An F Clef coiffed lioness of the electric bass, Nik West does it all: soul, rock, blues, jazz, hip-hop and permutations thereof.

A dynamic performer, bandleader, vocalist, composer, and collaborator (Prince, Dave Stewart, John Mayer, Glen Ballard, Orianthi), Ms. West draws upon her funky forefathers Prince, Bootsy, Larry Graham, and Marcus Miller for her slap/pop predilections and harmonic repertoire.

Nik West Sound & Vision…

“Bass Groove” https://youtu.be/37alIHxVkpg

“Purple Unicorn” https://youtu.be/EFYfbbZ-Om8

“My Relationship” https://youtu.be/9uf0fKh-Bow

By Thomas Semioli

Let’s talk versatility…let’s talk Jack Blades.

Inspired by The Beatles and especially Sir Paul, Blades commenced his career working the club circuit in a variety of local Southern California bands. Eventually he hooked up with funk rockers Rubicon, commandeered by former Sly & The Family Stone sax man Jerry Martini. Their two slabs Rubicon (1978) and America Dreams (1979) may not have scaled the charts – yet they showed promise for young Jack and his bandmate Brad Gillis.

Dig Jack slappin’ and poppin’ with Rubicon https://youtu.be/r6kkcN2dZBI

Following Rubicon’s split, Blades and Gillis formed Night Ranger which did scale the charts waxing a hits and platinum platters aplenty with Blades as the primary composer and lead vocalist.

Dig Jack and Night Ranger:

“Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” https://youtu.be/GSWPTU_krTY

“Rock in America” https://youtu.be/-RMA-1oWISQ

“Sister Christian” https://youtu.be/z92bmlcmyq0

“When You Close Your Eyes” https://youtu.be/UGLeg3y3b1U

“Sentimental Street” https://youtu.be/qLiFvZ8wMkA

Following Night Ranger’s split, Blades was back on the charts with Damn Yankees, an all-star ensemble comprised of Ted Nugent, Tommy Shaw, and Michael Cartellone.

Dig Jack and Damn Yankees

“High Enough” https://youtu.be/l_uh8XjgLTE

“Coming of Age” https://youtu.be/vCXYxGFbsBs

When Damn Yankees folded, Jack was back with Shaw / Blades…

Dig Jack with Shaw / Blades

“I’ll Always Be With You” https://youtu.be/hPuAkhsOkUQ

When Jack Blades isn’t composing hits for himself, he pens songs for a wide array of artists including Cher, Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, Vince Neil, and Ozzy. He’s hosted a syndicated radio shows; produced sides for Samantha 7, Great White, and Nugent, among others; and toured with Ringo’s All Star Band, and a reformed Night Ranger.

Akin to his hero Macca, Blades is the consummate song player who adapts his technique and tone to the song first and foremost. Blades’ primary weapon of choice these days is his signature Hamer bass.

Talk about versatility….

Courtesy of Steve Swallow Com

By Thomas Semioli

A plectrum player with a mastery of the upper register, Steve Swallow, along with Bob Cranshaw and Monk Montgomery, was a major proponent of the electric bass in jazz long before Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke emerged in the 1970s.

An acclaimed, multiple Downbeat Award winning composer, recording artist, educator (his Berklee students created the first Real Book), and renown collaborator, Swallow’s hallowed canon includes landmark recordings and performances with Carla Bley, Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, Paul Motian,  Joe Lovano, Jim Hall, John Scofield, and Stan Getz to cite a very, very select few.

Swallow started off as a pianist and trumpet player. He gravitated to the upright, landing a gig in the Paul Bley trio in 1960. A jazz fusion pioneer as a member of Gary Burton’s quartet with Larry Coryell in the 1960s, Swallow made the transition to electric and never looked back. Steve has recorded and toured extensively with his partner Carla Bley in numerous configurations spanning small groups to big bands.

Steve uses a copper pick and his main weapon of choice is an extended range bass with a high C string which he employs for chordal passages and improv.

Steve Swallow Sound & Vision:

With Tony Senatore & Friends  “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You” https://youtu.be/frcY823kNiA

With John Scofield “Trio Blues”  https://youtu.be/4frsImhVxHs

With Carla Bley “Sing Me Softly The Blues” https://youtu.be/kE3GqMX2bQY

With Pat Methany “All The Things You Are” https://youtu.be/VGRndhjNOoc

With Paul Bley and Jimmy Giuffre “Life of a Trio” https://youtu.be/u8bPVA20V7E

The Steve Swallow Quintet at the Heineken Jazz Festival 2013 https://youtu.be/EsdcWXZ45QY

“I don’t like to look back, because the whole point in jazz is doing it now.”   -Scott LaFaro

In a life and career (1955-61) cut short by tragedy, Rocco Scott LaFaro stands as one of the most influential upright jazz bassists by way of his groundbreaking tenure with the Bill Evans Trio.

Studying bass clarinet, saxophone, and piano in high school, LaFaro commenced his career as a bassist on the bandstand with the Buddy Morrow Big Band in the mid-1950s.

Among his collaborators included a who’s who of 20th Century jazz giants: Chet Baker, Paul Bley, Eric Dolphy, Tommy Flanagan, Herb Geller, Stan Getz, Jimmy Giuffre, Vince Guaraldi, Roy Haynes, Billy Higgins, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, Hank Jones, Thad Jones, Richie Kamuca, Wynton Kelly, Barney Kessel, Steve Kuhn, Harold Land, Mel Lewis, Booker Little, Thelonious Monk, Marty Paich, Frank Rosolino, Bobby Timmons, and Cal Tjader, to cite a few.

However LaFaro made his everlasting mark on jazz with Evans and drummer Paul Motian.

In the Evans ensemble, all three members were considered “equal voices” – as the pianist employed his theory of “simultaneous composition” within the group.

Scott’s rich tone, “dancing” rhythms, and counter-melodic passages brought the instrument to the forefront – yet he never overshadowed his bandmates, especially during his dynamic interplay with Evans.

LaFaro also replaced another giant of the instrument, Charlie Haden, in Ornette Colman’s watershed collective in 1961 and worked with both groups at the time of his passing.

Scott’s recordings with Bill Evans – Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz For Debby are modern jazz classics. Revered by his peers, and on Miles Davis’ radar to be included in his next band, LaFaro perished in an automobile accident in July 1961.

Since his death numerous archival releases have documented his brief but prolific career. Scott never waxed a side as a bandleader, and he appeared on less than twenty albums in his lifetime!

The LaFaro legacy? He advanced the role of the bass from a regimented time-keeper to a melodic force. In fact, LaFaro plucked from the underside of the string and produced a louder volume than had been thought possible.

A master practitioner of the upper register, jazz journalist Joe Goldberg commented that it was “as though he were playing a large guitar.” 

Among Scott’s seminal sides include:

Bill Evans – Sunday at the Village Vanguard (Riverside, 1961) “Waltz for Debby” https://youtu.be/z9WDyHGz-9M

Bill Evans – Waltz for Debby (Riverside, 1961)

Hampton Hawes – For Real! (Contemporary, 1959)

Victor Feldman – The Arrival of Victor Feldman (Contemporary, 1958)

Stan Getz – Stan Getz/Cal Tjader Sextet (Fantasy, 1958)

The artform that is rock and roll is rife with artists who never garnered the commercial success they so richly deserve – yet somehow their influence pervades.

Witness The Illusion – a late 1960s psychedelic / progressive rock collective from Long Island New York which waxed three stunning sides and opened for such peer artists as The Who, Chicago, Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Allman Brothers Band, and Sly & The Family Stone to cite a few.

Bassist / composer / singer Chuck Alder plied passages which drew from classic rhythm & blues, soul, and jazz. His upper register expertise rivaled his contemporaries Sir Paul, Brian Wilson, and Chris Squire.

Following his tenure in the Illusion, Alder forged a career as a working musician – honing his craft in an array of jazz / blues / pop configurations spanning small groups to big bands.

Among Chuck’s more high-profile collaborations includes the bass / bass / drums ensemble The Deep, with bassist Mike Frost.

Chuck Alder Sound & Vision…

The Illusion:

“Man” https://youtu.be/96ilxhITRMs

“Did You See Her Eyes” https://youtu.be/Ss06438D12o

Dig Chuck’s lead vocal on “Angel” from Together as a Way of Life https://youtu.be/9I-pYceyRKI

Plying his craft with chords, counter-melodies, double-stops, sound effects, and volume aplenty; bassist Clint Conley has anchored Boston post-punk powerhouse Mission of Burma for nearly forty years, give or take a few decades.

A guitarist and composer, Conley has also waxed sides with Consonant, Moving Parts, and has served as a producer for Yo La Tengo on Ride The Tiger (1986) wherein he cut three bass tracks.

Dig Clint on “Peking Spring” https://youtu.be/tWkNIyfBqJ0

Dig Clint on “Academy Fight Song” https://youtu.be/DXkZI7WZWOo

Dig Clint on guitar with Consonant https://youtu.be/Dd3eR68Fpts

A founding member of two seminal British ensembles, Gang of Four and Shriekback, bassist Dave Allen brought a decidedly funky disposition to the “post-punk” genre. His sharp tone, occasional slap style, and rhythmic approach referenced dance, dub, and reggae styles.

With Shreikback’s new wave / pop inclinations, Allen’s playing became more refined, working the fretless, with subtle flange and chorus effects.

A composer, producer, collaborator, and entrepreneur with his World Domination label – Allen waxed sides under his own name as a member of Elastic Purejoy, Low Pop Suicide, and King Swamp, among others.

Dig David and Gang of Four on this live rendition “Damaged Goods”  https://youtu.be/YI-9N-PasvM

Dig David with Shriekback “Underwater Boys” https://youtu.be/IdlYTP_41Is

Known for his tenure as a bassist with Magazine, and later as a Bad Seed with Nick Cave, Barry Adamson is a veritable genre unto himself.

An acclaimed writer, prolific solo artist, filmmaker, video game and movie soundtrack composer (David Lynch, Oliver Stone), producer, band member (The Birthday Party, Visage) vocalist, engineer (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), performance artist, multi-instrumentalist, and photographer – among other endeavors – Barry the bass player plied adventurous grooves and countermelodies with a sharp, resonant tone that helped define the early post-punk era which merged avant-garde, no wave, and industrial.

Barry Adamson Sound & Vision…

“They Walk Among Us” https://youtu.be/Yl7spTDEVLU