Why all the fuss over James Jamerson

[Spaldo]

Phew. I clicked on this thread thinking I was going to have to defend my hero.

If you dig the 'hook', check out Chuck Rainey for a similar approach

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[Alkali Ike]

A video of Marvin Gaye at his best + Incredible musicianship + Getting a glimpse of Jamerson at work = Pure Gold.

I do hope someday the video is remade with more footage of the musicians.

 

[PastorofMuppets]

I knew you were kidding.
No one can hate on JJ.

 

[Plantbrain]

That "hook" is often used like a pick or a double thumb, and if you mess with it, it can come........but it's a lot of work to get like he does.

Worth the effort many say. I have to agree.

 

[73jbass]

Anybody bassist that can't figure out what was so great about Jamerson, needs to see Standing in the Shadows of Motown. In fact every musician needs to see it.

 

[JHAz]

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

I suspect you are underestimating the harmonic depth of his parts. Surely the average Berklee graduate could pull them apart quickly, but they don't yield quickly to mere mortals.

Besides, he did it 40 years ago, before anybody else did exactly what he was doing. Pop music bass was much less sophisticated, and while jazz (and the jazzy side of pop) utilized some of the concepts, the way he put them together was fairly unique, to me as a young person.

So it's a little like saying "I don't get all the fuss over Thomas Edison. I can go to walMart and find thousands of light bulbs."

 

[Tom Howland]

The Godfather of electric Bass.
One of the greatest to ever pick up a Bass.
P-Bass heaven.

 

[SoCal1]

So it's a little like saying "I don't get all the fuss over Thomas Edison. I can go to walMart and find thousands of light bulbs."

Well reasoned reply for the clueless...

 

[Savage_Dreams]

i always wonder the age of people that say they dont get whats so great about jamerson. a lot times the younger players just dont get the history of it. after jamerson you had everybody grooving like that, or trying to at least. people that dont know the timeline in the history of it all just dont realize there was NO ONE and nothing like that before jamerson.

 

[JimmyM]

So it's a little like saying "I don't get all the fuss over Thomas Edison. I can go to walMart and find thousands of light bulbs."

Very profound. People sometimes fail to appreciate the context that the older artists worked in. Quite simply, music like Motown never existed until Motown, and Jamerson was at the forefront of making it happen. It's really easy to be a Monday morning quarterback. People don't have to like Motown music, but respect is most definitely due.

 

[walterw]

awesome! never seen actual playing footage of "the hook" in action.

so that's "floating thumb", but with the other fingers resting on the cover; can it really be called "floating" at that point?

 

[f.c.geil]

Why all the fuss? Because he was the originator, and still the best.

He "wrote" these parts on the fly, often drunk off his a$$, laid them down in a single take, and never forgot them. Us mere mortals have to struggle to do any one of these things, and generally never get them all together.

 

[Starrchild]

Motown was Berry Gordy's baby, but it was the bass playing of James Jamerson that made Motown. His bass lines created hit after hit, and made a lot of people rich. Sadly he died poor.

 

[PaulMacCnj]

Nah, don't feel that way. Music is so, so subjective. Some of it moves us, some doesn't.

Quite honestly, I'm just discovering Jamerson. After reading so much about him, it was time to check it out for myself. What strikes me is that he goes way beyond what was expected of bassists of his time. In the video I posted, he is creating melody, not only rhythm. That is what made him a genius. Everything he plays fits perfectly in the song. The fills are great accents to the smooth back beat.

I hate threads like this. I feel like if i say anything against, or even not in favor of, Jamerson then people will consider it trolling.

 

[Mayers]

i always wonder the age of people that say they dont get whats so great about jamerson. a lot times the younger players just dont get the history of it. after jamerson you had everybody grooving like that, or trying to at least. people that dont know the timeline in the history of it all just dont realize there was NO ONE and nothing like that before jamerson.

I'm 28 and I play bass for the past 12 years and classical upright bass for 9 years. I discovered Jamerson like 3 years ago.

But I must say that Jamerson did a great thing for bass player by showing them ( us ) to have more knowledge like the language of jazz.

 

[stingraysvt]

So I almost crapped myself at 1:25. Never seen live performance footage of the man himself.

I love how Marvin was smiling... you think it was when Jamerson was hitting some of his licks?

Seriously that is almost surreal seeing him there playing. Kinda puts tears in your eyes.

 

[billoetjen]

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

Got that right.
And that's okay.... the sun will rise tomorrow... or not.

 

[jawdc54]

St. James was amazing but so was Bob "Grab it" Babbitt who alternated with Jamerson

 

[billoetjen]

This is my favorite.

‪What's Going On - Isolated Bass Track (James Jamerson)‬‏ - YouTube

Same as above but the bass track is isolated. The man was a genius.
If you get the chance, check out James Jamerson Jr.

Pica - thank you SO MUCH!
The isolated bass track really reveals even more brilliance than the the whole mix. I am indebted to you.

 

[billoetjen]

St. James was amazing but so was Bob "Grab it" Babbitt who alternated with Jamerson

I actually find it easier to "learn" from Babitt's lines than from Professor Jamerson's.