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Why all the fuss over James Jamerson

#2
PaulMacCnj said:
Why? Well, watch this:
‪Marvin Gaye "What's Going On / What's Happening Brother"‬‏ - YouTube
That is just pure bass genius at work there.
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that bassline is my all time favorite by a mile. i love it so much, i will never play it out of homage to his genius. i don't even want to hear anyone else play it. i don't care how many of you boy-geniuses can so-called "nail it"! leave it alone,.. let it be,... just go away!!!

while i'm at it,.. Marvin just kills it, too. and i still haven't heard an adequate cover.
 
#9
Years of playing upright with one finger helped. And that's why the Jamerson clones out there suck and Jamerson didn't...trying to imitate the technique without the background. Jamerson's musicality should be appreciated and put into action...his technique, not so much.
 
#13
The music is simply awesome. JJ starts getting pretty funky around 2:40, really let's it out. Such a cat.

Good to see Eddie Brown playing so well and Earl so solid as usual. Who was on drums? Maybe Pistol?

The video itself is just a fail to me. Not even close to enough footage of what is one of the great performances way inappropriately overshadowed by a bunch of urban scenes of CHICAGO?!?! :rollno:
 
#19
Mayers said:
Seriously I don,t get what the fuss is all about Jamerson playing. To me it sound like something anyone could and can do.

I think I just don't get Motown
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there is no great mystery to western music. it's not quite what he played, but that he came up with it, and did it in the context he did that makes him genius. take any great pop bass line (or at least the overwhelming majority) and they are playable by the masses. but can they think up the lines? and Jammerson did it in a time where not many players, if any, were doing what he did - on top of incredible musicianship it took guts, arrogance even, or at least a huge risk. (and if I read correctly he did this particular tune drunk, lying on the floor ;))
 

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