Steve Washington: Aurra and Slave

[DWBass]

I have a clip of me playing 'Are You Single' somewhere. Was pretty much a test for anyone who played funk bass back in the day. Steve Washington was the architect of the Slave/Aurra/Deja movement. A multi-instrumentalist. He's dealing with health issues these days but is still at it.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I have a clip of me playing 'Are You Single' somewhere. Was pretty much a test for anyone who played funk bass back in the day. Steve Washington was the architect of the Slave/Aurra/Deja movement. A multi-instrumentalist. He's dealing with health issues these days but is still at it.

Age and health are grim equalizers.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I loooooove Steve!

Holding that groove is no joke!

 

[Rib 13]

People sometimes confuse Steve Washington with Mark Adams, but they really do not play alike. Washington was much more of a slapper than Adams.

If youre saying that Washington pretty much thumped all the notes then, yeah, I agree...I still think the Hansolor was the better bassist but thats just me

 

[Dr. Cheese]

If youre saying that Washington pretty much thumped all the notes then, yeah, I agree...I still think the Hansolor was the better bassist but thats just me

As far as I am concerned there is no competition. Mark Adams was more original and Washington was influenced by him, but Washington was thump first player who developed a style of his own. On top of that, he was a nice trumpeter too. Check out Mark Adams semi- walking line during the solo. They were a good example of what music education can produce.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Drugs will ruin even the best.

Mark Adams and I are were born the same year. He recorded Slide when he was 16. Had he been born in New York, instead of Dayton, he might have been Marcus Miller.

 

[jerry]

Mark Adams and I are were born the same year. He recorded Slide when he was 16. Had he been born in New York, instead of Dayton, he might have been Marcus Miller.

Yeah but, Ohio funk has a flavor of it's own. So much great music came from there.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Yeah but, Ohio funk has a flavor of it's own. So much great music came from there.

Nothing but love for Funk Era Ohio, especially Southern Ohio. Come to think of it drugs could have gotten Mark Adams just as easily in the New York scene.

 

[DWBass]

Nothing but love for Funk Era Ohio, especially Southern Ohio. Come to think of it drugs could have gotten Mark Adams just as easily in the New York scene.

It did. Drugs took Mark out of commission for years. He was just getting back into the music scene when he got into an altercation and was beaten. Instead of taking him to the hospital, his friends took him elsewhere where he died.

 

[vdbass]

...'Are You Single'....Was pretty much a test for anyone who played funk bass back in the day.

Yeeeup!
Growing up in a neighborhood where just about everyone played bass and going to school with both Doug Rasheed (producer & bassist extraordinaire for 2Pac, Whitney Houston, Brandy, etc, married Chaka Khan) AND Brian Jordan (played with Dave Matthews, Fred Wesley, Bernie Worrell etc..) and only maybe one or two kids played guitar, you had to be able to play this song just to be admitted into the bandroom.

If you could play the Reddings' "Awakening" in its entirety, then you were considered good.

Of course, Doug and Brian could play both.

Needless to say, I had to play guitar on a few songs....

 

[hands5]

Listen the bassist on most of these Aurra tracks is neither Mark Addams or Steve Washington.. it’s guy by the name of Sandy Anderson

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Listen the bassist on most of these Aurra tracks is neither Mark Addams or Steve Washington.. it’s guy by the name of Sandy Anderson

I never thought it was Mark Adams. I have heard of Sandy Anderson many times. He has a famous Old School Slap video on YouTube. He was a buddy of TB member DWBass. He died of COVID last Spring.

 

[vdbass]

I never thought it was Mark Adams. I have heard of Sandy Anderson many times. He has a famous Old School Slap video on YouTube. He was a buddy of TB member DWBass. He died of COVID last Spring.

Dang!
This thing is no joke. I work in the hospital and watch people get sick, sicker, and sicker then dead.
Young, old, fitness models or cardiac patients. IT DOES NOT MATTER.
Be careful.

 

[DWBass]

Listen the bassist on most of these Aurra tracks is neither Mark Addams or Steve Washington.. it’s guy by the name of Sandy Anderson

Not Sandy on any Aurra tracks. It's either Steve Washington or Buddy Hankerson.

 

[DWBass]

I never thought it was Mark Adams. I have heard of Sandy Anderson many times. He has a famous Old School Slap video on YouTube. He was a buddy of TB member DWBass. He died of COVID last Spring.

Very sad that we lost him. He was very talented. He didn't play on any Aurra tunes as was mentioned above. He played on Inside Out by Odyssey which caused a (Mark Adams vs. Sandy debate) and he was the co-founder of the band Unlimited Touch who had several hit r&b/disco/funk tunes back in the day. They band had just reunited when Covid hit and he and his wife both caught it. He never recovered. I had not seen Sandy in many years and had plans to visit him and do an interview. Never got the chance.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Very sad that we lost him. He was very talented. He didn't play on any Aurra tunes as was mentioned above. He played on Inside Out by Odyssey which caused a (Mark Adams vs. Sandy debate) and he was the co-founder of the band Unlimited Touch who had several hit r&b/disco/funk tunes back in the day. They band had just reunited when Covid hit and he and his wife both caught it. He never recovered. I had not seen Sandy in many years and had plans to visit him and do an interview. Never got the chance.

Covid has stolen so much from us. I just want folks to be safe and vaccinate so we can some sort of normal back.

 

[T-MOST]

As far as I am concerned there is no competition. Mark Adams was more original and Washington was influenced by him, but Washington was thump first player who developed a style of his own. On top of that, he was a nice trumpeter too. Check out Mark Adams semi- walking line during the solo. They were a good example of what music education can produce.

I would agree. Steve sounds great... but he sounds verry much like Mark. Kudos to both!
BTW I met Sandy at the last BASSPLAYER LIVE held in NYC around 2006/07. He told me about recording with Odyssey and how he was "asked" to play as much like Mark Adams as he could. He also played with Unlimited Touch... "I hear Music in the Streets" & "Searching to Find the One"

R.I.P Sandy

 

[DWBass]

He also played with Unlimited Touch... "I hear Music in the Streets" & "Searching to Find the One"

R.I.P Sandy

Correction.....he was the co-founder of Unlimited Touch. I played with several members of that band in another previous band.

 

[T-MOST]

Correction.....he was the co-founder of Unlimited Touch. I played with several members of that band in another previous band.

Not a "correction" more like an "also"

 

[SlaveAurra1]

Now this sounded more like Mark Adams, but I think Washington may be using a pick.