Graham Maby

I have been listening to Graham Maby a lot lately. He has played with many people but his mainstay has always been the guy with Joe Jackson on recordings and live. I always really liked his melodic yet rhythmic approach to bass. I played a couple Joe Jackson tunes and his bass lines were always so cool to play and such an integral part of the songs.

http://www.last.fm/music/Joe+Jackson/Steppin'+Out:+The+Very+Best+of+Joe+Jackson

Definitely check out songs like Right & Wrong, Is She Really Going Out With Him, Sunday Papers, Look Sharp, I'm The Man, You Can't Get What You Want (bass solo), and more.

By Joe Jackson


“Graham Maby is one of those guys who can do anything without seeming to try too hard,” chuckles iconic tunesmith Joe Jackson, who has kept the singular-sounding bassist and backing vocalist by his side since the mid ’70s.


Maby’s knack for melodically driving the rhythm section allows him leeway most sidemen would envy. “Graham tends to overplay,” says Jackson, “but he does it so well that instead of asking him to play less, I’ll ask the other players to get out of his way. Compared to Graham, other bass players seem like they are fumbling around. He plays with total commitment behind every note, and always has a sound that’s full, but clear. You can always hear what he’s doing, and it always makes sense melodically and harmonically.” Such dynamic pianoman/bassman relationships are rare, and the Jackson/Maby combination is prolific and influential, with hits “Sunday Papers” and “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” just two examples of Maby’s melodic bass anchoring Jackson’s brilliant pop songcraft.