Who's your favorite bassist?

[Doctor Intrepid]

Geddy

 

[gregmon79]

Too many to choose from. However, first one that comes to my mind is Justin Chancellor. Dude was and still is a huge inspiration to me for his playing AND tonality.

 

[Wyrdlow]

Chris Squire, Jon Camp, Dave Pegg and Rick Kemp. And John Glascock. Oh, and Charles Larkey.
PS John Entwistle...

 

[Kevin Wolfe]

Hands down, overall: John Paul Jones. I can hear the Jamerson in his groove.
For the combination Upright/Horizontal player: I gotta say Stanley.
Then, who's not awed by Jaco?

 

[dustinymichaels]

I suggest that music is art, and they're really shouldn't be winners and losers in art. I definitely have my list of bass heroes, though. There's always room for more.

 

[Hertz]

Right now, Mono Neon.

 

[Luther]

Me, and dammit, I'm worth it. Daily Affirmations.

 

[BassGreaser]

James Jamerson and Paul McCartney

 

[DiabolicLow B]

John Paul Jones
John Deacon
John Taylor

 

[onda'bass]

hmmm here we go

Jaco
John Ferara
Jonas Hellborg
Marcus Miller
Antoine Fafard
Mick Karn
Bryan Beller
Wolfgang Schmid
Steve Harris
Bunny Brunel
Brad Houser
Dave laRue
John Taylor
Ervin Dhimo
Kai Eckhardt
Gary Willis
Larry Graham
Tony Levin
John Wetton
Skuli Sverrisson

 

[spantini]

Mel Schacher
John Paul Jones
Carol Kaye
James Jamerson
Paul McCartney

 

[Heiwa]

Nobody remembers Dale Peters from The James Gang. He along with Jamerson, Bakithi Kumalo, and George Porter Jr. are my favorites

 

[sears]

sting

 

[P-Belly Evans]

I have loads of faves that I flick between when the mood dictates but Rob Wright has consistently blown my mind for many years. He is so good someone decided to put him on a hilarious loop....enjoy

 

[J Wilson]

There's way too many from a lifetime of listening to set only one as my cornerstone, although I'd lean towards 60's bassists from those records I grew up on:

Electric bass became part of the musical landscape in the 50's, a brand new player on the bandstand. In the 60's you had new kids, older Jazz/ upright guys making the transition ( and grudgingly in some cases), new music and recording techniques were blooming, and so the level of inspiration came from many directions and the creative playing as all these people were writing the first several chapters as to how to use the electric bass resulted in recordings and performances unlike anything heard before.

Or since.

 

[Alexis Duntov]

Reggie Workman.
I don't play DB but who cares, he is my favorite.

That's so interesting to me. I was at the New School from 2019-2023 finishing an undergraduate degree that I abandoned decades earlier. He is one of the few professors there who is on faculty and not an adjunct hired semester to semester. I would see him in the hallways and just kind of sit up straight when he walked by, or stand up and say hello when he popped his head into a classroom. He was in the audience once during one of my ensemble performances and said the "bass sounds good", which made me happy, in spite of the fact that I was playing electric and not upright, which is my main axe. I never had him as an ensemble coach. And despite the fact that he played on some amazing records ("Night Dreamer" by Wayne Shorter), he was never one of my favorite bassists. I probably don't know enough of his work. Still, when I got on the elevator with him, I would say hello and think to myself "this dude played and recorded with Coltrane". He's one the few remaining links to the birth of one of America's great art forms.

 

[wncBass]

 

[Alexis Duntov]

Is that Family Man or Robbie Shakespeare?

 

[wncBass]

Is that Family Man or Robbie Shakespeare?

Family Man

 

[BassBrass]

Ridiculous question, but- Mick Karn (Andonis Michaelides), Bill Lazwell, Jaco, Entwistle, Mel Schacher, Michael Henderson, Dave Holland, Charlie Hayden, Jah Wobble (John Wardle), Peter Hook, Will Heggie, Leslie Langston, Jennie Lee Lindberg (Warpaint) and someone important I'm forgetting.