RIP Mick Karn :(

[jackduran]

Japan's 'The Art of Parties' live on UK TV in 82 (I think). His playing his fantastic. Great image too. Check it out if you're not that familiar with Mick's work:

 

[MixBass]

Bummer, a great player with a great approach is missed.

 

[Makatak]

Micks work on Gary Numans " Dance " album blew me away ..... it still does nearly 30 years on . Rest in Peace Mick .

 

[dutchwife]

Not unexpected but still shocking news. It was Mick who inspired me as a young teenager to yank the frets from my no-name bass (long before I'd heard of Jaco), and whose playing continues to inspire my fretless work to this day.
Thanks Mick, I (among many) owe you so much.

 

[JimK]

Yeah, that was during the sessions for David Torn's Door X album.

That's it! Yeah, Door X on Windham Hill Jazz Records...they blended in.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

Yes. I believe he did some interesting work with Robert Fripp as well...

MM

Yes, and with Bill Nelson also, like this; [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I really like Karn's solo disc Bestial Cluster.

This is very sad news. I didn't even know he was ill.

One of my favorite players. No one sounds like him. It's like he learned to play on another planet.

 

[faivy]

Mick provided an alternate approach to fretless bass playing. Very sad that he is gone.
Condolences to his family and all who mourn/miss him

 

[Jamie_Funk]

Yes, and with Bill Nelson also, like this; [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I really like Karn's solo disc Bestial Cluster.

This is very sad news. I didn't even know he was ill.

One of my favorite players. No one sounds like him. It's like he learned to play on another planet.

I think David Torn once described Mick's playing this way - "If Bootsy was Moroccan". He definitely sounded like NO ONE else. Killer tone and feel - his fretless lines were surprisingly slippery and often funky, in a unique way that I've never heard anyone else come close to.

A true natural talent (also played sax nicely) who spoke through his bass.....

J

 

[jeffwo]

This is really bumming me out! Spent a couple hours on YouTube yesterday watching a variety of his videos. This was a new one for me - classic Karn playing! Slippery as hell funky groove and very cool harmonics accents.

 

[Jamie_Funk]

This is really bumming me out! Spent a couple hours on YouTube yesterday watching a variety of his videos. This was a new one for me - classic Karn playing! Slippery as hell funky groove and very cool harmonics accents.

Damn funky! Off his first solo album "Titles" - love that album....

J

 

[Tom Howland]

So sad.
What a huge influence, I was into Japan, and Mick singing
fretless style.
Great player. RIP

 

[Dr. Cheese]

RIP, I'm happy that he experienced musical success and recognition during his life time.

 

[wake & Bass]

Wow, such a sad day indeed. I was working on a pc and came upon this news on msn.com (under celebs & gossip tab, first story).

Polytown with David Torn and Terry Bozzio is one of the definitive Mick albums, and one I will be listening to this evening in memory.

 

[The Owl]

Yeah, that was during the sessions for David Torn's Door X album. Mick was a beautiful autodidact, and the fact that he didn't even know the names of notes was baffling to Broof, the consumate professional. Didn't stop them from making gorgeous music together though. Really wished I'd seen them when they toured in support of Torn's Cloud About Mercury album, that was supposedly the shiznit.
Uh... really?

I saw the "Cloud About Mercury" tour, and Mick was in the zone that night, just amazing!

Definitely a very unique and instantly recognizable self-taught style and concept of music making for certain. I admit I'm not that crazy about Japan at all but I always loved Mick's playing in that setting, it's after Japan that he really blossomed from Dali's Car onward.

Music did indeed lose a very original voice, RIP Mick and thank you for everything you did!

 

[Hoover]

I think David Torn once described Mick's playing this way - "If Bootsy was Moroccan". He definitely sounded like NO ONE else.

I used to describe Mick Karn to people who didn't know his work but were familiar with other bass players as "If you subtracted everything vaguely reminiscent of Jaco Pastorius from Percy Jones's playing, what would be left over is Mick Karn." Like all good math equations, its inverse is equally true: Mick Karn + Jaco Pastorius = Percy Jones

Doesn't really do justice to any of those fine players, but it does point to a certain intersection set of characteristics.

 

[BassBrass]

Very sad news, probably my favorite bass player even though I use frets. I was thinking of him just yesterday. I saw him with David Torn and was amazed at his left hand discipline (for such a snakey sound)...a musician with amazing rhythm sense.
About that time Mic was on an album called "Lonely Universe" (Torn too) This is on youtube, 2 songs from that album (not the best for Mic)...the 1st cut is backwards bass, but still, the articulation! At about 7:30 he's back playing forward bass.

Mic played ocarenna, bass clarinet and saxes too on his solo albums.

 

[coronado3]

a truely unique voice...

 

[SGD Lutherie]

I think David Torn once described Mick's playing this way - "If Bootsy was Moroccan". He definitely sounded like NO ONE else.

well he was Greek, so that does make sense if you think about thier traditional music. He had that tonality.

I liked his sax playing on Buoy by David Sylvian.

This is such a loss to music.

 

[jeffbass]

Karn was an amazing, innovative player. This is a huge loss.

 

[bobunit]

Beastial Cluster. A favorite of mine. Thank you, Mick. May you be at peace.