BobDeRosa
Commercial User
- May 16, 2012
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- Owner, Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camps
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Richard Bona: The Lick
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I don't think that assessment does justice to a lot of players who are simply striving to be great. Bona was certainly heavily influenced by Jaco, but he brings a lot to the table that Jaco did not have also, like his African musical heritage and his great vocal ability.
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I believe I read somewhere that Jaco, while an amazing improviser of course, often worked out his solos for recordings ... so it's not as if that's not an unusual approach.
As far as Richard Bona's lick (which I've never heard before), it's certainly technically pretty amazing ... particularly along with some of his scatting along with it (although some of the scatting/playing examples the OP provided are pretty removed from the actual lick to my ears), but it does not move me very much.
Totally. Sounds like Donna Lee at 275 bpm.
Me too!Also I was expecting this lick of course
Richard Bona is among the microscopically small slice of people doing what we do who gets opportunity to play because he can do stuff like this. Literally, people pay to see Richard Bona do this lick and/or other acrobatics like it. He knows this and plays to his audience.
Sort of like the Joni Mitchell records with Jaco - in an absolute sense, Jaco plays all over everyone on those records (esp. the live one) and normal bass players would get fired for doing that. But Jaco was there to be Jaco and do his Jaco thing in that music. So it was OK.
This arises from a one sentence quote in a Marcus Miller interview; it used to be on his website but is gone now.
Marcus relates a thing Jaco said to him once that has since made the world in general and this board in particular speculate that Jaco could not improvise. Of course he could. If you never saw him in person check out the CD he did with Bireli Lagrene where he does plenty of it and very well. Also he hung out with Wayne Shorter and I can't figure how you don't get really good at blowing if you learn from that guy.
But to your point, many cats practice in such a way that they are establishing a lick vocabulary and learning how to use that vocabulary in jazz situations. Jaco may have been like that. Mike Stern is definitely like that - spend 90 minutes listening to his music and you start to get the feeling that he has 20 or 30 licks that he mixes and matches in every solo he does and there's not much else there.
I'm not sure it's cheating, exactly. More like the difference between having a totally extemporaneous discussion with a person who is so well versed in a topic that they can speak casually about it with anyone, and having a discussion with someone who knows they are going to have that discussion and considers their talking points in advance, at least in a general way. The latter being Mike Stern's and possibly Jaco's model.
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Well, I can't play it , but so what. Not knocking the skill required, but that doesn't move me in any way. I am more partial to the many players that made Motown a true gift. Take me to the river.
OK - was aware of Bona but have had limited experience. It's a cool lick, and it's easy to understand why and how he trots it out. Some of the versions sounded different about 1/2 way through, but I'm not gonna listen again. BUT....go to 1:32, and check out Joe Zawinul sitting up and taking notice - after all of his weather report years with Jaco, Alphonso Johnson and Miroslav Vitous (sp?), that was a hoot!
Not only is a Richard a great player, but he's also a good guy (I met him at NAMM a few years ago at the Essential Sound Products booth).
I hear what some of you are saying about not using this lick or playing this style. I don't need it in what I typically do either.
But - I have to be honest and say that I wish I had the chops to knock down that lick whenever I wanted - and I don't. Maybe I can get there.
I hear what some of you are saying about not using this lick or playing this style. I don't need it in what I typically do either.
But - I have to be honest and say that I wish I had the chops to knock down that lick whenever I wanted - and I don't. Maybe I can get there.
Richard definitely has a "purely for entertainment" side to him but I don't find that it diminishes his artistic merit. He's an incredible musician, whether he's playing bass, playing guitar or just singing. His appearance was one of the highlights of the Bobby McFerrin show I caught a number of years back:
When music is the meal, everybody has something to bring to the table. Richard brings a five-course degustation. I usually bring toothpicks, but on occasion I've been known to bring garlic bread and paper towels 
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One of the ironies of being able to play anything you want to play is that folks love to question why you choose to play what you play.
And they're usually those who cannot play what you play.
But must detract.
There's questioning in order to understand.
Then there's questioning in order to undermine.
Important to know which one you're dealing with.
Then there's questioning in order to undermine.
Important to know which one you're dealing with.
- Dec 21, 2007
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Yes. And like it or not, Mr. Bona can groove hard, can play simply to support a song, has incredible musicality, AND can blow crazy 16th note riffs at insane tempos.
And I dare say his ghost note grooves are some of my all time favorites.
Yes, and if you listen to his solo albums (at least the ones I'm familiar with) you won't hear "virtuosic" bass all over the place - he's really just playing for the songs.
