“What’s up beautiful people?”*

With all deference to Sammy Davis Jr. – he’s the hardest working cat in show business – ever! Akin to his former teacher Anthony Jackson, we refer to John Montagna as a “bass guitarist.” Yet, John is much, much more than that: his long list of credits include: composer, singer, recording artist, educator, historian, multi-instrumentalist, producer, band-leader, journalist, sideman (“Happy Together Tour,” Todd Rundgren, Micky Dolenz, The Turtles, Chuck Negron, Mark Farner, Mitch Ryder, Denny Laine, The Cowsills, Felix Cavalerie, to cite a very select few), band member (Alan Parsons Project, among others), Berklee alum, super-fan, pundit, prog prognosticator, broadcaster with bassist Jeff Ganz on “Breaking It Down,” host of a sensational seminal slab soliloquy aptly entitled “Ride Jams” rendered from his automobile to and fro gigs, and Radio418 podcaster – among other endeavors.

A multi-genre genome, a wizard a true star virtuoso of the instrument, ain’t no musical mountain too high for Montagna. “Listen to music, listen to music, listen to music…it’s good for ya!”

** * / ** John Montagna-isms

Dig John Montagna on Know Your Bass Player on Film Season Deux 2018, New York City, Euphoria Studios https://bit.ly/3b7J5FS

 

 

 

OK, after the last blog post dealt with a lot of sadness, I promised to lighten up and write about something happy this time around. Since some people have a fear of circus clowns, I’ll avoid that topic and stick to a subject that certainly brings great joy to each and every person, especially me: the bass guitar! Perhaps there are some six string guitarists out there reading this who will snort with derision, but let us pity those poor, misguided souls.

 

I first picked one up as a freshman in high school when the bassist for the Deep Purple cover band in which I was singing had to leave school for a couple of months due to some reason I can no longer remember. He lent me his instrument so that the band could continue to rehearse and Steve, the guitarist, demonstrated zen-like patience in teaching me some of the songs. I’m sure you’re all thinking, “Ah, the first thing he learned was ‘Smoke On the Water’”, but no, believe it or not, that wasn’t in our repertoire. It was way too obvious, and I commend my band mates for their foresight at that tender age. The first song that Steve showed me was ‘Child In Time’, the ten-minute opus from their amazing album In Rock.

 

I suppose he thought that the beginning chords would be easy enough, and he was right, but then about halfway through the song, it’s off to the races and I can’t speculate on how many hours we spent trying to play this, just that there were many, many blisters acquired. I should point out that Steve was a European transfer student whose father was head of the Goethe Institute in New York, the offices of this association promoting German international cultural cooperation located directly across the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue. The band was kindly allowed to use the auditorium and it’s a safe bet that in 1974, there were no other bands out there slamming their way through ‘Highway Star’ on the stages of institutions named for key figures of Weimar Classicism.

 

I’d always admired the shape of the electric guitar or bass in all its permutations but had never strapped one on until then. I’ve now been playing for thirty-eight years (gulp!) and can still remember the initial sensation, feeling the smooth wood against the front of my body and flicking the switch to turn the amp on. If you’ve never experienced this, go into a music store somewhere and give it a try. The vibration from the strings through the wood, into the pick-ups and then finally out of the amp speakers is a majestic revelation. The instrument resonates and reverberates with the massive sound. A fourteen-year-old boy with a bass slung down at crotch level, plucking the low E string? Well, as I said before, I’m still jamming at fifty-two and have no immediate plans of stopping. Somewhere along the way, I actually learned how to play the instrument and it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had.

 

 P.S. I have to mention this: I always write with music playing and have some nine thousand songs in iTunes on my computer, invariably set to random play. Guess what started playing halfway through creating this post? You got it: ‘Smoke On the Water’.

 

Chris Semal was born in New York City in 1959 and has lived there all his life. He is aware that other places exist and likes to visit them from time to time, but the city is a hard mistress to resist, and he keeps going back to her. A musician, singer and songwriter, he has played pretty much every rock club in Manhattan at one time or another since the late 70s and went to school at the University of Miami to study Music Engineering, coming back north to do the only obvious thing possible, becoming a municipal bond broker and eventually working as a consultant building financial models. In the early part of the millennium, between both consulting and band gigs, he thought it might be interesting to see what would happen if he expanded on the 80 or so words he used in writing song lyrics and went for the 80,000 he would need for a novel. And so Trial Of Tears was born, along with a passion for developing plots and characters.

 

 www.ChrisSemal.Com

 

 

 

 

By Thomas Semioli

He is a mainstay of multiple musical configurations on the NYC Lower East Side scene (and all around town….) traversing blues, rock, folk, Americana, punk, soul, and permutations thereof.

 

Lower register groovin’ in-the-pocket… plying melodic motifs in the upper register as the situation warrants …this cat is as solid as his surname! And his name is….Johnny Cement!

 

Johnny’s primary weapon of choice is a vintage Fender Precision…

 

Johnny Cement Sound & Vision…

 

Phil Gammage “Good Night Irene” https://youtu.be/BhdvY1zNojs

 

Ricky Byrd “Adventures in Bluesland” https://youtu.be/34m5mlBdnm8

 

Lauren Dragon “I’d Rather Go Blind” https://youtu.be/D2PehjTCk8w

 

Phil Gammage “Don’t Turn Me From Your Door” https://youtu.be/79mfbP4n3Gg

 

Felice Rosser “Come Into My House” https://youtu.be/vICcy_ddIBY

 

Photo by Jamie Moroni

 

A master compositional and counter-melodic player akin to Sir Paul and Chris Squire, Mike Rutherford’s work with Genesis as a bassist was often overshadowed by his more high-profile bandmates and his own skills as a guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader.

 

“Fountain of Salmacis” https://youtu.be/zE3dYof_rbE

 

“Squonk” https://youtu.be/mmPf1rGClzA

 

With a treble laden tone enhanced by a myriad of effects (Moog Taurus among others), Rutherford’s potent passages, especially during Genesis’ watershed early prog-rock era, exuded technical prowess and a deft command of rhythm, space, and melody.

 

Rutherford’s weapons of choice include Rickenbacker, Status, Gibson, and Shergold basses.

 

 

And when he moonlighted from his platinum selling stadium filling day job with Genesis under the moniker Mike & The Mechanics – he added more gold and platinum to his resume.  

 

Mike and the Mechanics “The Living Years” https://youtu.be/5hr64MxYpgk

 

Tony Senatore’s rendition of “Afterglow” https://youtu.be/ORFBcYmOzlU

 

Tony Senatore’s rendition of “Earl of Mar” https://youtu.be/Zx6jy96DNfM

 

 

By Allen Fields

 

Rutherford is an amazing and gifted bass player, but unknown to many he is equally adept on the 6-string and 12-string guitars as well as the Bass Pedals.

 

In early live footage of Genesis, especially from 1970 to 1974, you can see how smoothly Rutherford moves from the 4-string bass to his 6 and 12 string electric and acoustic guitars.

 

Most famously when seen playing tracks from the 1971 Genesis release, Nursery Cryme (my personal favorite). His expertise on the Bass Pedals is most notable on the 1974 masterpiece The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, and the 1976 releases A Trick of the Tail and Wind and Wuthering — the first two Genesis releases post Peter Gabriel.

 

Starting with the 1978 release, …And Then There Were Three, Rutherford took over the 6-string and 12-string studio duties almost completely due to Steve Hackett leaving Genesis.

 

In 1980, Rutherford released his first solo album, a critically acclaimed but vastly unheard slab of vinyl titled Smallcreeps Day.

 

Here is a link to that amazing solo work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lg6FYXVFdI

 

 

He is the Know Your Bass Player Adjunct Professor, contributing writer and video artist whose bassline renderings on KYBP profiles are both informative and entertaining.  As a bassist Tony Senatore has been referred to as “The Glue,” praised by Mars Cowling and his former legendary bandleader Genya Ravan, and garnered accolades aplenty from producers, engineers, journalists, and peers, among many others far too numerous to cite.  In a contemporary bass culture, which in my opinion, no longer seeks to explore the possibilities -and adventures – of the extended range and other “non-traditional” paths with the fervor of our rock and fusion forefathers– “Senny” exudes the attitude, spirit, and disposition of the greats from all genres and generations past who took the instrument to places others never imagined.

 

An educator, journalist, composer, collaborator, sideman, band-member, recording artist, and permutations thereof, Tony expounds his outlook that bassists should be free to express themselves by any means necessary -from one to multiple strings, effects, and technology – but to always understand and practice the fundamentals, respect tradition while moving forward, and pursue education with a balance of street smarts and academia – and enthusiasm. 

 

Senny also works behind the scenes of Know Your Bass Player on Film – selecting guests, and participating in the interview process – and ensuring that none of the visiting players consume more than their allotted share of the catering.

 

2023: Tony’s 12-String George Harrison Medley…. 

 

Dig Tony’s YouTube Page: Tony Senatore’s Classic Bass Tracks : https://www.youtube.com/user/senny4405

 

 

Check out Tony Senatore Know Your Bass Player on Film Season One and Season Tres, 2016 / 2019 New York City, Euphoria Studios. https://bit.ly/2EzW4o0

 

 

By Thomas Semioli

These Wolverhampton lads started out as a just another British blues ensemble whose debut slab flopped. However when they commenced to cranking out pop tunes abetted with volume aplenty – these unlikely rock gods caught the glam train to superstardom in the UK in the early 1970s, scoring several platinum sides and singles until it all came to a screeching halt in ‘75 when their film and move to Los Angeles tanked.

Along with his showman mate Neville John “Noddy” Holder, bassist James Whild Lea created such scholarly compositions which infuriated English professors en masse including “Cum On Feel the Noize,” “Gudbuy T’ Jane,” “Skweeze Me Pleeze Me,” and “Mama Weer All Crazee Now,” among others.  

A skillful, melodic song player ala Sir Paul and Brian Wilson by way of the Wrecking Crew who skillfully balanced himself atop platforms oft complimented by sparkling haberdashery, Lea and his Slade cohorts joyfully set the template for the pop metal onslaught of the 1980s as evidenced by the chart and video successes of Quiet Riot’s renditions of their signature tunes. 

Following Slade’s initial demise, Lea recorded under a few monikers including The Dummies, yet never approached the commercial success of Slade, who continued to tour well into the 21st Century as a nostalgia act – sans James.

Among Lea’s many weapons of choice included a Framus bass similar to Bill Wyman, Gibson EB-3, Fender Jazz and Precision, and Rickenbacker 4001.

Dig James on…

“Cum On Feel The Noize” https://youtu.be/Qu_ozjAu_vM

“Gudbuy T’ Jane” https://youtu.be/GddY7Jj63tw

“Skweeze Me Pleeze Me” https://youtu.be/-mKjx2oL_fI

“Mama We’re All Crazee Now” https://youtu.be/RPTk5poAa1c

And a personal favorite of The Viletones’ legendary leader, singer, composer Steven Leckie: Dig James’ rhythmic and harmonic movement on their rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Move On” https://youtu.be/X502fNgvST0

 

When he first heard the Wilson Pickett Band on stage in a small New England town when he was 12, James Hutchinson knew exactly what he wanted to do in life!

 

A versatile multi-instrumentalist who doubles on upright, and extended range, Hutch plies his craft with an extensive array of tones and techniques to serve the singer and their songs – which is why he is among the elite session players of his generation.

 

Hutch was hatched in Lynn, Massachusetts, and as a young lad, he soaked up the sounds of the 60s folk boom in Cambridge and Sommerville. He honed his craft working in jam bands throughout the Bay Area, and Latin ensembles San Francisco’s Mission District wherein local legends Micky Hart (Grateful Dead) and John Cipollina (Quicksilver Messenger Service) took him under their respective wings. Cipollina tabbed John for his Copperhead debut slab and ensemble in 1970.

 

Spending significant time in Central America recording and doing live dates, Hutch landed in Austin with the fusion collective The Point – where they garnered the Top Jazz Group honors at the inaugural Austin Music Awards in 1977. There he met the Neville Brothers, who brought him to New Orleans wherein Hutch also such local acts as The Lastie Brothers, Professor Longhair, James Booker, Jesse Hill, Huey Smith, and The Wild Tchoupitoulas, among others. Hutchinson met Bonnie when the Neville Brothers opened for the Stones on their ‘82 tour, and the rest as they say, is Hutch history….

 

 A first call session cat / sideman with Bonnie Raitt – he’s anchored her touring ensemble since 1983 or thereabouts. Hutch’s credits on stage and on record include the aforementioned Neville Brothers and their ‘Nawlins neighbors along with Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr, Jerry Lee Lewis, Stevie Nicks, CSN&Y, Al Green, Alejandro Escovedo, Jackson Browne, Joe Cocker, BB King, Merle Haggard, Eric Burdon, and Boz Scaggs, to cite a very, very, very few.

 

Among Hutch’s extensive bass collection is his beloved Signature Kala Electric U Bass.

 

Hutch Comments…

 

Jim Donavan: I was proud to work with him in 1999 on my 1st solo record. He’s the best, or at least in the top 5 ever, as far as i am concerned. and great stories come from him about other sessions, as he LIVES IN THE STUDIO. I sent Bonnie’s manager a tape right after she won the Grammies around 1990. Hutch told me later that the band loved like 5 different songs, and they fought for hours on which was best. they never could pick one, and she avoided them all, but the entire band respected me from that day on. I was going to record in NY, but was in LA, and offered a great deal at a studio owned by thew drummer of a harpist old buddy, Jimmy Wood. So i found out they have hutch’s number, they call him up, he says he doesnt know me, but shows up. once he sees me, he starts laughing, hugs me, says he is bad on names. We start trading stories -he had done the Bon Jovi gtrist 1st solo record, a real winner, and i shocked him by telling him that was what were chasing that day, that audience, that this was not a blues session, that i need him for hard rock. He grinned, admitted he doesnt get to do this often enough, and we rocked! See, he knew i was a bassist, with a ruined left shoulder/left elbow, and made sure I would love his work that day. When he asked about pay, i asked him if he didnt mind taking rolled up quarters. he looked at me like you gotta be kidding, which i was, lol. Then i pulled out my roll, and he laughed. See, a bassist will work hard for another bassist, but nobody wants to a wheelbarrow full of quarters. Hutch reads music, writes music and lives it!

 

David Fraser:  Hutch is simply the best! Soulful, Smooth, Dedicated, Smart and a great guy too!

 

 

 

Courtesy of Kala Bass

 

Hutch Sound & Vision…

 

Bonnie Raitt:

 

“Right Down the Line” https://youtu.be/-T_aMNbXVdA

 

“Gypsy in Me” https://youtu.be/MzNSgAQR9yg

 

“Two Lights in the Nightmare” https://youtu.be/DxivzvshehE

 

“Unintended Consequence of Love” https://youtu.be/Aq62G_2iQVU

 

“Thing Called Love” https://youtu.be/krF6LpUXODc

 

“Love Sneakin’ Up Behind You” https://youtu.be/74JyGKvfAp0

 

“Burning Down the House” https://youtu.be/eqJcCmxZYdM

 

Copperhead “Kamakaze” https://youtu.be/w3bXsDtTlcA

 

Dig Hutch on the Kala with Abraham Laboriel, Steve Baily, and Bathiki Kumalo https://youtu.be/xXKMo0cAujo

 

Hutch talks U Bass https://youtu.be/doKO0XdqjHM

 

Eric Burdon “Soul of a Man” https://youtu.be/yGBmDUU4NFM

 

Boz Scaggs “Some Change” https://youtu.be/EaQ8H729kBE

 

Roy Orbison “You’re The One” https://youtu.be/2u6lNOgZgJY

 

Ringo “Weight of the World” https://youtu.be/k_S77XSXDe8

 

Courtesy of Bonnie Raitt Com

A multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer, recording artist, and top session cat, the late Kenny Edwards was a founding member of the Stone Poneys and the can’t-miss ensemble Bryndle with Andrew Gold, Karla Bonoff, and Wendy Waldman – which unfortunately…missed the commercial success they so richly deserved.

 

A consummate song -player with formidable skills as a lead and backing vocalist, Kenny graced the stage and studio with such iconic artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Warren Zevon, Lowell George, J.D Souther, Don Henley, and Emmylou Harris, to cite a very select few.

 

Kenny Edwards Sound & Vision… 

 

The Stone Poneys “Different Drum” https://youtu.be/w9qsDgA1q8Y

 

Linda Ronstadt Live “Tumblin’ Dice” and “You’re No Good” Live https://youtu.be/yBg5cnoNyAE

 

Bryndle “Streets of Your Town” https://youtu.be/eFDS5hQ3ma8

 

Kenny Edwards “No Tears” https://youtu.be/pVuCPyAZSMw