Carol Kaye documentary

[TRU]

Guess what they showed last sunday night on primetime on the national #1 tv channel?

A documentary of Carol Kaye!!

That was awesome! You practically never see documentaries about musicians apart from Miles Davis and such and there she was grooving with her P-lyte. She talked about her career, how she got into playing bass and how she comes up with new basslines. She played some lines from the most popular tracks she's played: Beach Boys, Sonny&Cher, The Doors, etc and her playing was mixed to the recorded versions of those songs. She still has the groove.

 

[Juneau]

Damn, European TV rules as far as music stuff goes. Most of my bootleg type DVDs came from European TV hehe.

 

[jerry]

If you guys are in England, check out the new Bass Guitar Magazine, it has a artical on her.........and she is just as crazy as ever.......dissing five string basses, Jaco etc.

 

[David Wilson]

yeah, I saw that. here's her printed comments on 'extended range' basses:

I had many strings in the '70s trying it all out and later on tried the 5-string. Uh-uh, doesn't work for long. Everyone is going back to the 4-string like I did years ago. The other strings are simply not feasible.
Anything lower than the low E string and the bass rules the band. It's not good for the overall sound. They're okay for church and some types of fusion playing but no good for real commercial music and jazz. It's tough enough to play four strings

I didn't get the 4 string memo, guess I'd better sell my 5 string basses then

I'd still love to see the documentary, though, there's no denying her place in the history of electric bass.

 

[jerry]

I don't deny her place in music history either, and would love to see the documentary. I was just reading the artical and thinking, wow she's being cool, no Jamerson shots......but then I kept reading....and she gets senile on me again. People here get riled up by comments by Jeff Berlin & Anthony Jackson.......but she takes the cake IMHO.

 

[The Mock Turtle Regulator]

They're okay for church and some types of fusion playing but no good for real commercial music and jazz.

hmm, it seems that she's got a rather dated view of what "commercial music" is.
isn't a 5 an essential requirement for a session musician these days?

it reminds me of a recording engineer's criticism of today's music that was linked on TB- including the line "there is a lack of music you can dance to"

Everyone is going back to the 4-string like I did years ago.

ironic that towards the back of the very same issue of BGM is a pic of Gary Goodman with his infamous Adler 11-string

 

[LiquidMidnight]

hmm, it seems that she's got a rather dated view of what "commercial music" is.
isn't a 5 an essential requirement for a session musician these days?

I was thinking the same thing. Most of the heavier Modern Rock that is out today requires at least a low D, not to mention all of the low end that's going on in Hip-hop. Even most of the cats I see playing Country have fivers. I really don't understand the comment about it " not being good for the overall sound". Oh well, it's just someone's opinion.

 

[JimK]

A documentary of Carol Kaye!!
She played some lines from the most popular tracks she's played: Beach Boys, Sonny&Cher, The Doors, etc and her playing was mixed to the recorded versions of those songs.

Beach Boys...yes.
Sonny & Cher..."OK".

The Doors?! Nope. The Doors used & credited a few bassists throughout their recorded output. Then again, I'm not 100% postive about their very last 2 records without Morrison(Other Voices & Full Circle).
IIRC, one of her books has "Light My Fire" in it...as played with a then-Pop artist covering the tune.

 

[slugworth]

I don't deny her place in music history either, and would love to see the documentary. I was just reading the artical and thinking, wow she's being cool, no Jamerson shots......but then I kept reading....and she gets senile on me again. People here get riled up by comments by Jeff Berlin & Anthony Jackson.......but she takes the cake IMHO.

>>> Her playing's great but her big mouth is a turn off,
it's out of control.

Slug

 

[Philbiker]

Wow they showed "Standing in the Shadows of Motown"? Great movie!

 

[KenToby]

I have a good friend who is an engineer working for ATT in Illinois (sp). who met her at a function a while back. He said she was old and lived in a trailor park in the general area. Not a bad thing, but with the career she's had, I guess I expecting to hear that she had a 5000 square foot, 10 acre spread somewhere. Heck, maybe she does(?).

Just a tidbit,

KT

 

[JAUQO III-X]

I have a good friend who is an engineer working for ATT in Illinois (sp). who met her at a function a while back. He said she was old and lived in a trailor park in the general area. Not a bad thing, but with the career she's had, I guess I expecting to hear that she had a 5000 square foot, 10 acre spread somewhere. Heck, maybe she does(?).

Just a tidbit,

KT

No disrespect to you or your friend but what your friend told you was not true at all.I have known Carole for a while and I can say she lives in a very nice and comfortable place.nor is she Poor,Starving or a has been.

 

[Ian Perge]

...and there she was grooving with her P-lyte.

Yes, Fenders - the Greatest Bass In The World. So great you buy new ones instead of changing strings, which is far too much of a hassle. Wait, make that Aria's. No wait, Fender again. Oops, sorry - I meant Ibanez. I'm sure this time.

 

[slugworth]

I never buy shoelaces, I just buy new shoes when they
break.

Slug

 

[Ian Perge]

Never ask about the "Carol Kaye" school of thought regarding underware...

 

[demolition]

well I've been playing bass fo 2 years and have yet to find a C.Kaye line that I could'nt play,so I'm either really great or she's really....?,back in the day way bass was new(electric that is)she was the shizzle,doing things that have'nt been seen(not done by any means)now that the electric bass is 53 plus years old her style and ideas are that of a novice by todays standards,look at some of the original electric guitarists(i'll mention no names due to fear of attack )back then they were devil music maker,rock-n-roll monsters,now any six stringer worth his salt would send those people to church for salvation.
My point,then she was an innovator,now she's WAS(sorry carole )

 

[JimK]

Not sure I agree with you, Demo.
I still find her lines(& people like Joe Osborn) very tasteful. Some are quite 'busy' considering her milieu was Pop. I'm not hearing too many interesting things in Pop bass-dom these daze. IMO, the standards for Pop are lower in today's world.

 

[JAUQO III-X]

I'm not hearing too many interesting things in Pop bass-dom these daze. IMO, the standards for Pop are lower in today's world.

I agree.most pop Bass lines today are close to non exsitence.

a couple of friends of mine auditioned for the singer Usher.out of about 25-30 Bass players no one got the Gig.from what I was told they really didn't know what they wanted

 

[DigMe]

a couple of friends of mine auditioned for the singer Usher.out of about 25-30 Bass players no one got the Gig.from what I was told they really didn't know what they wanted

I wouldn't be surprised if they just didn't have "the right look" or something.

brad cook

 

[willgroove2]

I agree.most pop Bass lines today are close to non exsitence.

a couple of friends of mine auditioned for the singer Usher.out of about 25-30 Bass players no one got the Gig.from what I was told they really didn't know what they wanted

even better than that usher is touring with out a real bass player ,it's all left hand bass played by one of the keyboard player's or seqeunced (sp) but if you listen to his cd there are no real basslines