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Who did the most for bass evolution ?

Who did the most for bass evolution ?

  • Jeff Berlin

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Jack Bruce

    Votes: 5 2.1%
  • Stanley Clarke

    Votes: 4 1.6%
  • John Entwistle

    Votes: 20 8.2%
  • James Jamerson

    Votes: 21 8.6%
  • Sir Paul McCartney

    Votes: 18 7.4%
  • Marcus Miller

    Votes: 4 1.6%
  • Jaco Pastorius

    Votes: 72 29.6%
  • Billy Sheehan

    Votes: 4 1.6%
  • Chris Squire

    Votes: 6 2.5%
  • Victor Wooten

    Votes: 8 3.3%
  • Bugs Bunny

    Votes: 8 3.3%
  • Every bass player contributes to this evolution

    Votes: 46 18.9%
  • Nobody yet reached what bass playing can give

    Votes: 3 1.2%
  • Other opinion (please specify)

    Votes: 24 9.9%

  • Total voters
    243
Almost none of the players discussed previously could have made the contributions that they made without Leo Fender and his creation.
It is true that a bass guitar is just a tool, but hey you could say the same thing about harnessing the power of fire.
The invention of the electric bass by Leo Fender made all of the above possible and revolutionized music in the process
If you dont believe shop around for a stand up bass. At $5000.00 used how many of you would have decided to become a bass player?
 
Originally posted by Wrong Robot
ya know I voted jaco, and I believe jaco to have done the most for evolution...but I think one person who has been mentioned but overlooked is Les claypool, I'm not really a primus fan anymore, and I don't really listen to claypools stuff anymore, but the biggest point on why jaco did the most was for his role in bringing bass into the spotlight....I think that Claypool helped to KEEP bass in the spotlight, surely after jaco bassists were being heard more, but claypool inspired a whole new generation of bassists to be in the spotlight, and I think that is very valid in terms of evolution.

but in all honesty, Mark hoppus has really done too much to mention.
Un...err...who' Mark Hoppus?

I've been a bass player for 19 years and honestly don't know who he is.:(
 
Originally posted by Stachio
I might get seriously flamed for this but don't take it the wrong way : I think Jaco pretty much killed the electric bass. At least for jazz. I don't see it evolving much after him.

Otherwise, another vote for Leo.
Okay...the whole Jaco thing...I'm a fan. But, he did less innovating and more amazing.

I really don't believe he was quite as much a lead in the evolution of bass playing. The majority of players do not play jazz, and I don't see how Jaco' technique bled beyond jazz into other genres. Within the jazz camp, there's little question in my mind. But still, jazz represents only about 10% or so of music sold.
 
My perspective comes from the fact that I was born in 1954 and from my infancy was exposed to pop/rock due to the teenage kids of my babysitter.
On the other hand,I didn't have a lot of money to buy albums as we used to call them,so my view of music history is somewhat limited by what was on the radio.

1.Leo
obviously,without him we would be nowhere,or at least delayed by 30 years

If I may indulge myself,I'd say there are a few others that are worth mentioning...

2.Jamerson
most of the influential players who follow list him as a major influence.

3.Jack Bruce
also a major influence(to me personally by the way)

4.Larry Graham
Where would slap be without him?(funny thing is,I liked his non-slap playing).

5.Jaco
An unprecedented innovator to be sure,but since he built upon the foundation of the others,he gets put a little further down on my list.
 
I think they all made a contribution, some more than others.

I just bought the "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" book and CD on the life of James Jamerson. It's interesting to note that most of the bassists listed in the survey are on the CDs' recognizing and praising Jamerson for influencing their playing and getting them interested in the electric bass. So, he's kinda the forerunner for most of the guys listed. So, maybe he should get the top vote.
 
Originally posted by The Mock Turtle Regulator
John Entwistle-

if he hadn't popularised roundwound strings (Rotosound, in his case), the chances are that Jaco Pastorius, Chris Squire, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten and Billy Sheehan, as well as countless others not on the list eg. Geddy Lee, would be/have been thumping away on flatwounds without each of their signature tones.

only 8 votes for John Entwistle?:confused:

call me cynical, but maybe now people will appreciate his contribution to bass evolution more.
 
Originally posted by The Mock Turtle Regulator


only 8 votes for John Entwistle?:confused:

call me cynical, but maybe now people will appreciate his contribution to bass evolution more.


John Entwistle has always been my #1 bass hero, but he named James Jamerson (whom he only knew as "that guy from Tamla") as his influence... as did McCartney, Jack Bruce, and other candidates listed above.
 
Originally posted by Fuzzbass



John Entwistle has always been my #1 bass hero, but he named James Jamerson (whom he only knew as "that guy from Tamla") as his influence... as did McCartney, Jack Bruce, and other candidates listed above.

hmmm. in the JE interview in the Bass Heroes book he offers a different view;
re. the Standing in the shadows of motown Jamerson tribute project;

"It was a lot of fun doing that project, but i can't say he really influenced me, first of all, because he was a peer of mine, and second, because to me he was a real bass player, and I never considered myself to be a proper bass player. I've always been a bass guitarist, emulating guitar players and using a guitar sound, so I couldn't get worked up about straight bass players."
 
Originally posted by The Mock Turtle Regulator


hmmm. in the JE interview in the Bass Heroes book he offers a different view;
re. the Standing in the shadows of motown Jamerson tribute project;

"It was a lot of fun doing that project, but i can't say he really influenced me, first of all, because he was a peer of mine, and second, because to me he was a real bass player, and I never considered myself to be a proper bass player. I've always been a bass guitarist, emulating guitar players and using a guitar sound, so I couldn't get worked up about straight bass players."

Great post! This describes John Entwistle. He has always stated that he didn't follow a specific guideline or emulated somebody's style. He created his own style; a style that many today use, whether they know it or not.

That is why John Entwistle did the most for the evolution of bass guitar.

:cool:
 
I view it as an accomplishment. I never said it was a measure of true musical worth. But it is great none the less that he was able to win. He is now among some of the greatest to recieve such an award; Count Basie, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Evans, Ray Brown, Duke Ellington, Cannonball Adderly, and many many others. I don't care about others who have won because of their popularity and not their talent, we all know these awards shows are somewhat biased these days. Hopefully he didn't win because of that, and I don't think he did. Marcus is talented and deserves some more wide spread recognition. Winning a grammy should certainly help! I say congradulations to him.
 
Originally posted by Chace90
I view it as an accomplishment. I never said it was a measure of true musical worth. But it is great none the less that he was able to win. He is now among some of the greatest to recieve such an award; Count Basie, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Evans, Ray Brown, Duke Ellington, Cannonball Adderly, and many many others. I don't care about others who have won because of their popularity and not their talent, we all know these awards shows are somewhat biased these days. Hopefully he didn't win because of that, and I don't think he did. Marcus is talented and deserves some more wide spread recognition. Winning a grammy should certainly help! I say congradulations to him.

I'm just giving you some good natured ribbing. :) I agree that Marcus is talented. I don't think he ranks in the top 5 of electric bass pioneers, but he is about a zillion times the bassist I am.
 
Originally posted by Chace90
I view it as an accomplishment. I never said it was a measure of true musical worth. But it is great none the less that he was able to win. He is now among some of the greatest to recieve such an award; Count Basie, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Evans, Ray Brown, Duke Ellington, Cannonball Adderly, and many many others. I don't care about others who have won because of their popularity and not their talent, we all know these awards shows are somewhat biased these days. Hopefully he didn't win because of that, and I don't think he did. Marcus is talented and deserves some more wide spread recognition. Winning a grammy should certainly help! I say congradulations to him.

The Grammies, like the Academy Awards are mainly about industry politics. I think it's cool that MM has won, he's an excellent player and producer. For the most part though, it's about who you know. They're pretty predictable.

Besides, MM is standing on the shoulders of some true pioneers, as I'm sure he'd tell you, most of whom have already been mentioned. This doesn't by any means take away from what he's accomplished or diminish where he stands today.

The cool thing about him is that he gives props to those pioneers who influenced him. OTOH I recall reading an article about Louis Johnson where he said he developed his slap style on his own and hadn't heard Larry Graham. The first thought that came to mind was "I guess we just found Bigfoot". Not many other creatures could've missed hearing Sly & the Family Stone back in the day.



:D
 

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