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Eddie Van Halen on Jack Bruce

You will note that after Bruce/Baker, Eric only used strong pocket players. He said as muchwhen talking about Steve Gadd.. He likes bassists and drummers that find a steady groove so he can concentrate on his guitar playing.
Having been a huge cream fan and primarily Jack Bruce fan, I was apalled at Clapton’s rhythm section choices.
 
I guess I don't look to rock for great guitarists. I look at folks like Nels Cline, Bill Frisell, and Julian Lage as the best around these days.

Thant's a pity, you're possibly missing out on some good music and excellent guitar playing, though I guess it depends on what the word 'rock' means to you. I'd class Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Steve Howe, Robert Fripp, among others who's abilities extend well beyond formula rock, as falling under the rock umbrella. Sure there are plenty of unimaginative hacks in rock music, but the same applies to all musical styles.
 
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I just listened to the song mentioned by EVH in that quote, and I gotta say that I’m just not hearing the brilliance. Just sounds like average 60’s rock to me.

I don't care much about anything EVH says, but the track is interesting to me only for what Ginger Baker does with it. Clapton and Baker try to extend it, that was the thing back then, but they certainly don't play anything "out", or remotely "jazzy". Bruce plays minor pentatonic, throws in a 9th occasionally. That's it.
 
Thant's a pity, you're possibly missing out on some good music and excellent guitar playing, though I guess it depends on what the word 'rock' means to you. I'd class Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Steve Howe, Robert Fripp, among others who's abilities extend well beyond formula rock, as falling under the rock umbrella. Sure there are plenty of unimaginative hacks in rock music, but the same applies to all musical styles.

I'm familiar with all of them and I'm a big King Crimson fan. I still look at Jazz guitarists as a cut above. I don't expect anyone else to feel the same, of course.
 
Thant's a pity, you're possibly missing out on some good music and excellent guitar playing, though I guess it depends on what the word 'rock' means to you. I'd class Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Steve Howe, Robert Fripp, among others who's abilities extend well beyond formula rock, as falling under the rock umbrella. Sure there are plenty of unimaginative hacks in rock music, but the same applies to all musical styles.

Can't say I'd put Steve Howe into the rock category, he's sort of classical, sort of folk, sort of (early) prog, mainly just himself.
 
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I'm familiar with all of them and I'm a big King Crimson fan. I still look at Jazz guitarists as a cut above. I don't expect anyone else to feel the same, of course.

While I enjoy some forms of jazz, just as I enjoy some forms of rock, or blues, or reggae, or afro-cuban, or folk, or pretty much any type of music, I've never bough into the jazz as a somehow higher art form than other types of music. Sort of the way classical music used to be held up as superior to the lesser more popular styles, which used to include jazz too, back in the day... I get that jazz has become "America's own classical music", to reused a quote from somebody, but I can't remember who, but to me levels of technical complexity, (if that's what it is that justifies jazz as a higher art form) don't necessarily guarantee good music. Though of course I don't expect anyone else to feel the same as me either. ;) (Nor did I mean to imply that you necessarily hold any of the opinions about jazz, or rock, or any other type of music, which I mentioned.)
 
I find him very good but extremely boring.

I'm the same about Nathan East. I'm sure he is a lovely guy but I have never found anything remarkable or exciting about his playing. He has a list of credits a mile long but nothing grabs me about his playing. Some will say it's because he does exactly what his employer asks, but guys like Anthony Jackson and Abe Laboriel have shown that a sideman/session player can maintain their personality in a session setting.
 
I'm the same about Nathan East. I'm sure he is a lovely guy but I have never found anything remarkable or exciting about his playing. He has a list of credits a mile long but nothing grabs me about his playing.

You could maybe say the same about Jamerson, Kaye, or that guy with the big white beard. Sometimes just playing what's needed is what's needed.
 
You could maybe say the same about Jamerson, Kaye, or that guy with the big white beard. Sometimes just playing what's needed is what's needed.


Huge difference between East and Jamerson, Sklar and actually Carole too, you can usually or always tell when they're on a record, their style sticks out. Nation East is kind of generic. I read somewhere or other that he made a conscious decision at some point in his career something like 'did he want to have his own style' or 'did he want to be a chameleon and be a seamless player to be able to fit in anywhere', I'm not bashing the guy for it, he made the right decision for himself and has made a load of bucks doing it. He's just not my cup of tea. I'm sure that the loads of people who hire him do hire him because he can do the job and do it well and they can shine. That guy "with the big white beard" :laugh:, Leland Sklar posts here by the way, he was the first fretless bass player I can remember hearing.

From 1971- Lee Sklar, fretless bass. Check out his lines in these. I don't know if you're a James Taylor fan but there is some great bass playing on this and his next album.



 
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