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Richard Davis

bassgirls

bassgirls

May 24, 2014
209
216
46
California
#1
Hey guys.

Has there been a thread here for Richard Davis? I am obsessed with Astral Weeks by Van Morrison, especially the loose time and the bass playing. Richard Davis might quickly becoming my #1 favorite bassist. Can you recommend any other great recordings by him other than AW?

Do you have any tips on how to emulate his style? I am hearing a lot of slurs and octaves, with some 3rds that slide down to roots. I don't hear many 5ths. Any tips are welcome. Thanks!
 
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#3
My influences are all over the place, from raw and nasty punk to Richard Davis and jazz with everything in between. I just love music, in general. Thanks for the link!!

Any more great RD recordings please post. I also love Carol Kaye.
 
#4
Thanks, Vil! I like all music. That clip was great. I like Davis on Astral Weeks.

Can anyone explain the technique his is doing at the 1:30 mark in this song?


Right before the slide. I can't tell what that is! It's a really cool sound. Also at the 2:26 mark and all through the 2:45-3:00. What is that really cool squeaky sound!?
 
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#5
Laura Nyro: Season Of Lights, one of my favorite live albums with a monster band!
MI0000808008.jpg?partner=allrovi.jpg
 
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#7
bassgirls said:
Thanks, Vil! I like all music. That clip was great. I like Davis on Astral Weeks.

Can anyone explain the technique his is doing at the 1:30 mark in this song?


Right before the slide. I can't tell what that is! It's a really cool sound. Also at the 2:26 mark and all through the 2:45-3:00. What is that really cool squeaky sound!?
Click to expand...


By the time 3:00 rolls around, there are two bass tracks being played at the same time. One is doing the upward glissando (slide) and the other that you hear at 1:30 is a sort of hammer-on into a glissando. It's fairly common jazz vocabulary on the bass to achieve that kind of "syrupy" sound.
 
#8
Pat Harris said:
By the time 3:00 rolls around, there are two bass tracks being played at the same time. One is doing the upward glissando (slide) and the other that you hear at 1:30 is a sort of hammer-on into a glissando. It's fairly common jazz vocabulary on the bass to achieve that kind of "syrupy" sound.
Click to expand...

Ooh! I was wondering why I couldn't play it. It's two lines! It's so cool sounding...I wish I could do that with one set of hands.
 
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#9
Love Richard Davis.
One of my 1st-ever Jazz albums (given to me by my very hip uncle)-
Pat Martino- The Visit
Richard Davis on bass..."Footprints" became one of my earliest favourite Jazz tunes.

I still have a walking the bass book by Davis.
 
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#10
JimK said:
One of my 1st-ever Jazz albums (given to me by my very hip uncle)-
Pat Martino- The Visit
Richard Davis on bass..."Footprints" became one of my earliest favourite Jazz tunes.
Click to expand...

I love that album! I've been a huge Pat Martino fan ever since I was a wee teen in the 1970s starting to study jazz guitar, and The Visit showcases Pat at the apex of his pre-aneurysm abilities...but man does Richard Davis' tone on that record suck!
Sounds like the engineer didn't even bother mic'ing up the bass, but just took a direct line from a pickup. A crappy pickup. Thin, nasal, twangy, doesn't integrate with the ensemble sound or support the band at all. But day-um his playing is good!
 
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#13
Pat Harris said:
By the time 3:00 rolls around, there are two bass tracks being played at the same time. One is doing the upward glissando (slide) and the other that you hear at 1:30 is a sort of hammer-on into a glissando. It's fairly common jazz vocabulary on the bass to achieve that kind of "syrupy" sound.
Click to expand...

Do you know there is overdub as a fact? I am having a hard time picking out two distinct lines. Just curious.
 
#14
It's an assumption based on the post production that I've read about for the sessions (Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968). I could be wrong, as I've never seen this particular instance specifically addressed. The tune is in Bb, and on my system at home, the syrupy "top" line is quite a bit louder and more pronounced than the "bass" line. There's a bit of hang-over to the low notes. I'm hearing Davis playing an F on the V chord, holding it, and then playing the A a tenth above that and smearing it around while keeping the root in place... not unlike the "Take a Walk on the Wild Side" bass line from 1972.
 
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#17
Kevin1960 said:
This guy, Leo Lyons deserves a listen if you want to broaden your bass ear.
Click to expand...

I just bought this used CD for about $20...had the LP back in the day.
(Anyone have any idea why Ten Years After CDs are so $$$?!?!?)

Leo Lyons, no doubt, brings a lot of energy to the game, especially in the Blues-Rock arena of bass playing.

Richard Davis is a different kind of beast.
 
#19
JimK said:
I just bought this used CD for about $20...had the LP back in the day.
(Anyone have any idea why Ten Years After CDs are so $$$?!?!?)

Leo Lyons, no doubt, brings a lot of energy to the game, especially in the Blues-Rock arena of bass playing.
Click to expand...
I just notice that, they used to go quite cheap. Amazon had one of those 5 CD Original Album classics for around 15 bucks. EMusic.com has the downloads for pennies though.
 
#20
Jerry...that 5-cd box is now a lot. I bailed when it hit $30...now it's even higher.

Check this out. All recent events (last 6 months)-
1) There is a 3-cd box set. I buy it for about $20 from an Amazon reseller in the UK. Never got here (they refund me).
3) Another Amazon reseller (a bookstore) advertises the 2-cd version of the above "Recorded Live" album. The single cd version is what they send. Oops, they refund me.
3) I order "Rock and Roll Music To The World" from another Amazon reseller...supposed to have been here Feb. 16...never got here. They refund me.
:)
 

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