Incognito- new to me!

The New Mastersounds are also worth a listen

 

My big band plays some Incognito stuff (check out the very first number in the link in my sig). The smaller version of the band also do that one and two Corduroy covers (Red Mercury and Chowdown). Here's our version of Red Mercury - NOT the best recording we've ever done!

Acid Jazz fans might also dig some of our original tunes. Here's one - "Senior's Guff".

This isn't the first time I've shared these, so apologies if you've heard them before.

EDIT - I'm adding here our full version of the Incognito number (the original was by Stevie Wonder, of course). It's a live recording from the gig that's in the video link in my sig. Some of it's rough (especially some of the opening brass playing!) but it still has a decent groove to it, I think. Watch out for the keyboard overloaded signal from 3:15 - 3:22 if you don't want to blow your ears out!

One of the young drummers I play with from time to time was working as Incognito's drum tech for a while, but now he's making a decent living by gigging with some name acts over here. The drummer in the video of my big band was actually his teacher. Connections...

 

Randy is one hell of a bass player, and I'm flattered every time I read someone raving about the bass line on Colibri, because, like most of the Tribes, Vibes & Scribes album, it was actually written and programmed by me. To see who played what on that album, see here.

Cheers

Richard Bull

 

Wow! You wrote the bass-lines for "Colibri","NEED TO KNOW", "Closer to the Feeling", "Magnetic Ocean", "i love what you do for me", etc...
Plus, you worked with George Benson, Sister Sledge, Maysa, Basia, etc...
Wow!
(By the way, who wrote the bass-line from "The Way You Love" from "Surreal"?)

Plus, your own "With Everyone You Are".
http://music.cbc.ca/play/artist/RICHARD-BULL

It's just cool!

 

Thanks. 'The Way You Love' is my bass and drum programming but the Canadian singer isn't me.

 

Thank you for beautiful music (currently listening to "Paradise Code") and those melodically-intricate, grooving and "punchy" bass lines, that I've admired for a long time (and tried to imitate that sound) on the bass guitar.

 

This is one of my favorite songs:

 

Wait ... Colibri is no real bass?

 

"Colibri" and other "beautifully-punchy", grooving bass-lines from "Incognito" used to drive me nuts and used to please my keyboard friends with that "inferior" notion,
"How the keyboard made the bass guitar obsolete".
But now, I'm healed.

 

It is real bass (Randy Hope-Taylor).

 

Randy only ever played this live. The bass and drums on the studio version of Colibri are programmed.

 

No need to start any "trouble", especially when we had the composer/programmer of that beautiful bass-line here, in this thread:

http://www.richardbull.me/Richard_Bull/Tribes_Vibes_and_Scribes.html

'Colibri'

Maysa Leak: Lead Vocal

Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick: Guitar

Richard Bull: Programming (Keyboards, Strings, Bass, Percussion & Drums)

Graham Harvey: Rhodes Electric Piano Solo

Thomas Dyani-Akuru: Percussion & 'Voice-Over'

Patrick Clahar: Tenor Saxophone & Saxophone Solos

Kevin Robinson: Trumpet & Flugelhorn

Fayyaz Virji: Trombone & Trombone Solo

Brass Arrangement: Kevin Robinson



Written: J-P. Maunick, R. Bull

Produced: J-P. Maunick, R. Bull

Engineered: Simon Cotsworth

Mixed: Jeremy Allom

Recorded and Mixed at Parkgate Studio, Battle

Here is that bass-line played by the bass player live:



What is with a lot of musicians - they tend to play FASTER live? Rushing where?
Why?
It changes the "feel" even of the bass-line.
N.B. It's only my opinion!

 

Could you, please, tell us where did you get that synth bass sound from - what keyboard, tone generator, module, etc..?

 

Here is another great bass-line by Richard Bull, "
Incognito "The Way You Love" - Album Surreal


"Bass – Alexei Elfenbein (tracks: 6, 8), Ernie McKone (tracks: 5), Francis Hylton (tracks: 1 to 4, 7, 9 to 12, 14), Richard Bull (tracks: 13 -"The Way You Love" )
http://www.discogs.com/Incognito-Surreal/release/3519735

"Surreal’s penultimate track, “The Way You Love,” is collaboration with my dear friend and Incognito contributor Richard Bull, and as can be expected, his drum grooves and his bass lines dominate the proceedings, creating a muscular platform for the unison vocals to dance on."
http://news.allaboutjazz.com/getting-surreal-one-on-one-with-bluey-maunick-of-incognito.php

 

OK, from memory, it comes from the Bob Clearmountain Percussion & Bass Library, (a 5 string Music Man bass) specifically, the D.I. samples but only 5 of the available set; F1, C2, F2, C3 & F3. They were sampled into an Akai S950, and at the time, I was using Steinberg's Cubase on an Atari Falcon computer. The bass was not 'performed' via Midi keyboard but programmed manually by mouse. Unlike today's bass libraries, trills weren't available, so they had to be mimicked using Pitch bend!

Richard Bull

 

Am just learning the main Colibri bass riff and it's quite a workout on the fingers! Like others on this thread I had no idea that this was a keyboard part in the record Hats of to you Richard for making such a famously grooving line on the keyboard that can pass for bass. Found it a year back on bass groove website.

I came here seeing if anyone had figured out the bass sound, having been trying for 30 mins with different patches. I like the growl, so trying compression options, but also each note is so clean and uniform (apart from the vibrato / pitch bend) it makes sense now the sound were sampled on that track. Can anyone share the set of bass effects used?

 

Better late than never. I have nine albums of theirs. My favorite is 'One Hundred and Rising'.

The live shows are highly recommended. Every last singer that rolls through that band can blow! And that's in addition to Maysa!

Randy Hope Taylor was their longtime bass man for many years, but they've had a few others, since. My favorite is Julian Crampton! 'Jacob's Ladder' is a bassman's joint. Seeing Crampton do that record live is a beastly experience!

The horns are incredible! I'll repeat that......The horns are incredible!!!!!!

Oh, before I forget, a rule If you're taking your girl to see Incognito: when Maysa sings them 'Still A Fried of Mine' and 'Deep Water' ****s, step back and shut the **** up! For female Incognito fans, that's their anthems!

 

Playing too slow live tends to 'drag' the song. You want to keep the 'energy up' in a live setting. Watching old clips of Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding taught me that!

And good too see Richard Bull on this thread! My position that you can't 'interrupt your girl' when Maysa sings 'Still A Friend of Mine' and 'Deep Waters' still stands....! (LOL!)

 

Just saw Incognito in New York, this past Wednesday! Still tight, although more subdued than previous shows. The 'subdued' has more to do with the venue, BB Kings, than anything else! (too many sit down tables!) Back in the day, at spots like Irving Plaza, Manhattan Center, etc, where folk were standing up, had much more energy....!