Who's a Genius?

[Ralph Notoro]

The word is often thrown around a lot. I consider a genius one of two things...

Either it's someone who has incomprehensible depth of knowledge and ability that almost no one else comes close , or...

...someone is is so unique that they're doing something that no one else has ever done before. It doesn;t have to take tremendous skill -- it's simply visionary.

When it comes to bassists, I don't think there are too many who I believe are genuinely in either category. Whether you like him or not, Jaco falls into both.

As for the first example, I have to go with Jeff Berlin. Sure there are lots of guys who play amazing "tricks" but Berlin has such incredible command, not only of the instrument, but of music itself. (Even if some of his opinions on music and developing technique are kinda stupid. Hey, they work for him).

As for the later example...a few off the top of head would be Chris Squire, Louis Johnson, Paul McCartney and James Jamerson. Nobody did what those guys did quite that way before they did it. It would be arguable that millions of players is a copy of one of them, one way or the other.

Who am I missing?

 

[adi77]

cachao, carlos del puerto, niels orsted pederson, anthony jackson, pino palladino, etc etc

 

[Ralph Notoro]

cachao, carlos del puerto, niels orsted pederson, anthony jackson, pino palladino, etc etc

Good ones. Not sure I'd say Pino is a genius, though he's certainly a great player. Niels for sure for the fact that he has ungodly ability.

 

[adi77]

Good ones. Not sure I'd say Pino is a genius, though he's certainly a great player. Niels for sure for the fact that he has ungodly ability.

Re. Pino, go through his album credits.. that kind of quality and versatility is rare.

 

[A.K.]

Chris Squire

 

[mglinski]

Here you go

 

[cnltb]

Yes...'Genius' is as cheap as 'friendship' or 'Friend' these days.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Jaco and Jamerson. Both were absolutely musical and broke new ground; they were innovators who's ideas just flowed out endlessly and had their own unique 'voice' so to speak, unmistakable.

 

[gumbynotpokey]

For the second definition, it's Scott LaFaro. His work in the Bill Evans Trio is what you need to check out. If time is short, listen to "Gloria's Step: Take 2" from the live dates captured on the "Sunday at the Village Vanguard" album.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Larry Graham is a genius because he totally changed the way people played bass for a generation. Slap is passé with the young generation, but it is still part of a competent bassists' vocabulary, and sooner or later, it will become hot again.

 

[esa372]

There are only five:

Jamerson
McCartney
Entwistle
Graham
Pastorius

Everyone else is just copping their licks.

 

[nukes_da_bass]

Richard Bona.
Mingus.
Paul Chambers
Scott Lafaro
Eddie Gomez

Yup five!

 

[Ralph Notoro]

For the second definition, it's Scott LaFaro. His work in the Bill Evans Trio is what you need to check out. If time is short, listen to "Gloria's Step: Take 2" from the live dates captured on the "Sunday at the Village Vanguard" album.

I don't think Lafara falls in tot eh second definition, I'd put him in the first. Astounding command of an instrument that he was playing for less than 10 years when he died!

 

[esa372]

Mingus
Paul Chambers
Scott Lafaro
Eddie Gomez

This is the "bass guitar" section... not upright.

 

[SBassman]

Not sure I love the word Genius in this context but ...

No denying, whatever word we use, Jaco and Jamerson are on the list. Not sure about some of the others being cited.

 

[Ralph Notoro]

I say McCartney because he was the first EB to construct parts in a compositional style.

I say Johnson because even though he wasn't the first to technically slap, he did it in a way that was far beyond Grahms modest riffs. To this day not too many people can do what he did. If there were no Louis Johnson, there'd be no Marcus Miller.

And Squire because he was the first EB to use a contrapunctal approach to the bass, making it its own melody. That's something that hadn't really existed since Bach. But he wasn't just copying the masters and applying it to rock (As did ELP to a large degree), he invented a whole new way of doing it. And with a sound never before used. Yeah, I's say that's genius.

 

[Carl Hillman]

I don't think Lafara falls in tot eh second definition, I'd put him in the first. Astounding command of an instrument that he was playing for less than 10 years when he died!

I disagree. His concept of the role of the bass in a piano trio (specifically w/Bill Evans and Paul Motian) was visionary. Before he came along, no one thought to use the bass as an equal melodic voice for extended lenghts the way he did.

If you've heard the "My Foolish Heart" rehearsal tape, you also know that he was integral in arranging and reharmonizing the tunes that trio played. His ear for harmony (if not actual voicings) was as good as Bill Evans and the pianist considered him a true collaborator in that respect.

 

[Ralph Notoro]

I disagree. His concept of the role of the bass in a piano trio (specifically w/Bill Evans and Paul Motian) was visionary. Before he came along, no one thought to use the bass as an equal melodic voice for extended lenghts the way he did.

If you've heard the "My Foolish Heart" rehearsal tape, you also know that he was integral in arranging and reharmonizing the tunes that trio played. His ear for harmony (if not actual voicings) was as good as Bill Evans and the pianist considered him a true collaborator in that respect.

That's true too. Okay, Scott falls into BOTH catagories! But I was thinking more EB. UB is another story.

 

[pacojas]

Jaco, Larry, & Nukes. nuff said!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Anthony Jackson is a genius in my eyes because of his pioneering of extended range basses and the fact that he took Jamerson's approach probably as far as it can go.

Jaco was an obvious genius, nobody sounded like Jaco before Jaco, period. He was also a great composer.

I think Marcus Miller may be seen as a genius in the future because of his composition and production ability. Miller, is an incredible player, but he is a great stylist, not a technique groundbreaker.

Victor Wooten is a technique groundbreaker, but I don't think his techniques are useful enough for non-soloist bass playing for him to be in the same class as Jaco, Graham, or Jamerson.