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Will Lee

#21
plangentmusic said:
He's a real good player who got off on the right foot , made the right contacts and parlayed it into amazing career.
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IIRC, one of the 1st bands he joined in NYC was Dreams...he was replacing Chuck Rainey. So, I guess hooking with the Breckers, Don Grolnick & Billy Cobham early on was "a break"...thing is, he played/sang well enough to impress those guys.
A little later, Lee joins Billy Cobham's new group & was to do the Spectrum album. Long story short: Lee Sklar did Spectrum because Lee had a serious "bad" tone issue goin' on...which he obviously repaired. I wouln't put 'a golden child' tag on Lee...sounds like he his problems & managed to overcome them.

Lee played a lot of bass on the early Spyro Gyra albums...many, IMO, are pretty memorable parts. I recall many a night sitting there & struggling through them.
 
#22
Lee makes everything he does sound easy and appropriate, which is one reason he doesn't seem as virtuosic as some other players.

But remember, he can play almost anything in any style with little or no rehearsal or preparation, make it sound stylistically perfect and like he has played in that band for years (even if it's the first time), and sing great backups at the same time. I don't know many top pros that can do that. So yes, he can do things that other players can't.
 
#24
In my humble opinion , if u want to show off , bass is the last instrument to go near . Will Lee is good at playing what is expected of the bass player in songs . HE has a fantastic stage presence . He is the perfect Professional bass player . Sure he doesnt do 8 finger tapping licks and stuff like that but he does what is expected of the bass player and serves the purpose of music in an excellent way . Also , he seems like a cool guy and great to work with . Many of the guys will know just how important the last part is . And of course , it doesnt hurt to have a little luck because u need it . Trust me . Cheers !!
 
#27
But .... Will DOES have serious chops. I saw him last year doing a bar gig in the Village in NYC and he pulled off a very cool solo using harmonics all over the neck that was not only technically perfect but also musical, funky and funny. The playing you see on the Letterman show & other such gigs is Will out for a stroll.
 
#31
I know this will get me flamed..

I'd MUCH rather have one of my students listen to him Randy Jackson, or Lee Sklar than Geddy, Les, Marcus, etc.

Most of who folks swoon on this board are players with a band built around them... these guys really don't make the reality cut.

Tim
 
#32
Smallmouth_Bass said:
Will Lee is the real deal. You don't become a session pro, play in a late night talk show band and get endorsements by being just "decent".

Check this out from his Beatles Tribute band The Fab Faux:
Abbey Road (Side 2)

Oh yeah, and he can sing really well too!
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Exploiter8 said:
Yes, Will is good!

http://vimeo.com/11237479

X8
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Good find!
Dr. Cheese said:


IMHO, this is Will Lee at his funkiest. The only P-bass that is slapped funkier than this might be Ready Freddy Washington's P-bass!
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Nice!

Will is a nice, humble man. he makes watching the late show even more worth your time.
 
#34
There's a Mike Stern album out there with a bunch of session cats. Will Lee and Victor are the two bassists on the album (never on the same track, tho). I suppose that each player was selected for his fit on the track. It is REALLY OBVIOUS who is who, even without liner notes. Will sits in the mix and grooves, and while Victor can do that without a single doubt, Victor inserts some of his "how'd he do that" stuff in some tasty places (no tapping--all fingerstyle stuff).

Both guys are incredible, and have great tone, and play just what the tracks need. But they're two distinct flavors on the album. Will actually plays one of my favorite licks on the album, to be honest. Maybe because I can cop the lick; the Victor stuff that got my attention is out of my league. Naw, it's also because it's a great, classic lick.
 
#36
MNAirHead said:
I know this will get me flamed..

I'd MUCH rather have one of my students listen to him Randy Jackson, or Lee Sklar than Geddy, Les, Marcus, etc.

Most of who folks swoon on this board are players with a band built around them... these guys really don't make the reality cut.

Tim
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I don't know why you would be flamed. The chances of making it big with a really distinctive style in a band are very, very low. Being as successful as Will Lee is also pretty unlikely, but most talented players can use him as example of how to be a great sideman.:bassist:
 
#39
MNAirHead said:
I know this will get me flamed..

I'd MUCH rather have one of my students listen to him Randy Jackson, or Lee Sklar than Geddy, Les, Marcus, etc.

Most of who folks swoon on this board are players with a band built around them... these guys really don't make the reality cut.

Tim
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Agree, with an exception for Marcus - he was a session man for years before he was a solo act and played a lot of great parts over that period of time. "Just The Two of Us", Julian Lennon's "Too Late for Goodbyes", David Sanborn's "Run for Cover" and Luther Vandross' "Never too Much" come to mind immediately, there's more I'm forgetting.
 
#40
...did not know that it was Marcus on that Julian Lennon tune (does sound like him).
IIRC, Marcus is also on Mariah Carey's "Vision Of Love".

Also, I believe there was a chance Marcus was close to being in Weather Report w/ Omar Hakim (post-Jaco)...not sure if this was in the time frame as Miles' producer/bassist, Tutu, etc. The early Marcus stuff with Miles is great (more "raw" than the recent Marcus recordings).

A tie-in with Will Lee (besides Sadowsky)-
Marcus also played in The Brecker Brothers Band...Straphanging is bad!
 

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