Show me the groovers!

[big empty]

Hey, I'm new here and this is my first post. To make a long and uninteresting story short, I was a pop punk bass player in high school and after a couple years finally broke out of it. Now I've been playing for 5 years and I finally found out about the pocket and the groove. Unfortunately, my "punk rock" upbringing has made it hard for me to just lay back and groove.

This being said, I need some grooving influences ASAP to immerse myself in. I just ordered the Donny Hathaway Live CD, and I've been working on a Motown bass book off and on for a few months. What are the sickest Jamerson/Babbitt songs that I would not have heard on the radio? What are some other bands along the lines of the Meters that just lay it down constantly? Tell me some other groovers to check out with their most grooving songs, and I will do so. Thanks in advance!

Adam

 

[mahrous]

Francis Rocco Prestia of Tower of Power

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

The late Bernard Edwards from Chic.
Jaco Pastorius ("Come On, Come Over" has one of the tastiest grooves ever played to me).

 

[big empty]

By the way, I'm nerdy so I made this a couple months ago:Bass Shrine

These are the cats I already know of. I would love to have twice as many influences so keep them coming.

 

[glwanabe]

All of the Motwon stuff is an education in itself. Jamerson and Babbit are both great. A cheap way to get a random sampling is to check out the compliations discs or in the bargin bin at Wal-mart. lots of good tunes for little money. Or you can find lots of good samples on the net. Motwon has a website with plenty of sound samples.

Duck Dunn!!!!! Simple DEEEEEP pocket playing.

Elton Johns early work with Dee Murry on bass. Good Stuff!

Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tommy Shannon on bass. Thunderous bass lines from Tommy.

John Mayer, No room for squares CD, or his Concert DVD. No I'am not kidding! David Labruyere on bass, that dude is as solid a bass player as they come. He totally lays it down. You can find plenty of John Mayer videos available on the net. Try LAUNCH, at yahoo.

There is a lifetime of study right there in the few I just mentioned.

The way I think about grooving is, Think about how a drummer uses his bass drum, snare and hi-hat. Use that same approach when you create a line. Your root note is your Bass drum beat. The other chord tones are your snare and hi-hat.
Keep it simple, and add filler notes just to move to the next chord. Remember your job, Keep the time and "outline" the melody. Guitars and keys will add the "color" to your drawing.

 

[phatphillss]

try playing some reggae with a twist, your twist you already have

slightly stoopid=longest barrell ride,closer to the sun,self titled album slightly stoopid
some of the best grooves ive heard, very small band and all very talented

just play some zz top

 

[cdef]

Check out anything by Me'shell NdegéOcello. This lady has it. She owns the groove.

 

[Larry99]

Everyone I was gonna list is already on your shrine. ....but especially George Porter Jr. The Meters 2-cd Funkify Your Life - Anthology is a must for any bass player.

Also Andrew Levy from The Brand New Heavies ..man, that guy can get into a deep pocket - especially on the disc 'Brother Sister'.

I'll second Me'shell Ndegeocello! ...her solo debut just kills.

I've also been listening to alot of the Brazilian artist Gilberto Gil lately. I'm not sure who the bass player(s) is(are) but the grooves are really interesting. His cd "Quanta" is superb.

Also in the world music genre, check out Cheb Mami's cd Dellali. It's traditional Algerian Raj music fused with african, funk, reggae in the pocket grooves - Pino Palladino with Omar Hakim on drums, produced by Nile Rodgers, maybe not classic bass playing but really interesting groovy stuff...

 

[WillBuckingham]

George Porter Jr. What a phenomenal player. Lots of other good suggestions here but I saw him on your "shrine" and I really admire him.

I hope he goes back to doing Thursday nites at the Maple Leaf after all this craziness is over.

 

[j-raj]

anything that Willie Weeks is on.

 

[Alan Vorse]

Herbie Hancock: Thrust or Headhunters (Both with Paul Jackson).

 

[sethlow3]

Stuart Zender on the 1st 3 Jamiroquai albums

James Jamerson of Motown

John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin

Kem's bass player is verrry groovy

the bass players on Maxwell's 1st album

Raphael Saadiq is incredible at grooves!!

Stepan Lessard of DMB

 

[LarryO]

If you don't mind accoustic music, Eric Claptons "From The Cradle" cd can teach you some patience and has some good tunes....I think It's worth a listen

 

[Chunk-O-Funk]

Defiantly pick up some James Brown. It will help ya drop it on da one!

 

[bearcubs9497]

James Brown. Very tight rythm section.

Also P-Funk.

And, believe it or not, AC/DC. They're tight, too.

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

And, believe it or not, AC/DC. They're tight, too.

Definitely. The best exercise in discipline.

 

[bassteban]

It will all have some kind of influence on you, or at least should, IMO. Don't discount your previous experience, either. I'm an old punk rocker(really old- Clash, Sex Pistols, DK, Ramones)myself, but strangely enough, I have DEEP R&B influences via late 60s/early70s AM radio underneath that stuff. Now my only gig is Church- Heavy R&B content+rock+jazz+nearly everything but country(yessss...). And I do believe punk has a pocket. It may have holes & be full of angst, but it's definitely there.

 

[Pthump]

chris wood - medeski martin and wood

 

[FunkKing]

Hub from the Roots is a groove machine. He and ?uestlove are one of my fave rhythm sections. Check out 'Mellow My Man' and 'Proceed'.

 

[JamesM]

i say it all the time, but check out 'Black Market' off Weather Report's 8:30, one of the best grooves you'll ever hear from one of the grooviest players.