Question about Will Lee

[xUptheIronsx]

"When I became a man, I gave up childish ways..."

Ugh, I'll never forgive myself for quoting scripture, LOL! But whenever the topic of these consumate pros, the journeymen of session bass players, comes up, I'm reminded of...well, something like that passage from the Bible.

...because as I've gotten older, I find I'm less and less interested or even impressed by the flashy hotshots on the instrument, those guys that get all the NAMM Show attention, and I'm more and more impressed by the guys that treat the gig like a job

-- a job where you only have one chance to be absolutely perfect --

and they do it day in and day out without ever sounding like they're phoning it in. They make compelling and exciting music at the drop of the hat in as appropriately self-effacing a way as possible. Or as necessary.

When I hear Will Lee (or Leland Sklar, or Nathan East, or Tony Levin, or Jimmy Johnson, etc.) I am far more blown away by their work ethic than I am by hearing, say, Victor Wooten's chops.

Because ime what Will Lee et al are doing is much more difficult; they're making everyone around them sound better without calling attention to themselves, yet also without completely subsuming their identity as a musician.

That is a rare skill.

no offense to you personally Roscoe...

..but I tend to not like this whole mindset of "growing up=liking more simplistic things"

as I have grown as a bass player, I find that I not only appreciate the "gymnastics" that got me into playing more, but also the more simplistic playing and "role" playing, and how BOTH aspects are neccessary to make art within the art form.

I think we are all lying to ourselves if we really say that the playing of guys like Wooten is not impressive, or neccessary within the activity.

After playing for 30 years, it ALL still impresses me if it

 

[cnltb]

if it....?

 

[braud357]

After thinking about this a bit - I can say this - If I could trade talent, resumes, and playing experiences with the "greats" in music - the person I would trade with would be Will Lee !

 

[LiquidMidnight]

no offense to you personally Roscoe...

..but I tend to not like this whole mindset of "growing up=liking more simplistic things"

as I have grown as a bass player, I find that I not only appreciate the "gymnastics" that got me into playing more, but also the more simplistic playing and "role" playing, and how BOTH aspects are neccessary to make art within the art form.

I think we are all lying to ourselves if we really say that the playing of guys like Wooten is not impressive, or neccessary within the activity.

After playing for 30 years, it ALL still impresses me if it

I agree with where you're coming from. However, I do think that with musical maturity comes musical restraint. Bass players and drummers both often go through a time period in their playing where they attempt to throw as many notes as possible in every measure, whether or not the musical situation actually demands it. That, of course, is what makes people like Wooten great. I've heard heard Wooten just sit in a pocket and groove, and he can do it like nobody's business. Then he can turn around and play some mindbending two-handed tap passage.

 

[cjmodulus]

I agree with where you're coming from. However, I do think that with musical maturity comes musical restraint. Bass players and drummers both often go through a time period in their playing where they attempt to throw as many notes as possible in every measure, whether or not the musical situation actually demands it. That, of course, is what makes people like Wooten great. I've heard heard Wooten just sit in a pocket and groove, and he can do it like nobody's business. Then he can turn around and play some mindbending two-handed tap passage.

+1
Very Well said. Groove AND flash is what makes those guys impressive.

 

[Roscoe East]

no offense to you personally Roscoe...

..but I tend to not like this whole mindset of "growing up=liking more simplistic things"

I think you misunderstand the gist of my post: I didn't mean to suggest that "growing up=liking more simplistic things". If anything I was suggesting that "growing up=liking more mature things" (...which is practically axiomatic). There's nothing "simplistic" about what Will Lee does, even if he's playing a part that's simple (sic). But there's a lot that's demonstrably mature about what he plays...which is not something that can always be said about the flashier, more "athletic" players who get drooled over in these parts.

I think we are all lying to ourselves if we really say that the playing of guys like Wooten is not impressive, or neccessary within the activity.

I've heard Victor Wooten a number of times where he was doing something that hardly seemed "necessary", and there are plenty of examples of his playing that most definitely do not impress me. And I'm pretty confirdent I'm not lying (to myself or to you). That doesn't mean I think he sucks; but it does mean that I think the musicality of his playing is often inversely proportional to its gymnastic content...whereas Will Lee seems more capable of sustaining relevant, informed, intelligent content in his playing even as the Wow Factor increases. (With some notable exceptions, which I'm sure some naysayer can easily dig up.)

 

[winstonthecat]

I just saw Will Lee with the Fab Faux, and he was great. Along with playing bass, he sang lead and backup, played acoustic guitar, and even had one song on drums.

One interesting thing I noted is that when he played with a pick (and I think all songs were played with a pick, give McCartney was a pick player), he used about 90% up strokes. I hadn't seen that before.

 

[CTC564]

Not sure if it's true in Will Lee's case, but I've heard that it's an easier finger to pick transition if upstrokes are used with pick...due to fingerstyle playing consisting of upstrokes

Did Fab Faux do the Magical Mystery Tour material???

 

[winstonthecat]

They played a wide variety of stuff, from early hits to Strawberry Fields, stuff from the White Album, and Abbey Road. And not just hits, they tossed in a few obscure songs also. I saw them at Yoshi's in SF, a great small club. I was about two rows from the stage. An awesome night of music!

 

[Kmonk]

Ummm...
Great sound, great time, great feel, great reading ability, great taste, and, from what I've heard, a very nice guy.

Next question?

He's a professional in every letter of the word. He can read. He can sing (has done probably just as many singing sessions as on bass). Meat and Potatoes is what most folks want. Believe it or not, those 'flashy' guys don't play as much as you might think! Will has done the 'flashy' thing in the past. He toured with the Brecker Brothers ('nuff said)! He played on the last studio record by Metro (Chuck Loeb's fusion band).



He's played for the CBS Orchestra (David Letterman) since 1982!

As for examples, the internet is at your disposal. Google him.

For this very reason. Continuing with the food anology, most artists don't hire bassists to play "haute cuisine," they want someone who can lay down a huge groove, play the right bassline for the song, and can do it quickly without too many mistakes. The top session guys (Neil Stubenhaus, Will Lee, Lee Sklar, Nathan East, and many others) are masters at this. They don't draw attention to themselves through their playing, instead, they make the artist they're working for sound their best.

Will Lee has a pretty comprehensive discography on his website (www.willlee.com). Personally, I'm not familiar with too much stuff he's recorded recently, but I know he's recorded with a huge variety of rock, blues, jazz, and pop artists.

Will is the epitome of what a great bassist is, he plays for the gig not his ego. He has been one of the top cats in N.Y.C for almost forty years, that's not from knowing people, that's from being creative and killing it on every gig for two generations.

Will is without a doubt one of the greatest bass players in the world. There is a reason why he is always in demand.

 

[Rickengeezer]

One interesting thing I noted is that when he played with a pick (and I think all songs were played with a pick, give McCartney was a pick player), he used about 90% up strokes. I hadn't seen that before.

I do this also, and I first started on bass with a pick 40 years ago (when it seemed like all the players were using them) so I didn't transition from fingers. No idea why, it just feels natural--it keeps the hand closer to the strings, allows more controlled muting, etc. Didn't realize that was unusual until a few years ago.

 

[thedovewarlord]

Met Will Lee in the crowd before Fiona Apple's show up in Danbury CT. Actually, it was my daughter's very first rock show and she was determined to meet someone famous to sign her journal. Low and behold, I spot him and asked him if he minded sharing a few moments with us. First off, he was an absolute gentlemen and gave my little girl a Fab Faux pick! This prompted me to check out all their clips on YouTube, there are a few fantastic Abbey Road sessions I highly recommend. Will Lee, besides proving to be a great guy, strikes me as someone always pushing himself and not resting on his past accomplishments so the fact he's discovered an economic approach to playing with a pick along his musical journey is no surprise. Inspired.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Will Lee is one of my favorite bassists. He's the killer combination of a bassist that can play all the flash in the world, but knows when to do it and when not to. And he can sing. Well.

 

[I-Love-Ratm]

Will is great. Had the pleasure to see him a few times in New York. His playing is always tasteful and in the pocket. His tone is great too. Oh and he's really great to watch onstage with his high kicks and bounce jumping Briefly met him once too outside the Bitter End after an Oz Noy gig and he was very cool and pleasant!

 

[kennedy7]

I met Will Lee once. All I said to him was that I was a big fan & that I had seen Chuck Rainey play solo at the NAMM show that day in L.A. He asked me, "how was it?" I honestly told him that I prefer Chuck playing with a band like Steely Dan than playing a bass solo. Will just turned & walked away from me. It sucks to meet your heroes & get dissed. I still hate bass solos. Always have. Always will. Excuse me for being honest.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I met Will Lee once. All I said to him was that I was a big fan & that I had seen Chuck Rainey play solo at the NAMM show that day in L.A. He asked me, "how was it?" I honestly told him that I prefer Chuck playing with a band like Steely Dan than playing a bass solo. Will just turned & walked away from me. It sucks to meet your heroes & get dissed. I still hate bass solos. Always have. Always will. Excuse me for being honest.

I know I wasn't there, but you don't know what was on his mind or where he had to go either.

 

[mozilla314]

You also have to understand that when he
asked you "how was it" he wasn't looking for
an in-depth critique. He probably wanted to
be polite when he asked you that. Just like
when you happen to meet a stranger on the
elevator and say "how's it going?" just to be
polite. You're not really looking for an answer,
it's just something to say.

 

[christoph h.]

Will Lee and Keith Carlock laying down an AMAZING groove!

 

[ShoeManiac]

I met Will Lee once. All I said to him was that I was a big fan & that I had seen Chuck Rainey play solo at the NAMM show that day in L.A. He asked me, "how was it?" I honestly told him that I prefer Chuck playing with a band like Steely Dan than playing a bass solo. Will just turned & walked away from me. It sucks to meet your heroes & get dissed. I still hate bass solos. Always have. Always will. Excuse me for being honest.

You do realize that in the course of this exchange you dissed Will's friend, right? Or at the very least a peer of his. Will replaced Chuck Rainey in a band called Dreams when he first moved from Miami to New York. You can read more about it in Invalid Link Removed. And he regards Chuck pretty highly.

What Chuck does in a solo bass setting is radically different from his work with Steely Dan. I've seen some clinic stuff he's done and his solo material is pretty complicated. Having those kinds of skills to call upon can be pretty valuable for a studio musician, as is having the sense of taste to judge when technique like that is appropriate.

As for Will's reaction to your comments about Chuck Rainey? Well, how would you react if someone you just met started dissing another musician who is your friend and you hold in high regard musically? Walking away is a polite way to disengage from that kind of situation.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

You also have to understand that when he
asked you "how was it" he wasn't looking for
an in-depth critique. He probably wanted to
be polite when he asked you that. Just like
when you happen to meet a stranger on the
elevator and say "how's it going?" just to be
polite. You're not really looking for an answer,
it's just something to say.

This makes the most sense to me. Sometimes we treat people like we know them because we are fans and know about them.