Questlove interviews Barkays bassist, James Alexander.

[Dr. Cheese]

Check it out!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I posted this eight days ago and there are no comments. He was not known for his chops, but the saw and created a lot of music history.

 

[jerry]

I posted this eight days ago and there are no comments. He was not known for his chops, but the saw and created a lot of music history.

I almost always mention Alexander as the "other" bassist at Stax in threads about that label. He might even have been on more recordings than Duck. He's the bassist on Shaft, some of the most recognized bass lines we all know.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I almost always mention Alexander as the "other" bassist at Stax in threads about that label. He might even have been on more recordings than Duck. He's the bassist on Shaft, some of the most recognized bass lines we all know.

Booker T and the MG’s were the face of Stax recording and lots of folks like James Alexander and Dwayne Thomas Sr. (MonoNeon’s Dad) are kind of hidden in the background. The thing that struck me about James Alexander’s interview was that his training was a good bit more formal than I imagined. Stax always had a vibe that made me think of guy’s picking up guitars and learning a few chords or riffs on their own, but these guys benefitted from public music education, just like their Detroit counterparts. Alexander also learned Jazz standards in clubs. Dude is a reminder to never assume what someone plays is all he or she knows.