a huge influence on my playing. Every phrase and note choice is exactly what I’d have wished I could have come up with, and his tone is incredible. Very tasteful. I recommend “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” and “Lost Together.”
Another is the Tragically Hip - Gord Sinclair plays a G&L P bass, and is very comfortable in the upper register just as he is laying down a rocking steady eighth note bass line. See “Grace, Too” and “Little Bones”.
Another lesser known Canadian band from the 70s is the Powder Blues Band. “Guitar Ring” has an awesome bass line across three chords that just drives the whole song, but bass parts from other songs of theirs like “Doin’ It Right” are in the same vein - he owns all of their songs, even the 12-bar blues arrangements that they did.
Check some out if you get the chance!
Another is the Tragically Hip - Gord Sinclair plays a G&L P bass, and is very comfortable in the upper register just as he is laying down a rocking steady eighth note bass line. See “Grace, Too” and “Little Bones”.
Another lesser known Canadian band from the 70s is the Powder Blues Band. “Guitar Ring” has an awesome bass line across three chords that just drives the whole song, but bass parts from other songs of theirs like “Doin’ It Right” are in the same vein - he owns all of their songs, even the 12-bar blues arrangements that they did.
Check some out if you get the chance!
Jaco Pastorius, Geddy Lee, Chris Squire... oh, wait. Wrong list. Sorry. 
How about: Darrell Clayborn, Rossana Nicolosi, Derek Holt, Jim Kale, Bill Wallace, Jim Dewar, Mo Moore, Gerald Johnson, Rick Anderson, Tiran Porter, Lamar Williams, Tom Evans, George McArdle, Boz Burrell, Ralphe Armstrong, Dieter Petereit, Bud Cockrell, Percy Jones, Patrick Djivas and Derek Smalls* all come to mind.
* Just seeing if you were paying attention.
How about: Darrell Clayborn, Rossana Nicolosi, Derek Holt, Jim Kale, Bill Wallace, Jim Dewar, Mo Moore, Gerald Johnson, Rick Anderson, Tiran Porter, Lamar Williams, Tom Evans, George McArdle, Boz Burrell, Ralphe Armstrong, Dieter Petereit, Bud Cockrell, Percy Jones, Patrick Djivas and Derek Smalls* all come to mind.
* Just seeing if you were paying attention.
Mick Karn.
One of my favourite bass players of all time, and sadly no longer with us. He’s most famous for his work with Japan in the early 80’s, but he also did some great work in his later years.
One of my favourite bass players of all time, and sadly no longer with us. He’s most famous for his work with Japan in the early 80’s, but he also did some great work in his later years.
Doug Elliott of the Odds. He has the most amazing tone and really puts it to good use. I think, at least some of the time, he's using flats with really low action and gets this sound that's almost "glistening?"
Jumping across the pond, Nick Lowe's work on John Hiatt's Bring the Family is just fantastic.
Jimmy Johnson
Percy Jones
Andy West
Ernest Tibbs
Romain Labaye
Hadrien Feraud
These bass players play with bands that don't sell alcohol very well and are generally not going to get the butts out on the dance floor... proceed with caution.....
Percy Jones
Andy West
Ernest Tibbs
Romain Labaye
Hadrien Feraud
These bass players play with bands that don't sell alcohol very well and are generally not going to get the butts out on the dance floor... proceed with caution.....
+1 on Patrick Dahlheimer (he would have been my pick for this thread for sure.)
+1 on Colin Marston as well. I love Dysrhythmia
My favorite bass player is Alphonso Johnson who is someone only bass players have even heard of, despite him having been a quiet innovator. And guys like Victor Damiani (he used to play for Cake), Paul Denman (Sade), or Andrew Levy (Brand New Heavies) are slick groovers. Not household names, but bassists in the know know who they are. I also think that Rex Brown of Pantera is a better bassist than people give him credit for. His bass work in Far Beyond Driven is killer.
But for more "obscure but totally awesome" bassists, Jon Ehlers of the bass and drum duo Bangladeafy. Dude has sensorineural hearing loss and the stuff he creates is wickedly out there. I would recommend listening to the album "This is Your Brain on Bugs" first.
Ribboncutter, by BANGLADEAFY (Ribboncutter is their newest album; it's pretty out there).
This is Your Brain on Bugs (their first album. My favorite song on it is "Carsick")
My old punk band once played a show with Bangladeafy and they completely blew my mind. I almost didn't want to play after them, because they were just too good.
And there are so many contemporary bassist who are amazing, but aren't really household names yet, like Nathan Navarro, Angeline Saris, and Evan Marien. All absolute monster players.
+1 on Colin Marston as well. I love Dysrhythmia
My favorite bass player is Alphonso Johnson who is someone only bass players have even heard of, despite him having been a quiet innovator. And guys like Victor Damiani (he used to play for Cake), Paul Denman (Sade), or Andrew Levy (Brand New Heavies) are slick groovers. Not household names, but bassists in the know know who they are. I also think that Rex Brown of Pantera is a better bassist than people give him credit for. His bass work in Far Beyond Driven is killer.
But for more "obscure but totally awesome" bassists, Jon Ehlers of the bass and drum duo Bangladeafy. Dude has sensorineural hearing loss and the stuff he creates is wickedly out there. I would recommend listening to the album "This is Your Brain on Bugs" first.
Ribboncutter, by BANGLADEAFY (Ribboncutter is their newest album; it's pretty out there).
This is Your Brain on Bugs (their first album. My favorite song on it is "Carsick")
My old punk band once played a show with Bangladeafy and they completely blew my mind. I almost didn't want to play after them, because they were just too good.
And there are so many contemporary bassist who are amazing, but aren't really household names yet, like Nathan Navarro, Angeline Saris, and Evan Marien. All absolute monster players.
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Three whom were mentioned already by @JimmyM and @Reggie Hamilton:
Mars Cowling, best known for playing with Pat Travers (RIP)
Andy West of the Dixie Dregs (saw them play on the patio at the Rathskeller UM campus in the late 70's and elsewhere. )
Dee Murray with Elton John (RIP)
I also haven't seen John Taylor of Duran Duran mentioned very often ( if I missed it . . . My bad)
Here's our own @TJH3113 who pretty much nails it (and everything else he covers):
Here's Andy West at work:
And Mars (two words) Cowling:
Mars Cowling, best known for playing with Pat Travers (RIP)
Andy West of the Dixie Dregs (saw them play on the patio at the Rathskeller UM campus in the late 70's and elsewhere. )
Dee Murray with Elton John (RIP)
I also haven't seen John Taylor of Duran Duran mentioned very often ( if I missed it . . . My bad)
Here's our own @TJH3113 who pretty much nails it (and everything else he covers):
Here's Andy West at work:
And Mars (two words) Cowling:
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John Stirratt of Wilco. He's not a flashy showboat by any means, but his bass lines are so tasteful and his tone is always 100% on point.
You are so right about this one. Jeff Tweedy once said that he, in a band with Nels Cline, was the best musician in the group. Nels aside, they're a pretty strong group of musicians, so that's quite the high marks.
John McVie - One of the best, but I don't think I've ever seen his name mentioned here.
His tone and style is one I personally think of as rock.
Mario Cipollina - from Huey Lewis and the News in the 80s. Just an awesome bassist and a favorite of mine. The epitome of good time rock-n-roll 80s bass playing!
His tone and style is one I personally think of as rock.
Mario Cipollina - from Huey Lewis and the News in the 80s. Just an awesome bassist and a favorite of mine. The epitome of good time rock-n-roll 80s bass playing!
Steve Swallow (Carla Bley)
Graham Gouldman (10cc)
Steve Babb (Glass Hammer)
Graham Gouldman (10cc)
Steve Babb (Glass Hammer)
