Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Jeff Berlin
- Thread starter Lorenzini
- Start date
- Status
Hey NV43345 - thanks for the info!
BTW, I'm listening to the MD I made of the DVD, and Jeff Berlin throws in a measure of vicious slapping on "Period" - I remember being suprised when I first saw him do it (kinda figured he'd be anti-slapping), but someone else mentioned seeing him slap earlier...
BTW, I'm listening to the MD I made of the DVD, and Jeff Berlin throws in a measure of vicious slapping on "Period" - I remember being suprised when I first saw him do it (kinda figured he'd be anti-slapping), but someone else mentioned seeing him slap earlier...
I attended a Berlin clinic in the early '80s(he does tell great stories).hieronymous said:
He played "Dixie" & some other chordal stuff. Polite applause.
..then he played about 10-15 seconds worth of some Slap/Pop pseudo-wankery. The place went nutz. He was displeased at what drew the louder reaction.
Bassic83 said:
I was going to say that since it's a Japanese release it'll be the wrong region code for the States, but actually it will play on all DVD players! I don't know when and if it's slated for US release, but you should be able to track it down at an import site. But be prepared to pay big bucks - it might just make more sense to wait for a domestic release...
john turner said:
It certainly sounds like he's playing a fretless on some of the Bruford stuff, particularly "Either End of August"
Yeah but, paying attention to Jeff's slapping is like saying Flea is an awesome fingerstyle player. 
He does okay, for a guy who doesn't fully appreciate the concept of slapping. As someone said, he seems to think the whole concept is wankish. I, for one, couldn't disagree more. But that's just me. And, it is certainly true that some slap players (especially beginners) "make" it sound wankish. But IMO the instrument has no limits, other than what the player puts on it.
Where Jeff really excels is in his technical ability, and his ability to get around the fingerboard. He's just a monster with the precision of his fingerstyle playing. I have to practice for a whole year to get that level of precision on a repeatable lick, and he seems to be able to pull it out of a hat. On the other hand, I could probably blow his ass right out of the water in a slap situation, just because I'm hip to the style and I can be creative with it, whereas he seems to be limited by his preconceptions and "druthers". And that's okay, to each his own. There's no expectation that he (or any other bass player) has to know and be proficient with "all" styles, only that he be reasonably good at the one(s) he chooses to use. And that word "reasonably" would probably be the understatement of the year, when it comes to Jeff's fingerstyle playing. Jeff's the "un" part of that, he's so darn good that few people will ever come close, even if they practice their whole lifetimes.
I tend to appreciate the pieces that the player appreciates, in other words, if the player isn't behind a lick he's playing, it shows. So, I don't listen to Jeff's slap stuff much, I tend to ignore it for the most part. The part of his talent I want to cop is the awesome theoretical ear, and the nimbleness of the fingers. That part is worth practicing. I wouldn't waste a microsecond trying to cop one of Jeff's slap licks, IMO they're generally dull and unexciting, and it's pretty obvious he's not really behind them. But he gets deeply intense with his fingerstyle playing, and in that domain it's clear he's way "into" it. That counts for a lot.
Sorry, I hope I'm not opening a can of worms by saying this. Really I'm only saying that the first and most important criterion for a bass player is the love of the instrument, and secondarily the particular style(s) with which one chooses to express oneself. If one has to labor against overwhelming apathy or "perceptions", one might as well hang it up, and try again when one is in a better frame of mind. I haven't heard Jeff's latest CD, or seen him recently, so my take is based mainly on his earlier history. Maybe he's changed his attitude on slap, who knows. If he's doing live slap solos, is that because he likes doing it, or because he needs to prove he can? I don't know. Jeff's an awesome player, and I'm sure that if he put his mind to "anything" in the bass domain, it would come out smelling like a rose. I just think it's unfortunate that he doesn't fully appreciate the potential of slap, and "all" the various things one can do with a bass. Even smashing speaker cabinets and stuff like that. To some, that would be "showmanship" (ie an essential part of live bass playing). To others, that would be pointless and "wankish". When I want to smash speakers, I'll watch the people who do it well. When I want to play synth bass, I'll listen to the folks who do it well. When I need fingerstyle inspiration, I listen to Jeff.
He does okay, for a guy who doesn't fully appreciate the concept of slapping. As someone said, he seems to think the whole concept is wankish. I, for one, couldn't disagree more. But that's just me. And, it is certainly true that some slap players (especially beginners) "make" it sound wankish. But IMO the instrument has no limits, other than what the player puts on it.
Where Jeff really excels is in his technical ability, and his ability to get around the fingerboard. He's just a monster with the precision of his fingerstyle playing. I have to practice for a whole year to get that level of precision on a repeatable lick, and he seems to be able to pull it out of a hat. On the other hand, I could probably blow his ass right out of the water in a slap situation, just because I'm hip to the style and I can be creative with it, whereas he seems to be limited by his preconceptions and "druthers". And that's okay, to each his own. There's no expectation that he (or any other bass player) has to know and be proficient with "all" styles, only that he be reasonably good at the one(s) he chooses to use. And that word "reasonably" would probably be the understatement of the year, when it comes to Jeff's fingerstyle playing. Jeff's the "un" part of that, he's so darn good that few people will ever come close, even if they practice their whole lifetimes.
I tend to appreciate the pieces that the player appreciates, in other words, if the player isn't behind a lick he's playing, it shows. So, I don't listen to Jeff's slap stuff much, I tend to ignore it for the most part. The part of his talent I want to cop is the awesome theoretical ear, and the nimbleness of the fingers. That part is worth practicing. I wouldn't waste a microsecond trying to cop one of Jeff's slap licks, IMO they're generally dull and unexciting, and it's pretty obvious he's not really behind them. But he gets deeply intense with his fingerstyle playing, and in that domain it's clear he's way "into" it. That counts for a lot.
Sorry, I hope I'm not opening a can of worms by saying this. Really I'm only saying that the first and most important criterion for a bass player is the love of the instrument, and secondarily the particular style(s) with which one chooses to express oneself. If one has to labor against overwhelming apathy or "perceptions", one might as well hang it up, and try again when one is in a better frame of mind. I haven't heard Jeff's latest CD, or seen him recently, so my take is based mainly on his earlier history. Maybe he's changed his attitude on slap, who knows. If he's doing live slap solos, is that because he likes doing it, or because he needs to prove he can? I don't know. Jeff's an awesome player, and I'm sure that if he put his mind to "anything" in the bass domain, it would come out smelling like a rose. I just think it's unfortunate that he doesn't fully appreciate the potential of slap, and "all" the various things one can do with a bass. Even smashing speaker cabinets and stuff like that. To some, that would be "showmanship" (ie an essential part of live bass playing). To others, that would be pointless and "wankish". When I want to smash speakers, I'll watch the people who do it well. When I want to play synth bass, I'll listen to the folks who do it well. When I need fingerstyle inspiration, I listen to Jeff.
JimK said:
i also remember seeing Jeff at a clinic in the early 90's. he was very inspirational and an absolute monster on the bass. i do remember him being fairly "anti-slapping" when he was talking. he just thought that too many young bass players spent way too much time learning how to "slap and tap" on their bassses, and didn't spend enough time learning just basic music theory.
nonsqtr said:Yeah but, paying attention to Jeff's slapping is like saying Flea is an awesome fingerstyle player.
Flea's fingerstyle ain't that bad.
I dug out an album called Action Figure Party(mainly to re-visit Mike Elizondo's tracks)...Flea has 2 tracks on this disc.
The 1st one has some definite Jaco-esque plucking.
The 2nd tune is a "Jazz" tune(acoustic piano + Gary Novak on cans). Not that bad a performance from Flea, either.
I don't think I've heard Berlin slap since that '80s clinic I mentioned above. IIRC, that 10-15 seconds of slap/pop he did at that clinic was, at the time, the best slap/pop bass I had heard.
I agree, he did the bass line to Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know", which I think is pretty funkay...
Just to clarify, Flea recorded Alanis' "You Oughta Know", not Jeff Berlin. The above is a bit ambiguous.
Yes, that's what I thought I had said...but you're right, it is a bit ambiguous...it was indeed Flea.
Bassic83 said:
Don't forget Soul to squeeze from the Coneheads soundtrack.
That was the song that convinced me that Flea was a bass player, not just a punk that could slap.
Did Jeff use a pick when he played that Yes show?
nonsqtr said:Yeah but, paying attention to Jeff's slapping is like saying Flea is an awesome fingerstyle player.
I prefer Flea's tasteful grooving on Blood Sugar Sex Magik than any of his slapping stuff. He's got great feel. On the 'Off the Map' DVD he plays some superb lines in the jam they play after Search and Destroy.
Jeff Berlin's a great bassist. I think it says somewhere in the Jaco book that he didnt want to play a fretless because he didnt want to be a jaco-clone.
Peik said:
I studied PIANO at his school. It was awesome. Jeff has such a deep understanding of musical theory that he can teach MUSIC and not just licks on a bass. This is an essential part of teaching, imo.
The 2 guitarists teaching there are quite amazing, two of the best bop/jazz players in Florida.
The piano teacher also teaches most of the music theory classes. He has such a thorough understanding of music and how it all fits together that he is a HUGE part of the school.
As far as Jeff goes, he is one of the most down-to-earth and friendly guys you'll ever meet. He'll always take the time to see how it's going. He simply cares about his school, his staff and most of all, his students. I've seen a few musicians enter the school's 1 or 2 year program an intermediate musician, a dabbler... and come out completely professional with the data and abilities to play any style of music. Love it!
By the way, JetJazz, when did you attend the school, and if I may ask do you know a pianist named "Matt" that attended as well?
I love Jeff Berlin. I put his tune Marabi on repeat and listen over and over, and he just makes it sound so easy. (Neil Peart of Rush plays on this track, incidentally.)
And I just listened to the clips from Lumpy Jazz on his website, and damn that is some fine playing. He is The Master.
And I just listened to the clips from Lumpy Jazz on his website, and damn that is some fine playing. He is The Master.
Lorenzini,
I attended only two One Week Intensives. One was in 2001 and the other just last year. I don't recall a Matt student but we were there only a week so I don't remember many names. I really dig the theory teacher Matt Bokulick (spelling?)
I agree with you, the school and Jeff are the best! I highly recommend the Players School to everyone. I wish I had the time to do the complete two year course!
JetJazz
I attended only two One Week Intensives. One was in 2001 and the other just last year. I don't recall a Matt student but we were there only a week so I don't remember many names. I really dig the theory teacher Matt Bokulick (spelling?)
I agree with you, the school and Jeff are the best! I highly recommend the Players School to everyone. I wish I had the time to do the complete two year course!
JetJazz
- Status
