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Gary King (Bob James, George Benson, Grover Washington Jr., Stanley Turrentine…)

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

George Benson – “Body Talk” https://youtu.be/oVxzgHAKzFg

Stanley Turrentine – “Papa T” https://youtu.be/5ce-gI-nQ7Y

Maynard Ferguson – “Primal Scream” https://youtu.be/fLH0J7mf1lg

Mark Colby “Skat Talk” https://youtu.be/LNp0yBBiwtk

Randy Jackson (Whitney Houston, Journey, American Idol, Keith Richards, Aretha Franklin)

Courtesy of Mark Bass Com

Yo! Check it out, dawg! I’m just keepin’ it real.”

Previous to his American Idol fame, Randall Darius Jackson was an in-demand, first-call LA session bassist and sideman.

Randy’s genre traversing career spans stage and studio work with Jean Luc-Ponty, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Journey, Whitney Houston, Herbie Hancock, Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman, Mariah Carey, Stevie Nicks, George Michael, Billy Joel, George Benson, Michael Bolton, Mary J. Blige, and Billy Cobham to cite a select few.

A songwriter, Grammy Award winning producer, philanthropist, music industry executive, entrepreneur, author, radio host, educator, and recording artist – Randy Jackson’s place in the top echelon of master groove bass players and improvisers is absolute, despite the fact that most folks know him (only) as a TV personality!

Randy Jackson Sound & Vision…

Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” https://youtu.be/eH3giaIzONA

Jean Luc-Ponty “Demagomania” https://youtu.be/CQ2_lAMJBnA

Bruce Springsteen: “Man’s Job” https://youtu.be/mdELzYFKS18

Journey “Girl Can’t Help It” https://youtu.be/h9TgWj2Kln4

Aretha Franklin / Keith Richards “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” https://youtu.be/RnbHRL_9nqc

Randy Jackson’s Music Club https://youtu.be/oDlJ_BgYlgY

Marvin Isley (The Isley Brothers)

Generations continue to groove to the Isley Brothers…thanks to a cat named Marvin!

“Pop That Thang!” “Harvest for the World” “Fight the Power Pts. 1 & 2” “That Lady Pts. 1 & 2” are just a few examples of the enduring bass artistry of the late Marvin Isley.

The youngest member of the musical family, when Marvin joined The Isley Brothers in 1971 he primed the veteran rhythm & blues ensemble for a decade of funk, soul, and disco hits.

A pocket player who slapped, finger plucked, and rendered heavy grooves which often doubled synth and guitar motifs, Marvin used a Fender Jazz in the studio and various instruments on stage.

He anchored the Isleys until 1997 with the exception his brief tenure with the offshoot Isley-Jasper-Isley trio which scored a hit in 1985 with “Caravan of Love.”

It’s impossible to calculate just how many times Marvin and the Isleys have been sampled… and directly referenced by contemporary rhythm and blues, hip-hop, and rap artists….

Marvin Isley Sound & Vision:

“Pop That Thang” https://youtu.be/ga0jnQLIe5s

“Harvest for the World” https://youtu.be/8QZvoOqUkqw

“Fight the Power” https://youtu.be/8QZvoOqUkqw

“That Lady” https://youtu.be/S1Mvy3E8P2U

Dig Marvin with a Fender P bass: “Caravan of Love” https://youtu.be/foFK6q7kF9Y

Darryl Jones (Rolling Stones, Miles Davis, Sting)

He is the Chicago cat whom Gordon Sumner, the Stones, and Miles relied on to bring a fresh, funky veneer to their time-tested repertoire and latter-day canon.

Darryl “The Munch” Jones’ mastery of slap and fingerpicking styles abetted by his loyalty to the language of rhythm and blues affords him a unique stance among the legends he anchors – Jones knows his history and his employers sound all the better for it.

Though Stones sticklers oft deride Darryl’s three decade and counting tenure in the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band – nearly half their hallowed career – Jones, to my ears, serves the band well –quoting Bill Wyman’s
essential motifs with a decidedly crisp tone bolstered by buoyant harmonic embellishments. Hence the Rolling Stones gather (relatively) no moss into the 21st Century…

Dig Darryl soloing on “Miss You” https://youtu.be/YI-OzM0dy30

With Miles, Darryl was a catalyst – pushing Davis with his fierce grooves. Of course, Miles knew how to choose his bassists.

Dig Darryl on Miles’ “Decoy” https://youtu.be/DcewuivRsRM

With Sting, Jones freed the bassist to focus on his vocals and rhythm guitar playing while he afforded the ex-copper a strong funk foundation.

Dig Darryl slappin’ and dancin’ “If You Love Someone Set Them Free” https://youtu.be/LSGl3d4KOMk

Among Darryl’s choice of weapons include Fender Jazz, Fender Precision, Fender Mustang, and Lakeland, among many others. Daryl also started his own boutique instrument company, aptly named Jones Musical Instruments.

Dig Darryl talking Fender https://youtu.be/ltDn-gZzeF0

Darryl’s touring and session credits also include: The Darryl Jones Project, Stone Raiders, 3 Brave Souls, Steps Ahead, Peter Gabriel, Herbie Hancock, Madonna, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Bernard Fowler, Lenny White, John Scofield, and the Gil Evans Big Band, to cite a select few.

Keep up with Darryl at www.DarrylJones.Com

Bernard Edwards (Chic)

If it were only for his inestimably copied motif in “Good Times” the late, truly great Bernard Edwards would be legend.

However his career as a producer, songwriter, recording artist, and bassist with Nile Rogers and Chic, The Power Station, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Robert Palmer, Jody Watley, and Debbie Harry to cite a select few, is equally legend.

Among the most sampled bassist ever, and an absolute master of the groove, Edwards’ immaculate tone by way of flat-wound strings on a MusicMan Stingray bass, matchless use of rhythm and space, and his indelible melodic genius continues to inspire generations of players ranging from rock, pop, hip-hop, jazz, disco, dance, funk, and rhythm and blues.

Dig “Good Times” https://youtu.be/51r5f5OdIY0

Pierre Brock (Robert Palmer)

Previous to his MTV-era pop stardom by way of Power Station and a solo album or two which adhered to the Duran Duran formulae, the late great Robert Palmer was an exploratory Brit-soul crooner who incorporated reggae, techno, blues, jazz, and avant-garde into his laudable canon.

Among the funkiest cats to hold down the bass chair in Palmer’s venturesome ensembles was Pierre Brock. A lower register groove master, Pierre’s piercing tone coupled with his command of rhythm and space was ideal for the singer and his songs, many of which were inventive renditions of compositions by Lowell George, Alan Toussaint, Moon Martin, Todd Rundgren, and bassist Andy Fraser to cite a few.

Pierre also anchored The Gibson Brothers, among others.

Pierre Brock Sound & Vision….

“Love Stop” Live https://youtu.be/YsikDW1X4JU

“Every Kind of People” Live https://youtu.be/XwCHFaarTjY

“Too Good to Be True” https://youtu.be/uP4pd8IogoA

“Can We Still Be Friends” https://youtu.be/Ux0qCE8qOnk

Martin Blunt (Charlatans UK)

Among the last ensembles from the hallowed late 1980s “Madchester” scene which continues to make new and vital music, The Charlatans show no signs of slowing down five decades into their career.

Founding bassist Martin Blunt, an Ashdown, Fender, and Elite Strings endorsee; works the pocket and serves as a melodic catalyst, drawing from acid jazz, rhythm & blues, classic soul, and Brit psychedelia. In fact, oft times Martin’s bass “is” the song as his motifs serve as hooks as well as a harmonic foundation!

Martin Blunt Sound & Vision…

“The Only One I Know” https://youtu.be/0RJwW77Lsj8

“Can’t Get Out of Bed” Live ’94 https://youtu.be/CZl3VQoyOOE

“One to Another / Crashin’ Live https://youtu.be/ohSpsQwUq-E

“Then” https://youtu.be/7xHeYPEQGf8

“Just Lookin” https://youtu.be/NO2dszp5Nx8

“North Country Boy” https://youtu.be/xBAxEQZViTU

Bill MacCormick (801, Phil Manzanera, Quiet Sun)

A composer, collaborator, session player, and band-member, Bill MacCormick anchored some of the most influential and groundbreaking slabs of the “Canterbury Scene” – the late ’60s, early-to-mid ’70s period centered in Kent, England wherein musicians created a unique blend of progressive, jazz, and psychedelia.

To my ears, among the most stellar of Bill’s sides is 801 Live: a collaborative effort of MacCormick, Phil Manzanera, Brian Eno, Simon Philips, Francis Monkman, and Lloyd Watson. Captured at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall 3 September 1976, MacCormick is up in the mix, plying soulful grooves and countermelodies with an incredibly punchy Precision bass tone which can only be described as “funky prog-rock.” MacCormick anchored several Manzanera ensembles on various album projects over the years including Diamond Head, K-Scope, Listen Now, and 6PM.

Bill’s distinctive rhythm & blues approach to the genre was unique, as evidenced on such watershed albums by Quiet Sun (Mainstream), Brian Eno (Here Come the Warm Jets), and Robert Wyatt (Nothing Can Stop Us, Matching Mole), to cite a select few.

Following his music career, MacCormick ventured into politics, and journalism – authoring books on the London 56^th Infantry, and the Battle of Somme.

Bill MacCormick Sound & Vision…

Quiet Sun: “Mummy Was An Asteroid, Daddy Was A Small Non-Stick Kitchen Utensil” https://youtu.be/RTxCxzFcawU?si=M_1X5T8eTqRjuMpj

801: “Tomorrow Never Knows” https://youtu.be/NVL2S5y5wJE

Phil Manzanera’s 801 “Listen Now” https://youtu.be/D42b2xpHeO8

Phil Manzanera “Wish You Well” https://youtu.be/wUpnIeEnMSc?si=vfIhDvZSP8qSBMzR

Sara Lee (Gang of Four, B-52’s)

Courtesy of Righteous Babe Records

Oh ye of little five-string faith, dig session ace, singer, songwriter, recording artist Sara Lee: renowned for her tenure with Gang of Four, Indigo Girls, Robert Fripp’s League of Gentlemen, B- 52s, Binky Philips, The Thompson Twins, Robyn Hitchcock, Todd Rundgren, Joan Osborne, Fiona Apple, John Ashton’s Satellite Paradiso, and Robert Capowski, among many others.

With a decidedly soulful disposition, Ms. Lee’s mastery of the low-B is a study in rhythm, harmony, phrasing, tone, and melody in a wide array of pop / rock / alternative contexts.

And she’s fab of the trad 4 as well – check out Sara with Gang of Four “It Don’t Matter” https://youtu.be/ECbapwRw9WA

…and with Robert Fripp LOG “Dislocated” https://youtu.be/6eyA2wkhcYU

Born into a musical family (her parents were instructors, and her dad was a bass singer in the York Minister Choir), Sara commenced her musical journey as an upright bassist and tympani player. Whilst toiling as a secretary at Polydor Records, Fripp recruited her for LOG wherein she garnered attention aplenty. Upon her move to the United States, Lee’s career took off as an in-demand session player, collaborator, and band member. In 2000 she released her sole solo slab to date, Make It Beautiful.

Sara Lee Sound & Vision:

B-52’s

“Love Shack” https://youtu.be/9SOryJvTAGs

“Roam” https://youtu.be/iNwC0sp-uA4

Phil Volk (Paul Revere & The Raiders, Rick Nelson)

Photos courtesy of PhilFangVolk.Com

His nickname was prompted by his “prominent” eye teeth!

Phil “Fang” Volk served as bassist for Paul Revere and the Raiders for a brief time (1965-67) yet he did compose and sing on a few of their more notable slabs including Just Like Us (1966), Midnight Ride (1966), and “The Spirit of ’67 (1967). Appearing with the Raiders on scores of high-profile TV shows, concerts, and teen magazines – Volk was a solid groove player and vocalist.

After splitting from the Raiders, Volk worked in various ensembles including Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band, The Brotherhood, and as leader of Fang and the Gang.

Phil Volk Sound & Vision….

Montage of Raiders TV appearances: https://youtu.be/Z5nj2RrwRdA

Fang rendering the lead vocal on “In My Community” https://youtu.be/g_P-x868Qp4

Chck out Volk’s chordal work on “Louise” https://youtu.be/BKJkeRs-Aos

Phil with The Brotherhood “Family Tree” https://youtu.be/zlM-x4Jluu4

With Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band live on the Johnny Cash Show: https://youtu.be/XqvfqrtwJwY

Fang and The Gang tearin’ it up on “Get It On” and “Hungry” https://youtu.be/daUndJRAMAA