The Mastersounds albums "In Concert" and "The King and I" were albums that got me going for the whole "P (or J) w flats to emulate an upright thing" (speaking as a rock guy coming from Roto 66s on every bass I ever played previously). I agree it would be nice to hear Monk more on that live album, but it really does "feel" like upright in many ways, maybe because it's tucked down there a bit? Also it's his phrasing of course. Love how he sounds on those records.
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Fender P in a jazz trio
- Thread starter BargeOn
- Start date
Does it matter what bass though?
So this guy is playing Jazz Standards on an unlikely bass. An active Stringray Special 5. I think you can even use a pointy bass or something with DarkGlass preamp. Do not limit yourself to a passive tone, 20 frets and old flats. Learn how to play jazz
So this guy is playing Jazz Standards on an unlikely bass. An active Stringray Special 5. I think you can even use a pointy bass or something with DarkGlass preamp. Do not limit yourself to a passive tone, 20 frets and old flats. Learn how to play jazz
He did, and his speed with it was impressive. He also played with a pick occasionally AFAIK.I believe he also played with his thumb. Seems to run in the familyif so that would account for both his tone and the quiet recording.
Tom Warrington seems to have disappeared in recent years. I don’t know if he realises how unique he is in terms of playing jazz on electric bass, I’m not a Buddy Rich fan at all but I listen to these old recordings for bass inspiration quite often.
His albums (where he plays upright) are not available online anywhere now. I’m glad I have them all on cd, Back Nine is one of my favourite jazz albums. He had a few other jazz recordings without Buddy Rich where he plays his fretless P, all discontinued and difficult to find.
Thanks for the reply
I should think he's probably retired, but I agree, he plays so beautifully and is very inspirational.
(I also love Anthony Jackson's work with BR on "Very Live at Buddy's Place". AJ played a Gibson Ripper and though clearly not trying to emulate the sound of a double bass - as one assumes Warrington was, and very successfully I might add - AJ sounded incredible.)
Tom Warrington retired from teaching at UNLV (Las Vegas), and moved from L.A. to New Zealand a few (10?) years ago.
I'm not sure how to reach him. Sorry.
I used to bump into him at my neighborhood grocery store. A great musician AND a very funny cat.
Thanks.
I'm not sure how to reach him. Sorry.
I used to bump into him at my neighborhood grocery store. A great musician AND a very funny cat.
Thanks.
Thanks Don, he's closer to me than I realized (I'm in Western Australia)
- Jun 30, 2010
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wow!
I've seen a fretless precision called an 'imprecision' elsewhere haha. have you tried tapewounds on your P style?
(do it Santa!)
... I joined this forvm like a week ago to buy a fretless p... for the express purpose of getting a clear natural double bass tone out of an electric bass platform. I wasn't sure whether I was going to go with flats but it ended up coming with labella tapewounds and let me tell you :
tapes on a p are incredibly sweet. they knock out the coiliness of rounds but give more clarity than flats imho. you can get wah without sliding, I should think probably even on a fretted (they make them different ways I believe labella winds roundwounds with an additional ply of nylon)... and with the p pup very pleasing tone indeed!
I've played a P in both big and small bands for about 40 years; jazz is my main thing. I've used other basses but the one everyone univesally loves going back to high school when I got it? My '78 P.
The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen had bassists who used Ps. The one I most associate with it is Joel DiBartolo (RIP) who used various electric basses over the years. That band was so influential on me as a kid. I didn't know honestly until a bit into playing. The TSB Vol II album is bar none one of my favorite albums of all time. The Holman arrangement of "Take the A Train" in 3 is nothing short of amazing. You can go down a rabbit hole on Youtube with all of the clips out there.
He's playing Fenders in the first two (first is definitely a P; the second looks like a P body with J neck) and looks like a StingRay in the last two. "Nutville" is ... just wow. That arrangement is so hard to play consistently at that tempo. One or two bands I've been in have attempted it.
The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen had bassists who used Ps. The one I most associate with it is Joel DiBartolo (RIP) who used various electric basses over the years. That band was so influential on me as a kid. I didn't know honestly until a bit into playing. The TSB Vol II album is bar none one of my favorite albums of all time. The Holman arrangement of "Take the A Train" in 3 is nothing short of amazing. You can go down a rabbit hole on Youtube with all of the clips out there.
He's playing Fenders in the first two (first is definitely a P; the second looks like a P body with J neck) and looks like a StingRay in the last two. "Nutville" is ... just wow. That arrangement is so hard to play consistently at that tempo. One or two bands I've been in have attempted it.
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Thanks for posting those videos. I've got that Bill Holman arrangement for Doc's band as a PDF file, if you'd be interested. I'm a reformed pro trombonist now playing bass. I grew up playing 'bone in swing combos with some older folk who'd played with Doc when he was a precocious teenager in S. Central Oregon. Lately I've been playing bass in several big bands on an SG, now setting up an '81 P-Bass for that purpose.
PS I've also got Buddy's "Nutville" as arranged by Greg Hopkins, and "Flyin' Home" arr. by Dick Lieb (for Doc).
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A while back I posted the clip of the excellent Tom Warrington to demonstrate how good a Fender Precision sounds in the hands of a great player who knows how to play jazz. Looks like the clip has been getting a few views of late, and rightly so. Superb performances.
Well, how about this one? A slight digression I know, but please indulge me. Once again Buddy Rich, but this time with no less than a 22YO Anthony Jackson walking up a storm on his Gibson Ripper. IMO this is *perfect* walking on electric bass.
Well, how about this one? A slight digression I know, but please indulge me. Once again Buddy Rich, but this time with no less than a 22YO Anthony Jackson walking up a storm on his Gibson Ripper. IMO this is *perfect* walking on electric bass.
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I used flatwounds since the early '70' and tried tried roundwounds for a short while in the '80s but switched back to flats quickly and shortly thereafter I settled on nylon tapewounds which I've used ever since.
Which nylons tapes? (Sorry if it should be obvious, I'm a relative newbie on bass.)
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