I grabbed this from Facebook. As great as Victor Bailey was, I don’t think most bassists realized just how great a player he was.
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Remembering Victor Bailey
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I grabbed this from Facebook. As great as Victor Bailey was, I don’t think most bassists realized just how great a player he was.
When the Bass Collective was in full swing in NYC I was lucky enough to do 6 x 2 hour lessons with Victor Bailey. He was on the faculty. It was me and one other student. In addition to being an amazing musician he was a great human and had a great sense of humor. After the 3rd lesson we were like old friends and he was ragging on me hard when I made a mistake.. but in a very comical way.
He told some great stories and was very proud of his time touring with Madonna. During this 6 week period he had to take a break to record an album with Kenny Loggins… and was gone for a few weeks.
He was a great instructor and once he realized where my proficiency and deficiencies were he tailored the lessons accordingly. He was a really sweet guy and I am so grateful to have spent some good time with him as an educator. I believe he was on staff at Berklee.
He was using a cane at this time and sadly he was feeling the early effects of Lou Gehrig Disease that led to his ultimate passing.
He left behind an amazing legacy.
RIP Victor Bailey
He told some great stories and was very proud of his time touring with Madonna. During this 6 week period he had to take a break to record an album with Kenny Loggins… and was gone for a few weeks.
He was a great instructor and once he realized where my proficiency and deficiencies were he tailored the lessons accordingly. He was a really sweet guy and I am so grateful to have spent some good time with him as an educator. I believe he was on staff at Berklee.
He was using a cane at this time and sadly he was feeling the early effects of Lou Gehrig Disease that led to his ultimate passing.
He left behind an amazing legacy.
RIP Victor Bailey
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Had this song in the Setlist of a band I was in about 15 years ago. Trying to copy his feel and tone was a huge challenge. Love this guy. Rest in peace.
One of my absolute faves. I jumped on the bandwagon with Bottoms Up, but actually saw him with Steps Ahead in the mid 80s. He was an artist of the highest caliber. RIP, Victor Bailey.
Saw him with Weather Report during the Procession release. Playing fretless, may have been my first time hearing one live. Omar Hakim on drums. What a team.
Such a profoundly accomplished player. He was attending Berklee the same time as a guitarist friend of mine was - it was apparent even then that Bailey was an exceptional talent.
He occasionally worked with the older top-dog performers in my locale when I was a kid. I found him to be a nice guy and receptive to questions from younger players.
The progress of his illness took me aback - he seemed just fine when our respective paths crossed. He was always very slender, but I thought he was simply one of those guys that had that sort of physique.
The best compliment I can pay to him is that I still cue "Bottoms Up" and revisit "Kid Logic" and other tunes on that release regularly. There's very few bassist/bandleaders whose work has captured me that way, which is a sign to me that he had something special going on.
He occasionally worked with the older top-dog performers in my locale when I was a kid. I found him to be a nice guy and receptive to questions from younger players.
The progress of his illness took me aback - he seemed just fine when our respective paths crossed. He was always very slender, but I thought he was simply one of those guys that had that sort of physique.
The best compliment I can pay to him is that I still cue "Bottoms Up" and revisit "Kid Logic" and other tunes on that release regularly. There's very few bassist/bandleaders whose work has captured me that way, which is a sign to me that he had something special going on.
One of my all time favorites. Total legend if you love fusion and top tier session players.
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His Fender Signature Bass is legendary.
Fantastic track. I knew it was Dennis Chambers the second I heard it. Few drummers have such power and attack and still be so fluid and funky. Incredible piece.
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
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incredible player, gone way way too soon. totally unfair
I saw Weather Report with Victor during the "Procession" era. He was an amazing player and seeing him play with Omar Hakim was really inspiring. Gone too soon....
That’s an amazing track, I haven’t listened to that album in too long. He was an amazing, under-appreciated genius.
In 2019 we moved my mother into an independent living facility in Newton, Massachusetts. I was talking to the director of the facility, whose name is Todd, in his office and noticed he had an autographed photo of Victor Bailey framed on his wall. Todd had been the director of the assisted living facility Victor Bailey had moved into in Newton a few years before. Todd said Bailey was one of the nicest and most thoughtful
people he had ever met, always friendly, always cheerful.
people he had ever met, always friendly, always cheerful.
Took one lesson from him in the early 80's when he was teaching 1-on-1's at NYC's Drummers Collective. Wish I can say I left a changed player, but I remained the same old same old. . . I saw him a couple of years later perform with Steps Ahead. They opened with a tune that started with a bass/ drum groove. It was fantastic, super funky and totally in the pocket. . . Back in the day they diss-ed him as a Jaco clone, but what he played that evening was a master class in funk and fusion.
I never really listened to him before but I just did. If anyone has complaints about how he plays or even if he is a "Jacob Clone" or whatever...they are nuts! Beautiful tone and interesting playing. Great walking as well. So sad that he had to live with the kind of disease he had. That must have been an incredible mental stressor. Dr. Cheese, thank you for posting this memorial.
A Weather Channel “Local on the 8s”
1990s classic.
1990s classic.
