Double Bass Marc Johnson?

[musicman5string]

When I was in college I played in a group that opened for Eliane Elais with Marc playing bass. To say I was nervous is an understatment. I spoke to Marc a little afterwards and he was very nice, if a little shy. I remember during their set she walked off the stage in the middle of a tune for Marc to have an unaccompanied solo. I still remember her walk. Not to sound sexist or anything, but it was a slow sexy walk that made me think she should be a rock star. Oh....and she wore leather pants.
Anyway, of course Marc played a solo that had the house at the edge of their seats and he got at least a minute's worth of applause afterwards.
That was a great show.

 

[musicman5string]

......and it was great music too.


Did I mention the leather pants?

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Marc Johnson, acoustic bass
Peter Erskine, drums
Nguyên Lê, el. & el./acoustic guitars, gtr-synth.

 

[vilshofen]

Wanted to post something with his arco playing.
I think the word to describe it is "limpid."

 

[JLubinsky-Mast]

I need to re-purchase Shades of Jade. Beautiful record, it’s been years since I’ve heard it.

 

[dhm]

Joey Baron is MAGIC!!!

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Wanted to post something with his arco playing.
I think the word to describe it is "limpid."

Man, his bowed sound on this is incredible. I think I'm about to go on a MJ listening tear, starting with this one. Would love to hear a "Top 3 rekkids MJ is on" from folks in a position to do so.

 

[Carl Hillman]

Joey Baron is MAGIC!!!

Joey Baron is a zen master.

I got to play one gig with him years ago. I think he had a cymbal, a snare drum, and another snare, on its side with the snares off as a bass drum.

Playing with him felt limitless.

 

[vilshofen]

Man, his bowed sound on this is incredible. I think I'm about to go on a MJ listening tear, starting with this one. Would love to hear a "Top 3 rekkids MJ is on" from folks in a position to do so.

Chris you could start here, though good luck finding any of his arco work anywhere. Two years with Bill Evans - not a peep AFAIK.

 

[gerry grable]

Man, his bowed sound on this is incredible. I think I'm about to go on a MJ listening tear, starting with this one. Would love to hear a "Top 3 rekkids MJ is on" from folks in a position to do so.

His bowing is beautiful, but is that all there is of It?
Btw, of all the bass great players that played with Bill Evans, I think that this guy came closest to achieving the warmth and empathy that was the essence of the original trio with Scotty and Paul.

 

[Acoop]

Great, solid time and tone. I saw him with Lee Konitz and John Scofield, back in the 90's in Toronto. He has a beautiful Charlie Hayden thing going on.

 

[gerry grable]

Great, solid time and tone. I saw him with Lee Konitz and John Scofield, back in the 90's in Toronto. He has a beautiful Charlie Hayden thing going on.

I agree with the first part, but I don't really hear the Charlie Hayden thing.

 

[isolated]

Man, his bowed sound on this is incredible. I think I'm about to go on a MJ listening tear, starting with this one. Would love to hear a "Top 3 rekkids MJ is on" from folks in a position to do so.

Lessee here...

Paul Motian: Bill Evans
John Abercrombie Trio: Abercrombie, Johnson, Erskine
Charles Lloyd: The Water is Wide (Larry Grenadier is on half of this one.)

Bonus: And also that rekkid of duets, 2 X 4, which has some really nice moments...aaaand there's that bootleg of the Scofield quartet from the mid-90s that I recall being super-bad. Right Brain Patrol with Ben Monder (!) was pretty cool...the follow-up to that with Wolfgang Muthspiel less so.

 

[vilshofen]

Man, his bowed sound on this is incredible.

Chris I found another arco solo, 3 minutes into a very sprightly bossa.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Chris I found another arco solo, 3 minutes into a very sprightly bossa.

Gorgeous! I can't tell if that's an Eminence or something close to it, but it doesn't really matter.... that playing and sound are absolutely stellar.

 

[damonsmith]

I am pretty sure that is an Eminence. He got a great sound with a Fishman BP-100 choking out the bridge for years - and not a cool sort of amp sound like the great Fred Hopkins, but, a nice woody tone. There are some recordings with a nasty DI here and there but lots where he just sounds great.
I have always loved this one:

 

[834federal]

Enrico Pieranunzi - Deep Down. That is some baddass bass playing by Marc Johnson

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

@834federal That was really beautiful - thanks for that.

 

[834federal]

@834federal That was really beautiful - thanks for that.

Absolutely!

 

[Bassist30]

He plays a lot of gigs with his wife Eliane Elias