Soul-jazz bass ? Jazz-fusion bass? Just call it…Gary King!

A giant of the instrument, Gary King is revered among serious players for his groundbreaking tenure as house bassist for Bob James’ Tappan Zee imprint, and numerous releases on the CTI label, among others.

A monster groove player (and soloist), King anchored seminal sides by James, George Benson, Grover Washington Jr., Idris Muhammad, Alphonse Mouzon, Stanley Turrentine, Lenny White, Gato Barbieri, Roberta Flack, Joe Farrell, Maynard Ferguson, Hubert Laws, Mark Colby, Steve Kahn, and Tom Scott to cite a select few.

Gary’s unique gritty tone (which he often coaxed out of a Gibson hollow-body instrument) coupled with his expansive harmonic and rhythmic expertise set the standard for modern day “smooth jazz” players.

How many times Gary has been sampled in the hip-hop / digital Tik-Tok era?

Gary King Sound & Vision…

Bob James – “Touchdown” https://youtu.be/nS_k4E1vN_E

Alphonse Mouzon – “Funky Snakefoot” https://youtu.be/FownCLxUZX8

Tom Scott – “New York Connection” https://youtu.be/cBaqH796W60

Grover Washington Jr. – “Mr. Magic” https://youtu.be/yo9lI_cn2wo

Eric Gale – “De Rabbit” https://youtu.be/E_d3C-Z5J8s

Idris Muhammad – “Power of Soul” https://youtu.be/3GB2w1J8FyY