There's many comments about the "ease" of bass playing. I've said above for me it is, after 50 solid years of dedication and deep listening mostly to all the other voices, it is a work in progress. Age itself has become a slight obstacle particularly in sheer stamina. I came out of R&B in a culturally vibrant USA. It seemed like there was a garage band every other house in my white upper middle class upbringing and it was all Blues and R&B. The Blues is at the core of my playing no matter the bag from country to jazz, ethnic, world, hip-hop, rockabilly -- to me they're just labels used placate an audience who factually doesn't really listen to music. Certainly not in a way that puts one's self right in their moment.
This brings me to something else. I'm a terrible soloist. That was never my goal. For 50 years I've worked to be a consummate accompanist to sound like anyone on any record ever. The same sound, time, groove and after years and years have stepped out as my own voice. I'll go toe-to-toe with anyone on the groove end of rhythm playing. I know how to put the fire, the excitement factor into my voice like my heroes Jemmott, Jamerson, Rainey, Bennett and upright players like Ray Brown. Anyone can put me to shame on the solo end. But I'm pretty sure my chops will exceed yours on the groove end. I don't know anyone who might get a gig for their bass solos. I do know I get gigs because I can play that sucker down. A bass player needs the others to step up just as groovy otherwise playing is a tremendous, arduous proposition I won't partake any more than I have. The intensity of rhythm playing has died down terribly in humans IMHO. Computers are a shabby substitute for a real, bona fide, versed, studied and experienced cat. The art of rhythm players in general seems to be a lost art. Here I am in the 21 century still getting my rocks off to 20th Century music if all kinds, from Carter Family on through to P Funk and Miles. Those traditions define my art but I am hard pressed to find anyone of a younger age who has any real interest in that history which is the history of American contemporary music before DJ's and glorified boobies and ass shows where no band is even visible. Probably don't even exist. Someone would have to pay musicians in actual real dollars and the mindset post 9/11 is pay no one anything for their labor.
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