Double Bass Marc Johnson

[j.stemmler]

The earlier trios with Erskine are worth hearing, too, esp. the one with John Surman as a guest. The music and the covers of the trios are "of their time", but each one has some great bass playing!

thanks. I'll be sure to check into them.

 

[damonsmith]

I just re-listened to them. There are some disagreeable elements for sure - some over-produced smooth tenor from Brecker on a few cuts of "Getting There", some nasty guitar synth and over-produced drums.
Still, the bass playing is always great!

 

[Treyzer]

I just re-listened to them. There are some disagreeable elements for sure - some over-produced smooth tenor from Brecker on a few cuts of "Getting There", some nasty guitar synth and over-produced drums.
Still, the bass playing is always great!

Funny you should notice these things Damon. I just went back over the last few weeks and listened to a few Eddie Gomez CD's from that same era that I thought I really liked. I'd never noticed before but the bass solos on a few tracks were obviously overdubbed and the sound of those solos was hard to listen to give our current standards. The playing was still Eddie but it was such a harsh direct sound with so many artificially eq'd highs; It sort of sounded like silverware falling of the kitchen table. I take nothing away from Mr. Gomez's prowess as a player of the double bass but the sound...... Not so great!

 

[damonsmith]

Yeah, I think the charming/dated line is very fine on recording vintages! I can like some nasty '70s direct sound from some players (like Fred Hopkins and Red Mitchell), others it is really grating. Sometimes the 70s and 80s synth sounds are interesting other times they sound just as bad as they did back then.

I tend to like the sound ECM got out of Eddie (Batik!!) and of course his early free jazz as well as his recent work sound great.

 

[Treyzer]

Yeah, I think the charming/dated line is very fine on recording vintages! I can like some nasty '70s direct sound from some players (like Fred Hopkins and Red Mitchell), others it is really grating. Sometimes the 70s and 80s synth sounds are interesting other times they sound just as bad as they did back then.

I tend to like the sound ECM got out of Eddie (Batik!!) and of course his early free jazz as well as his recent work sound great.

Well said Damon, and funny! I remember really liking some of those ECM records. I wonder if I still would!

Best

T

 

[MR PC]

It sort of sounded like silverware falling of the kitchen table. I take nothing away from Mr. Gomez's prowess as a player of the double bass but the sound...... Not so great!

You are being to polite, IMO. Gomez has been very anti electric bass, at least in interviews I've read. Yet he made all those crapp plugged in DB sounds on records. To me it sounds more like a razor blade chopping on a mirror. It's much more organized, and intentional than the sound of silverware falling off a table.

 

[jhelsley]

There is a live recording of that trio under this title that is just fantastic...

(...they did of course, take his feed direct from his BP-100...)

...still...