New/obscure jazz & fusion players?

[shwashwa]

I didn't even think of mentioning him because he is not new and also pretty far from obscure. I saw Jonas play in the early 80s (i.e. over 30 years ago) with John McLaughlin which is as high profile as it gets for this genre.

I think you can see from my OP that I'm looking for people who haven't been on the cover of Bass Player etc.

gerry carboy

 

[fusionguy]

gerry carboy

I remember him from Dave Sancious' old band which was a great proggy band but I haven't seen that he plays electric on any of the jazz things he does. Do you have any suggestions?

 

[Honch]

Ale William Sjöström I just happened to hear recently as he was playing with perhaps the most blatant Mike Stern clone I have ever heard (Steffen Brix) and I sent the clip to a friend for that reason:

Yeah, but you wanted obscure. They'll stay obscure for sure, if they're blatant [insert any famous one] clones, don't you think? Here's him jamming out together with Jonas Reingold on bass (of Flower Kings fame, not a fusion player at all, as such, but not that obscure to prog fans, almost an old stalwart). Him to left, Ale William at right. Don't know if one can hear the changes. Jamie Salazar on drums (played with Flower Kings, Jonas Hellborg, Karmakanic etc).



Here's Ale in a trio setting, not that blatant Stern copy from the guitar player though, a little more changes:

 

[Honch]

Here's Henrik Linder playing - at least a couple of more - changes, and improvising them too:

 

[shwashwa]

I remember him from Dave Sancious' old band which was a great proggy band but I haven't seen that he plays electric on any of the jazz things he does. Do you have any suggestions?

he's really an electric player but last several years he's been playing that stick thing which is a shame because his voice on electric is amazing and he can certainly play the changes. over the years he has been careful not to let people record him or his gigs (was easier to control in the days before these crazy phones) which is a damn shame because people really need to hear him, ON ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR! no offense to him if he's reading! his voice blowing on standards is amazing.

 

[shwashwa]

he's really an electric player but last several years he's been playing that stick thing which is a shame because his voice on electric is amazing and he can certainly play the changes. over the years he has been careful not to let people record him or his gigs (was easier to control in the days before these crazy phones) which is a damn shame because people really need to hear him, ON ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR! no offense to him if he's reading! his voice blowing on standards is amazing.

 

[Billyzoom]

Anyone who plays with the guitarist Joe Berger, when he's not playing with Jon Hammond.

That's a helluva guitar player. Have to check him out.

 

[Honch]

he's really an electric player but last several years he's been playing that stick thing which is a shame because his voice on electric is amazing and he can certainly play the changes. over the years he has been careful not to let people record him or his gigs (was easier to control in the days before these crazy phones) which is a damn shame because people really need to hear him, ON ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR! no offense to him if he's reading! his voice blowing on standards is amazing.

I have the old David Sancious "fusion/prog" records, " Forest of Feelings", "Just As I thought" and "Tones (Transformation)". No matter how much dated it sounds today, I love it. When I hear it today, I can understand the "wear" that time has chewed on it, but as long as it is good playing, it's great. If there's a good composition behind it, I don't mind any shredding or solos on any instrument. He kept that groove up. I don't know if he's on those albums though!

But I agree with you completely on one thing: That he plays on Stick these days, but "his voice" on electric is amazing. This is really OT, but if you've read my earlier rants about Stick and Stick players this touches on the exact same thing, I have been thinking about Stick players all along. They have no voice on Stick, they can't "sing" with their instruments. They sounds the same, all these tapping guys. As fast as they go over to electric bass and pluck the damm things, their own uniqe voice starts to come forward. It's a more personal voice, especially in dynamics area. But, before we derail and hijack the topic, let's not go there. But I agree with you!

EDIT: He just talks on that video though...

 

[Honch]

@fusionguy

I hope you have checked out all those African/French young guys too. Linley Marthe, Ricard Bona (not that young though), but I think they're not that obscure by now. Same as Eitienne M'Bappé (already mentioned, the man with the gloves, he's a monster imho), and the like. All those "Cameroon guys" as I use to call them.

Don't know if Nathan Navarro (not African/French by any means though) counts as fusion...I haven't heard him play that much over changes, but I would consider him some kind of fusion anyway. He's more experiemental, and makes fusion in the electronica, modern kind of way, also using gloves... at least on one hand! FWIW, I call Nathan as something of a cutting edge bass player, and embraces new techniques and technology and I find him very innovative in his playing, regardless of using technology or not. Don't know if Nathan Navarro counts as obscure/new/young.... either... What's obscure in your country (or by you), may be household names in other parts of the world, and the other way around too. Now, how any bass player can be a household name...

 

[Honch]

Christian Galvez from Chile is another one you should check out. Not in a traditional sense that plays grooves that you'll remember for the rest of you life, but ... some kinda a fusion, anyway.

One of the first, and perhaps only instances, where any electric bassist are accompanied by an acoustic upright player....(?!):

 

[Honch]

Mats Morgan band. Swedish i think...superbadd i know. Not sure who the players are though

Mats & Morgan are just a blind keyboard player and a drummer. No offense, but killer players, but they use a plethora of revolving door additional members, as well bass players. No set and steady bass player. They use different players all of the time. Great anyway. Not sure about the fusion kind of things, and playing over changes.

 

[SeSt]

My contribution here: Dominique Di Piazza. His major gig was with John McLaughlin.

 

[AztecViking]

Yvan Rougney of Mörglbl is a very decent fusion player and still genuinely obscure.

 

[fusionguy]

Yeah, but you wanted obscure. They'll stay obscure for sure, if they're blatant [insert any famous one] clones, don't you think? Here's him jamming out together with Jonas Reingold on bass (of Flower Kings fame, not a fusion player at all, as such, but not that obscure to prog fans, almost an old stalwart). Him to left, Ale William at right. Don't know if one can hear the changes. Jamie Salazar on drums (played with Flower Kings, Jonas Hellborg, Karmakanic etc).



Here's Ale in a trio setting, not that blatant Stern copy from the guitar player though, a little more changes:

I don't mind clone suggestions for the purposes of this thread so don't worry (I was speaking about the guitarist there anyway Thanks for the other videos. I know Reingold too and think he is a fusion fan actually in addition to playing proggish things. He's probably closer to fusion than some of the suggestions in this thread

 

[fusionguy]

Yvan Rougney of Mörglbl is a very decent fusion player and still genuinely obscure.

Thanks I have heard those guys and would put them in the Steve Vai/Zappa area; they don't really play over changes per se (not in the way that we generally mean by that in jazz and fusion) but are good players and it's nice to see someone keeping that alive.

 

[fusionguy]

My contribution here: Dominique Di Piazza. His major gig was with John McLaughlin.

Dominique is definitely great but as with my reply about Jonas Hellborg I feel compelled to point out that he is pretty famous in the fusion bass world and has been around a long time; I first heard him with McLaughlin as well as with French guitarist Louis Winsberg in the early 1990s.

 

[fusionguy]

Mats & Morgan are just a blind keyboard player and a drummer. No offense, but killer players, but they use a plethora of revolving door additional members, as well bass players. No set and steady bass player. They use different players all of the time. Great anyway. Not sure about the fusion kind of things, and playing over changes.

Yep you are right...they are comparable in some ways to the Morglbl posted above as well more than fusion or jazz players.

 

[fusionguy]

Christian Galvez from Chile is another one you should check out. Not in a traditional sense that plays grooves that you'll remember for the rest of you life, but ... some kinda a fusion, anyway.

One of the first, and perhaps only instances, where any electric bassist are accompanied by an acoustic upright player....(?!):

Yes I have seen him in some videos with Gary Willis and Dominique Di Piazza and he is definitely a fusion player (he didn't do much for me in that context to be honest whereas Dominque and Gary especially did).

Also, Jeff Berlin has done some recordings with upright holding it down for him to solo on the electric.

 

[fusionguy]

@fusionguy

I hope you have checked out all those African/French young guys too. Linley Marthe, Ricard Bona (not that young though), but I think they're not that obscure by now. Same as Eitienne M'Bappé (already mentioned, the man with the gloves, he's a monster imho), and the like. All those "Cameroon guys" as I use to call them.

Don't know if Nathan Navarro (not African/French by any means though) counts as fusion...I haven't heard him play that much over changes, but I would consider him some kind of fusion anyway. He's more experiemental, and makes fusion in the electronica, modern kind of way, also using gloves... at least on one hand! FWIW, I call Nathan as something of a cutting edge bass player, and embraces new techniques and technology and I find him very innovative in his playing, regardless of using technology or not. Don't know if Nathan Navarro counts as obscure/new/young.... either... What's obscure in your country (or by you), may be household names in other parts of the world, and the other way around too. Now, how any bass player can be a household name...

Definitely have checked out all the West African players with some notoriety. I like their grooves a lot more than I like their solos if you know what I mean. You're right about geography playing into obscurity a lot which is why I mentioned some players who are definitely not usually known to English speakers like Pippo Matino or Dario Deidda (now a bit more known) and hope to hear from more people around the world on this one.

I have heard a few clips from Nathan Navarro but I don't recall anything in this style; any suggestions?

 

[srayb]

Antoine Fafard with the band Spaced Out.
Robertino Pagliari with the band Ohm.