Okay, now I believe in Anthony Jackson.

[Lichtaffen]

I clicked on this vid thinking it would be Marcus Miller playing live with Grover Washington Jr.:



Instead I am being dazzled by the subtle genius of Anthony Jackson. I always knew he was great, but his intellectual demeanor kinda turned me off. Now I'm hooked and I have to hear more. Can anyone recommend some seminal recordings of his that are similar to this style of playing?

 

[A.K.]

I clicked on this vid thinking it would be Marcus Miller playing live with Grover Washington Jr.:



Instead I am being dazzled by the subtle genius of Anthony Jackson. I always knew he was great, but his intellectual demeanor kinda turned me off. Now I'm hooked and I have to hear more. Can anyone recommend some seminal recordings of his that are similar to this style of playing?

He is an excellent musician, but he comes across as self-regarding and pompous in interviews and in his writings. Not that that matters.

 

[petrus61]

He is an excellent musician, but he comes across as self-regarding and pompous in interviews and in his writings. Not that that matters.

Doesn't matter, but it doesn't exactly light a fire under my butt to check out anything he's done recently.

 

[Alexis Duntov]

I think his most famous session may be "For The Love Of Money" by the O'Jays but this is my favorite. It's very unusual the way he just stops playing during the first three drum fills. Almost as though he wants his own space to fill and does not want to get muddled up with the drums.

 

[PaulieBe]

His overlooked records with Steve Khan and Eyewitness in the 80's are pretty interesting from an outré-groove point of view if you can get past some of the period-sonics, bass excluded. rock-solid Steve Jordan on drums and Manolo Badrena on crazy percussion.

The two to check out are: Casa Loco, and the self-titled Eyewitness.



Also interesting record Who's Who w/ the always great John Scolfield has some moments, particularly 'Looks Like Meringue'. Sco's great writing pops out as usual.





Phantazia, the track on drummer harvey Mason's 'Funk In A Mason Jar' has some great bass-ing on it; kind of the horn-fusion answer to the O'jays jam.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

The Steve Khan CDs are great, but my favorite AJ albums are the first three Chaka Khan solo CDs, especially Naughty and What'cha Gonna Do For Me.

 

[jerry]

Another vote for the Steve Khan CDs, also Hiromi's last couple with AJ and Simon Phillips. Anthony Jackson has long been one of the deep thinkers of electric bass, don't be put off by his knowledge.

 

[Ewo]

Great player! Check out the recordings he made with Steve Kahn's "Eye Witness" band. I believe Dennis Chambers is on those recordings, as well.

The Suitcase double CD is def worth the bucks.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

From everything I have ever heard, AJ is very good person to those who have met him. I suspect his interview demeanor may be compensation for a lack of formal degrees. I think he is a brilliant man who is self conscious of being an autodidact.

I think AJ is sort of an opposite of Miles Davis, a man from one the best educated and well off families in black East St . Louis who attended Juilliard himself, yet he cursed like a convict in a state penitentiary.

 

[Don Kasper]

YES - check out anything he's done.
There is a long interview in Bass Player(?) from the 80's.
He's a true Virtuoso of the instrument, and does has some very strong opinions, like most Geniuses.
Check out everything below, esp. his fills @ 3:13 and 3:31...( I think they doubled this track with synth bass...).

 

[Jeff Bonny]

dude has like total mad skills an crap but when he gets all like.....thinkin' an crap?....i mean like shag me....it just kinda makes him look like all....like i dunno........like all fat and erudite an crap

but it could just be me.

 

[20db pad]

I've always enjoyed Anthony's work in Pop and R+B the most. He established himself on 4 string and I think the stuff the OP finds most interesting stylistically are from that period of Jackson's career.









These are 6 string tracks I always liked:

 

[OldDirtyBassist]

I have a real hard time attempting "For The Love Of Money" to this day, at least when I go at it fingerstyle. It's hard to get the timing right with a pic too imo. Great thread.

A.J. with Hiromi is pure gold btw.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I have a real hard time attempting "For The Love Of Money" to this day, at least when I go at it fingerstyle. It's hard to get the timing right with a pic too imo. Great thread.

A.J. with Hiromi is pure gold btw.

The original was pick style, why use your fingers?

 

[Driven Crane]

WINELIGHT is OOOOOOH!

 

[johnvic]

I assisted on a session years ago where he played. He was great obviously and seemed nice enough. But I remember the way he talked seemed pompous and self important but I wonder of he's just an intellectual bass geek. I remember him saying that he changed his strings before every session, that sounded extreme.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

But I remember the way he talked seemed pompous and self important but I wonder of he's just an intellectual bass geek.

Or maybe just an intellectual?

 

[markjazzbassist]

i can't stand his whole 6 string contrabass guitar viol crap. his baddest stuff was 4 string fender jazz with steely dan. his 6 string stuff sounds like a piano left hand playing bass (that's his "tone"). i don't get why he's always sitting too. probably gives some lecture about that's the only way to play bass because the ergonomic design that jamerson meant (he kneels at the jamerson altar too much for my liking).

to me he just sounds like some dude getting drunk off his own ego.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

i can't stand his whole 6 string contrabass guitar viol crap. his baddest stuff was 4 string fender jazz with steely dan. his 6 string stuff sounds like a piano left hand playing bass (that's his "tone"). i don't get why he's always sitting too. probably gives some lecture about that's the only way to play bass because the ergonomic design that jamerson meant (he kneels at the jamerson altar too much for my liking).

to me he just sounds like some dude getting drunk off his own ego.

He said he stopped standing on the advice of an older guitarist he knew as a young player. It may have been when he was with Buddy Rich.

Anthony Jackson is a great player who is opinionated. He sometimes reminds of me of Jeff Berlin a bit. I simply respect Jackson and Berlin while simply doing what I do.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

He said he stopped standing on the advice of an older guitarist he knew as a young player. It have been when he was with Buddy Rich.

Mechanically it makes sense.