Courtesy of Alabama Shakes Com

Give thanks to the great state of Alabama, home to such music legends as Hank Williams, Wilson Pickett, Tammy Wynette, Percy Sledge, Lionel Ritchie, Candi Staton, Chuck Leavall (Allman Bros., Rolling Stones) Odetta, Sun Ra, and Nat “King” Cole to cite a select few.

In a few years we may add the name Alabama Shakes to that esteemed list. While a high-school student in Athens, Zac Cockrell approahed singer Brittany Howard about making music together. Recalls  Howard “I just knew that he played bass and wore shirts with cool bands on them that nobody had heard of…”

 

Rather than cover artists that inspired him such as David Bowie and assorted prog-rockers, Zac, Brittney, guitarist Heath Fogg, and drummer Steve Johnson began to compose as a team. After paying their dues working clubs throughout the south, they scored a record deal and the rest, as they say is history.

 

In addition to their sold-out gigs and nearly two million platters sold, Alabama Shakes has garnered four Grammy Awards, along with several NME, Brit Award, and Q Award nominations.

 

Their meld of southern rock, blues, and soul is most representative of the state they call home.

 

Cockrell works the pocket akin to his Alabama Muscle Shoals ancestors, sticking close to the root notes with harmonic extensions that embellish the singer and the songs. His weapon of choice, as you would expect is a vintage Fender Precision, LaBella flatwounds, and a waddafoam at the bridge!

 

 

Zac Cockrell Sound & Vision…

 

“Hold On” https://youtu.be/nin-fiNz50M

 

“Don’t Wanna Fight” https://youtu.be/nin-fiNz50M

 

“Future People” https://youtu.be/JbR999N5MiA

 

 

 

 

In Season Deux of Know Your Bass Player on Film, Rob Stoner comments on Johann Sebastian Bach’s importance to modern day bassists. 

 

“Bach’s left hand is were bass started….” https://youtu.be/eTGeRO3aqSA

 

 

By Tony Senatore 

Johann Sebastian Bach might seem an unlikely role model for aspiring bass players, but his influence looms large for many. Jack Bruce considered Bach “the ultimate in bass players” and asserted that bassists could learn everything that there is to know in conventional harmony from listening to him. When reflecting on my earliest experiences as a bassist, Bach’s Six Suites For Violincello Solo as well as Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin were integral in developing my overall concept.

 

Perhaps the best example of Bach’s influence on bass guitar is Glenn Cornick’s work on Jethro Tull’s Stand Up (1969). The third track on side one of this seminal record was Ian Anderson’s arrangement of J. S. Bach’s “Bouree.” Cornick’s solo over the changes of “Bouree” was radical and revolutionary for the time.

 

I recently learned the track for a video featured on Know Your Bass Player, and noted some similarities between Cornick and Steve Swallow, both tonally as well as stylistically.

 

I asked Steve if Bach factored into his approach as a bassist, and if he was aware of Cornick, since they were contemporaries.

 

Steve conveyed that neither Jethro Tull nor Glenn Cornick provided any influence or inspiration, but that he shared Cornick’s “clear fondness for Bach.”

 

He continued,” I consider Bach the ultimate source of contrapuntal bass lines, and the Cello Suites the one essential bass text.  I know the ‘Bouree’ Tull played, and I used it as lesson material when I taught in the mid-70s at Berklee, and I appreciate that Glenn nailed it without pretense, as a bass player should.”

 

Courtesy of Oteil Burbridge Com

He is a virtuoso of the instrument, and among of the elite players in the jam band / improvisational fusion (jazz / funk / world) sub-genres. Oteil Burbridge started off as so many bass player do, on drums!

 

Recognizing his multi-faceted musical talents, Oteil’s mom encouraged her son (whose name translates as “explorer”) to investigate additional instruments including violin and trumpet. Honing his chops in his native Washington D.C. club circuit, Burbridge garnered national attention aplenty as the anchor of the experimental Aquarium Rescue Unit – an ensemble which  featured members of jam-band giants Phish, Phil Lesh & Friends, and Blues Traveler among others.  

 

Burbridge took over the Allmans bass chair in 1997 following the departure of Allen Woody. He waxed the band’s final studio slab – the underrated Hittin’ the Note (2003) wherein he worked the five string and appeared and numerous live sets. To my ears, Burbridge’s work with the Brothers echoed Berry Oakley as Oteil was given to working the pocket which occasional upper register flourishes. Burbridge also took an occasional lead vocal with the band.

 

Among Oteil’s high-profile collaborations included Dead & Company helmed with Grateful alumnae Bob Weir, Billy Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart along with John Mayer.  He also joined founding drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johnny Johnson in Les Brers. Burbridge also served as the harmonic and rhythmic anchor of the Tedeschi Trucks band – which garnered a Grammy as for Best Blues Album in in 2012 for Revelator.

 

Burbridge has recorded under his own name and as a bandleader – Oteil Burbridge and The Peacemakers. Among his notable session credits include Gregg Allman, Warren Hayes, Herbie Hancock, and The Zac Brown Band.

 

Oteil has been cited by this writer in Huffington Post for his tenure in the final incarnations of the Allman Bros. Band as deserving of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honors with Lamar Williams, David Goldflies, and Allen Woody. 11 More Bass Players Who Belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2016) Link: https://bit.ly/2EZx1Lf

 

A truly diverse and prolific cat – keep up with Oteil at www.OteilBurbridge.com – gear heads be advised to check out OB’s extensive collection of basses – ranging from the trad-for to the six string…

 

 

Oteil Burbridge Sound & Vision…

 

Aquarium Rescue Unit: Live at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival 1996: https://youtu.be/lzxVxC5kLMQ

 

Allman Brothers: “Instrumental Illness” https://youtu.be/Z1_6HPpTuuU

 

Dead & Company “Comes a Time” with Oteil on lead vocal https://youtu.be/-zHpenigs3k

 

Tedeschi Trucks Band “Midnight in Harlem” https://youtu.be/K1J04ugcdi8  

 

Les Brers “Every Hungry Woman” https://youtu.be/zOhYD5TfUrM

 

Oteil & The Peacemakers “Subterranea” https://youtu.be/zOhYD5TfUrM

 

 

 

Given the high profile of his band, and the even higher profile of the singer and guitarist he so ably serves, he is probably the least recognized of his profession among the iconic collectives in the history of rock music. In fact, he may be more recognized for dating super-models! Nice work if you can get it…

 

Working a Fender Precision or Fender Jazz or permutations thereof, Adam Charles Clayton possesses an instinctive grasp of rhythm and space. His phrasing is fueled by dub, soul, and reggae influences- and he expresses more in three cyclic notes than many of his peers whose fingers fly up and down the neck of their instrument. 

 

As U2 have evolved over the years, so too has Adam’s artistry with regard to melody, rhythm, and harmony.

 

Adam Clayton Sound & Vision:

 

“New Year’s Day” (Inspired by the Polish solidarity movement, this monster bass passage commenced as Clayton’s botched attempt to decipher the chord changes to Visage’s synth-pop hit “Fade to Grey.”) https://youtu.be/f8BtB4C3Vi8 

 

“You’re The Best Thing About Me” https://youtu.be/nd_EYo96lmo

 

“Staring at the Sun” https://youtu.be/q4Gr8Lf2Bzo

 

“Gone” https://youtu.be/2Dc3sbCVgXY

 

“Get On Your Boots” https://youtu.be/JcDNilZbZg8

 

“I’ll Go Crazy” https://youtu.be/4q_AHAMVQ9c

 

“Mysterious Ways” https://youtu.be/TxcDTUMLQJI

Courtesy U2 Com

By Thomas Semioli

 

Would Jimi have been better off with…Jack Casady? John Entwistle? Sir Paul? Nope…read on!

 

Noel Redding occupies a unique place in electric bass history. Akin to many early practitioners of the instrument in the 1960s, Redding became a bassist out of necessity – or happenstance, depending on your interpretation of history.

 

Born in Folkstone, Kent, Redding’s first forays into music included violin and mandolin studies. He gravitated towards guitar at the age of 14. By his late teens Noel was playing lead, gigging, and recording in local bands including  The Strangers, The Lonely Ones, and The Loving Kind which released a few minor singles.   

 

While attending an audition for Eric Burdon’s New Animals, fate intervened as Redding encountered an unknown American whiz kid guitar player who had just migrated to London a week earlier.

 

Noel was exclusively a guitarist (and vocalist) at the time of his September 30, 1966 introduction to Jimi Hendrix via manager and former Animals bassist Chas Chandler. They were duly impressed by Redding’s chic Afro-hairstyle which Hendrix and drummer Mitch Mitchell soon adopted, and the young musician’s musical tastes and attitude. Noel Redding’s professional life as a bass player began on the day of his first jam with Jimi and Mitch.

 

Securing the bass chair in the newly formed Jimi Hendrix Experience, the trio quickly cut two massively popular singles “Hey Joe” and “Purple Haze” and the rest as they say, is history.

 

Noel anchored the Experience on their three watershed studio sides Are You Experienced (1967), Axis Bold as Love (1967), and Electric Ladyland (1969).

 

Note that Ladyland also featured Jefferson Airplane bassist Jack Casady (“Voodoo Chile”) – who was considered a possible successor to Redding. Jimi cut bass passages to several tracks on the acclaimed twofer as well, including the massive hit “All Along the Watchtower.” ( For the record, the additional Jimi bass tracks were “Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland),” “Long Hot Summer Night,” “Gypsy Eyes,” “1983,” and “House Burning Down.”)

 

As a player with Jimi, Noel was strictly in supportive mode, outlining the changes with occasional grace notes and melodic fills whilst Hendrix stretched the sonic and harmonic boundaries of the artform that is rock and roll music.  

 

Using a Fender Jazz with a plectrum, Redding’s tone was sharp enough to be heard, yet filled the bottom as was needed. Also note that the Experience played at ear-splitting volume, hence the practicality for Noel’s basic bass approach.

 

Much has been speculated over the years (and probably back then) whether Jimi would have significantly benefited from a more adventurous bassist ala John Entwistle, Paul McCartney, or Jack Casady.

 

Not to my ears. The Experience was a showcase for Jimi. Given Mitchell’s polyrhythmic disposition, and Hendrix’s playing decidedly outside the box – Redding rendered exactly what was needed.

 

As The Ox and Casady were players who mostly ventured into solo bass territory, a coupling with Jimi, especially in a live setting would have likely resulted in (needless) noodling / one upmanship, and cacophony.

 

Following his tenure with Jimi, Redding worked in several ensembles with varying degrees of artistic and commercial success. In the collectives where he served as a bassist, Redding was a fine player – harmonically and rhythmically.

 

Sadly Redding battled addiction and lawsuits with the Hendrix estate for the remainder of his life after splitting from the Experience in 1969. Noel was forced to sell the Fender Jazz bass that he waxed Hendrix sides with to make ends meet. He passed at 57 in 2003.

 

Coda: In addition to his backing vocals, Noel sang lead on two JHE tracks which he composed “She’s So Fine,” and “Little Miss Strange.” Though they were not the mind-bending psychedelic anthems Hendrix fans expected – and oft times demanded, Redding’s breezy / trippy pop tunes were an enjoyable digression from the heavyweight Hendrix slant.  

 

On a personal note, I prefer Jimi’s work with Billy Cox in Band of Gypsys. However that trio, with pocket drummer / vocalist Buddy Miles, was an entirely different tactic from the Hendrix Experience as Jimi forged an overtly rhythm and blues / soul vibe.

 

When the Experience “reunited” with Cox replacing Redding and Mitchell back in the drum chair, my feeling is that Billy was out of his area of expertise. Though with additional time in such a configuration,  it’s probable that Cox could have assimilated his heavy groove playing to a hard rock context or even forged a unique hybrid between the two genres as did Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones in Led Zeppelin.

 

We’ll never know…

 

Noel Redding Sound & Vision as a Bassist…

 

Jimi Hendrix Experience

 

“Hey Joe” and “Purple Haze”  Live at the Marquee 1967 https://youtu.be/sgBZo-nIlFo

 

BBC Sessions overview https://youtu.be/wNjD4y4MQS0

 

“Foxy Lady” Miami Pop Festival 1968 https://youtu.be/_PVjcIO4MT4

 

“Little Miss Strange” https://youtu.be/PYPsvpxbNuU

 

“She’s So Fine” https://youtu.be/a29Yqi6gjH0

 

Noel Redding Band: “Cloanakilty Cowboys” https://youtu.be/zOhhIQRO_4Y

 

Noel Redding & Road “I’m Trying”  https://youtu.be/ZXR1o6s9UY4

 

By Joe Gagliardo

Back in the 60’s there were two highly revered bands originally from Minneapolis that ended up being based out of Chicago—Crow and The Litter.  Larry Wiegand has a history with both bands.

 

Larry grew up in a family where his mom, grandfather, and older brother Dick played music.  Larry started out playing guitar and drums but switched to the bass in 1962 at his brother’s suggestion.

 

In 1962, Larry and Dick started playing music with other guys who were friends from the neighborhood.  The band was originally called The Knights, and later the Rave-Ons, and ran from ’63-’67.  They started out playing the instrumental music they loved – Ventures, Chet Atkins, Duane Eddy, Lonnie Mack, and Booker T & the MG’s.

 

In 1967, Larry and Dick got together with some of the members of another local band called the Jokers Wild and formed South 40. The band covered a lot of the soul music of the mid-sixties – Wilson Pickett, the Rascals, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, and Otis Redding. In 1968, South 40 recorded a live album called Live at Someplace Else, which gave the band some regional success.

 

In 1969 they added Denny Craswell (Castaways) on drums/vocals, changed their band name to Crow, and released the album “Crow Music” on the Amaret label. Legendary Dunwich Productions movers and shakers, Bob Monaco, Bill Traut and Jim Golden were responsible for Crow’s record deal. 

 

Crow had a number of Top – 40 hits from 1969 to 1972, including “Evil Woman”, which was co-written by Larry, “Slow Down”, (Don’t Try To Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the) “King OF Rock n’ Roll” and “Cottage Cheese”, among others, and released two more LPs, “Crow By Crow” and “Mosaic.”  “Evil Woman” has been covered by many artists, including Black Sabbath on its English debut LP, and Ike and Tina Turner, on their Come Together album.  Ike and Tina changed the title to “Evil Man” to make it work with Tina as the singer.

 

Many of Crow’s songs have prominent driving bass lines, starting with “Evil Woman.”  Larry’s aggressive pick playing propels that song.  Another favorite is “Cottage Cheese.”  The band needed a song that would feature drummer, Denny Craswell doing a drum solo. So, Larry and Dick came up with a riff and the band all started working on it at rehearsal. While intended as a showcase for the drummer, the middle of the song has funky call and response riffs between the bass and guitar, including a killer unison run up the neck which still shakes the floors when played at the proper volume—LOUD!

 

Crow toured extensively, playing many major festivals, including in Toronto, Denver, Miami, Vancouver and Seattle, among others; toured with Janis Joplin; and played on big bills, including with Jimi Hendrix, Chicago, Grand Funk Railroad, Fleetwood Mac, Steppenwolf,  Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, War, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Three Dog Night, Grateful Dead, Canned Heat, and Spirit.  They even had an up and coming ZZ Top open for them.  

 

Crow disbanded in 1972, and Larry moved to Los Angeles.  He was a staff bass player for RCA records, from ’73-’77.   During that time, he played bass on a number of the label’s demos, and also spent a few years as part of Pacific Gas & Electric, which previously had chart success with the single “Are You Ready.”

 

Heading back home to Minnesota, he toured the U.S. and Canada with Bobby Vee from the late ‘70s into the ‘80s, before joining the band Double Nickels, which he played with from ‘82-’86.  After playing thousands of gigs with Double Nickels, he took time off to start a family.

 

Crow was reformed in 1988, and Larry has played with the band continuously since then.  In addition to Crow, Larry has kept busy with other projects.  He released his own “Sessions” CD in 2016, performing with various artists, including one of his heroes, Nokie Edwards of the Ventures.  Larry is also active with blues man Doug Maynard, and the Lisa Wenger Band, who both also appear on the Sessions CD.

 

The Litter is another band that appears on Sessions.  The Litter is a garage rock band, formed in 1966 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are best remembered for their 1967 debut single, “Action Woman”. The band recorded two classic garage LPs, Distortions and 100 Fine, on local labels, before their third album, “Emerge,” which was released on ABC’s Probe label.  Although the group subsequently disbanded, it has re-united in various configurations, including the 1998 release of a new studio album Re-Emerge consisting of both old and new material, as well as old and new members, including Larry Wiegand on bass.

 

 In 2019, Tom Murray, the original drummer of The Litter, released a new Litter LP, Future of the Past, which again includes Larry on bass, as well as original Litter guitarist, Zippy Caplan, and Dez Dickerson, the original guitarist in the Revolution. 

 

This LP is hard-rocking and consists of several songs based on unreleased and/or unfinished material from the early ‘70s.  According to Tom Murray, while there are new guys, it is heavily based on what the band was doing back then.   

 

Based on Larry’s extensive career, he was inducted with Crow into the Minnesota Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, Iowa Rock n Roll Music Hall of Fame in 2009, and the South Dakota Rock n Roll Music Hall of Fame in 2016.  He was also inducted into the Minnesota Blues Society Hall of Fame in 2018.

 

His influences include Nokie Edwards, who originally played bass with the Ventures before taking over their lead guitar duties, James Jamerson, Chuck Rainey, Paul McCartney and Paul Samwell-Smith of the Yardbirds.

 

Larry’s go-to basses back in the day were a 1962 Fender Precision Bass and a ’63 Fender Precision bass, that was used on a lot of Crow’s records.  These days, he plays a ‘71 Fender P bass on stage, and he also uses a ’95 Fender Jazz bass modified with DiMarzio pickups.  His rigs have gone from a Fender Bassman, to Fender Dual Showman, to Vox Super Beatle, Ampeg SVT and Acoustic 360.  He currently uses a GK 800RB head with a 400 watt 1×15 cabinet.  

 

Larry Weigand Sound & Vision…

Crow:

 

“Evil Woman” https://youtu.be/dz7-Sq1CDH8   

 

“Cottage Cheese” https://youtu.be/cxhxqNkIzaw  

 

Larry Wiegand and Nokie Edwards “After You’ve Gone: https://youtu.be/aPNvX8ZsK4w    

 

Larry Wiegand and Jeff Christensen “One Moment” https://youtu.be/LOvc4dLLG_U   

 

 

This feature appeared on Huffington Post Books, December 2013

 

 “A lot of books about people in the rock music business are boring to me…the drugs, the women…the bankruptcies…it’s all so repetitive. When I approached publishers and told them my story isn’t anything like that …it’s all about back-packing — they said ‘great!” – Overend Watts, Mott the Hoople

 

Though Mott the Hoople hardly achieved the commercial success of the innumerable bands they spawned — you can count The Clash, Def Leppard, and Wilco among them — their sacrosanct status in the pantheon of rock ‘n’ roll lore is time honored. Mott were the first band to headline Broadway (with Queen in support, no less) and their David Bowie-penned anthem “All The Young Dudes” defined a generation that urgently needed to separate itself from the idyllic hippie culture which permeated the early 1970s. Since Mott the Hoople’s untimely split in 1974, their albums have never gone out of print, nor has their relevance -top rock artists continue to name check the five lads from Herefordshire.

 

Mott’s chief singer/songwriter Ian Hunter, unquestionably in a peer group which includes such iconic rock poets as Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Patti Smith, enjoys an acclaimed solo career that spans nearly forty years. Guitarist Mick Ralphs’ fame and fortune as a founding member of Bad Company was no surprise — Jimmy Page inked Bad Company to Led Zeppelin’s fledging Swansong imprint and the rest, as they say, is history. And the fact that Mott, Hunter, nor Bad Company, have yet to be recognized by the so-called Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame — is outright heresy. Even Rush fans would agree!

 

However no member of Mott the Hoople embraced the joy, pageantry, and excess of the band and the era than bassist Peter Overend Watts. A silver haired towering figure atop platform hip-boots (which he also wore off-stage: “I couldn’t get them off after a gig!” ) whilst plying mighty riffs from his self- painted white Gibson Thunderbird, Watts would adorn himself in outrageous outfits that would render Lady Gaga and her minions ridiculously passé. Watts left the music business in the early 1980s and never looked back — not that he needed to, thanks to his dealings in antiques and collectibles for many years, among other endeavors.

 

Watts’ first official foray into “literature” — The Man Who Hated Walking, available now by way of Wymer Publishing — is a laugh-out-loud, riveting documentation of his 650 mile (actually 680 miles if you include Overend’s several missteps) two month journey of the South West Coast Path in 2003 — one of the most expansive way-marked long distance trails in the UK — spanning Minehead in Sumerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. That’s almost four times the height of Mount Everest — glam rock footwear not included.

 

Akin to those of us who fell in love with Mott at a young, impressionable age, Watts’ fascination with hiking stems from his childhood. “Back in the 1950’s I saw a lot of tramps in England…many of whom were War World II veterans. Perhaps they had shell shock. They were Dickensian characters. Amazing to look at, dressed in rags with great, big beards. I was mesmerized by them — what do they do? Where do they go? Where do they sleep? Where did they walk? So a little seed was sown in me — things do hit you harder when you’re young…they go straight to the heart.”

 

The Man Who Hated Walking officially commences when the self-proclaimed couch potato becomes obsessed with the idea of long distance walking in the midst of a late-night Cadbury Fruit & Nut chocolate induced viewing of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Host Chris Warrant’s interview of a contestant who had conquered the aforementioned Path inspired Watts — who normally rises at two in the afternoon — to embark on the journey of a lifetime.”If I had to crawl I would have done it!

 

Watts’ conversational tone and vivid descriptive narratives peppered with hysterical Brit vernacular affords the reader the feeling that they are indeed walking with the author every step of the way — through his arduous preparations; agonizing spells of foot and back pain; the numerous bouts of self-doubt; his moods of terror and triumph; Watts’ exhilarating scenic views; the wayward diversions borne of both nature and error (“You can’t get a mobile phone out when you’re stranded on a ledge…and even if you do, how are they going to rescue you?!”); awaking to pigs and ponies; insomnia; confrontations with batty bread and breakfast matrons; the rescue of a stranded swimmer; and the anxiety that comes with the myriad of hygienic and bodily function challenges in public restrooms and in the wild; just to list a few.

 

Among Overend’s various whacky encounters includes a happenstance summit with a German hiker desperately seeking the famed house wherein seminal metal rockers Deep Purple recorded their classic Fireball album in 1971 (which was released shortly before Mott’s far superior Brain Capers LP for those of you keeping score). When Watts, who never, ever reveals his rock ‘n’ roll pedigree, casually informs the gent of his Mott past — the torrid Teutonic trekker turns purple with rage, accusing the retired bassist of being an imposter! “That poor prog-rock bloke…I’ll never know if he found his house…”

 

Since Watts’ completion of the South West Coast Path, the author continues to traverse the UK by foot. In 2008 Watts completed a marathon 1,250 mile walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats in sixty-three days — a sojourn which incorporates The Cotswold Way, The Heart of England Way, Staffordshire Way, Limestone Way, Pennine Way, Cheviots, Grampians and Cairngorms.

 

“You only have one life to live haven’t you?” opines a jovial Watts just a few hours before Mott the Hoople’s final re-union performance at the 02 in London in November 2013. In addition to walking himself into physical fitness worthy of a man several years his junior, Overend is quick to note that the residual effects of his newfound hiking lifestyle included a healthy dose of self-discovery. “I found that I was more resilient and had more will-power than I thought…walking does that for you…it’s really simple, like Confucius said ‘just take it one step at a time, mate!” Well, in Overend’s world, the Chinese philosopher just may have been a scouser!

 

Mott Literary Postscript: Mr. Watts is not Mott’s sole scribe. I strongly advise readers of rock autobiographies to seek out a copy of Diary of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star, written by Overend’s bandmate Ian Hunter, which was first published in 1974. Unlike the current crop of tomes composed by marquee rockers (and their ghost writers) who somehow remember everything that happened to them in decades past despite their massive intake of mind-altering substances that cause most addicts to forget what they did five minutes ago, Hunter’s book is an honest, illuminating, and entertaining portrait of life in a band on the road. And, Hunter also affords the reader great insight into the sartorial splendor of Peter Overend Watts.

 

My deep appreciation and gratitude to Peter Purnell of Angel Air Records and Mark Preston for helping me track down the most elusive rock star who ever walked the earth!

 

 

Courtesy of Jimmy Haslip Com

 

Born in the Bronx, raised on Long Island, Jimmy Haslip’s nearly half-century career as a sideman, bandmember, collaborator,  session cat, producer, solo recording artist, and composer spans jazz fusion, pop, metal, world, soul, funk, Americana, and rhythm and blues.   

 

Jimmy started off on drums, then moved on to tuba, trumpet, and guitar before choosing the bass at age 15. A natural lefty, Haslip learned his craft on a right-handed instrument turned upside down ala Jimi Hendrix.

 

Rapidly advancing on the instrument, Haslip came to prominence anchoring two bona-fide guitar gods in the 1970s: Tommy Bolin and Robben Ford. In 1980, the core members of Ford’s backing ensemble; Haslip, keyboardist Russel Ferrante, and drummer Ricky Lawson formed The Yellowjackets – a groundbreaking jazz fusion collective with commercial overtones – hence the creation of the oft derided sub-genre “smooth jazz.” 

 

Regardless of critical acclaim and/or derision, depending on your disposition, The Yellowjackets were/are a resounding success commercially and artistically, garnering nearly two dozen Grammy nominations, and two Grammy Awards to date: Best R & B Instrumental Performance 1987 “And You Know That,” Best Jazz Fusion Performance for the album Politics in 1989.  

 

Haslip “officially” left The Yellowjackets 2013 and was replaced by Felix Pastorius, son of Jaco Pastorius. Jimmy occasionally re-unites with The Yellowjackets on stage and on record.     

 

A master soloist and pocket player Jimmy was also an early adopter of the extended range bass. Among his high-profile session credits include Anita Baker, Gino Vannelli, Chaka Kahn, Al Jarreau, and Rita Coolidge. He also “pinch hit” for Gene Simmons on various Kiss sessions.

 

Jimmy Haslip Sound & Vision

 

The Yellowjackets:

“And You Know That” https://youtu.be/3w4xrOQdvkI

“Matinee Idol” https://youtu.be/QdbCf76wlKU

“Imperial Strut” https://youtu.be/R2qUJw1WjZM

 

Robben Ford:

“Aurora” https://youtu.be/AmL5WHTLJQU

“Magic Sam” https://youtu.be/5agv8BlngyI

 

Solo Jimmy: “Orange Guitars” https://youtu.be/ZaTgh1vO5rA

 

Photo by Mark Polott

 

By Thomas Semioli

 

As I was witness, when Stanley Clarke emerged on the national music scene in the early 1970s the electric bass was not yet accepted by the jazz establishment. Perhaps it was because he also played the upright, perhaps it was due to the opened minded rock audiences of the day who gravitated towards electric Miles, Santana, and similar, or maybe the time was right for jazz to wake up to modern technology and young listeners….

 

Whatever the case, the jazz community paid attention to this Philadelphia whiz kid. Stanley applied the language of jazz to our instrument like no other before him. Note that Clarke was a product of his times – he was tuned in to Motown, the British Invasion, Philly soul, Muscle Shoals, and early electric jazz. He made no excuses for their influences in his music.  In fact, he celebrated the pomp and circumstance of pop music – both on record and on stage.  He was a star electric bassist – and remains so to this day.

 

In addition to his unparalleled technique and rhythmic and harmonic virtuosity as both an accompanist and soloist, and a prolific composer – Stanley fervently incorporated the languages of rhythm & blues, soul, funk, disco, and rock into to the jazz lexicon. By “legitimizing” those previously marginalized genres in a jazz context, Clarke profoundly changed American music – making it more inclusive, and more representative of the population.

 

Stanley’s canon, spanning his early days with Return to Forever to his extensive work in film soundtracks, to his innumerable collaborations are all worthy of exploration. He’s been cited by the Grammys, Bass Player, Downbeat, and various learning institutions with piles of achievement awards and honorary doctorates.  While we’re at it, Stanley Clarke is long overdue for Kennedy Center honors.

 

Stanley paved the way for Jaco, Victor Wooten, John Patitucci, Christian McBride, Marcus, Esperanza, Tal, and all the jazz lions and lionesses of the instrument who follow.  Rock bass icons including Chris Squire and Paul McCartney (who worked with Stanley) revere him.

 

As long as the electric bass exists on the bandstand and in the studio, players will debate who is the GOAT.  Fact: Stanley can carry the GOAT title in his back pocket!

 

He is the cat who kicked the door open to the evolution of instrument as we now know it. And he continues to celebrate the traditional role of the bass…

 

The most important electric bass player of all time? My vote goes to Stanley Clarke….

 

Stanley Clarke Electric Sound & Vision…

 

Solo Stanley:

“Journey to Love” https://youtu.be/w0QR-ZFs8FM

 

“Silly Putty” https://youtu.be/fVoGJ0FKttQ 

 

“Lopsy Lu” https://youtu.be/rF4Y3uWKxvo

 

“School Days” https://youtu.be/dDveBbJkVqo

 

“Hello Jeff” with Jeff Beck https://youtu.be/h8eQCNiGuaw

 

“The Dancer” https://youtu.be/-1fCBRc2DAs

 

“Pop Virgil” https://youtu.be/adHsJPzuHzQ

 

Return to Forever: “Space Circus” https://youtu.be/gdsK9YIf3U4

 

Paul McCartney: “Somebody Who Cares” https://youtu.be/miemM-xFqWw

 

George Duke: “Louie Louie” https://youtu.be/XVfp-9lopKY

 

SMV at Montreal Jazz Festival 2012 https://youtu.be/qrXmblp9EBo

 

Keith Richards & Ronnie Wood New Barbarians https://youtu.be/FW8oAtBotI8

Courtesy of Esperanza Spalding Com

By Thomas Semioli

Every generation begets a bassist who re-writes the book on what the instrument is, where it stands in the present, and where it can go in the future. Enter Esperanza Emily Spalding in the 21^st Century….

 

A child protégé at the age of five, she began performing with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon.  Spalding took up the double bass at Northwest Academy in her teens, and never looked back. By the age of 20 she was teaching at Berklee.

 

Championed by Gary Burton and Pat Metheny, Esperanza emerged as a solo recording artist in 2006 as she established herself as an in-demand collaborator, composer, educator, and session player. She has toured and recorded consistently since then, waxing albums which traverse classical, Latin Jazz, hip-hop, funk, pop, soul, art-rock, and permutations thereof.

 

A recipient of several high-profile awards (Grammys, Downbeat polls, Boston Music Awards, to cite a few…) Spalding’s crossover appeal echoes the aesthetic of Miles, Herbie Hancock, Metheny, Stanley Clarke, and Chick Corea (among others, primarily in the 1970s) who brought the art-form of jazz to a wide audience.  Perhaps as a child of the 1990s, an era wherein genres collided at the dawn of the digital age, the idea of “jazz” as stand-alone musical platform was obsolete. When I meet Esperanza, I’ll ask her!

 

Among Esperanza’s most visible weapon of choice is the Fender Fretless Jaco Pastorius Jazz bass.

 

Esperanza Spalding Sound & Vision…

 

“Move Many Joints” https://youtu.be/hirurODtA1k

 

“Black Gold” https://youtu.be/Nppb01xhfe0

 

“Endangered Species” https://youtu.be/aZ4uarjLsKg  

 

“I Can’t Help It” https://youtu.be/CNe2tdSeaec

 

“Lest We Forget” https://youtu.be/i21b35DtbIQ

 

“Ways Together” https://youtu.be/Z5a2scXYA6Y

 

“She Got To You” https://youtu.be/r4rl2IlMVYw

 

“Wild Is The Wind” https://youtu.be/S13ovac-eBk