Bass Player Archives | Page 5 of 6 | Know Your Bass Player

George Perry (Joe Walsh, CSN)

Courtesy of Standard Hotels

His big break came in the late 1970s when he was the house bass player / producer at TK Studios in Hialeah, Florida wherein Stephen Stills was seeking a young, funky cat to appropriate the disco grooves which permeated the pop pantheon!

George “Chocolate” Perry leveraged that opportunity to wax sides and tour which such renowned artists as CSN and various permutations thereof, along with Dion, Bobby Caldwell, Jon Secada, Bee Gees, Joe Walsh, John Cougar Mellencamp, and Dionne Warwick, among many, many others.

A producer will several impressive credits (Joe Walsh, Bobby Caldwell, The Blue Notes, among others) Perry quit the road and the biz in the early 90s, however his grooves can still be heard on classic rock radio, and I’m sure he’s been sampled in innumerable hip-hop and rap tracks.

George “Chocolate” Perry Sound & Vision…

CSN “Fair Game” https://youtu.be/_lLSeMF7fTQ

Stephen Stills “You Can’t Dance Alone” https://youtu.be/4hWeQHvfJIY

Bobby Caldwell “Can’t Say Goodbye” https://youtu.be/792T6s4v38Q

Joe Walsh “Space Age Whiz Kids” https://youtu.be/OkLKd80iMrU

Bee Gees “Subway” https://youtu.be/lOPWwnVeKy0

Stills-Young “Long May You Run” https://youtu.be/dVM8_jAL86w

John Mellencamp “Hurt So Good” https://youtu.be/g_9rnnkRX0g

Rita Coolidge “Something Said Love” https://youtu.be/lvMCTFDI_hM

Damon Minchella (Ocean Colour Scene, Paul Weller, The Who)

Behold Brit Pop Royalty!

A founding member of Ocean Colour Scene, Damon Minchella is a purveyor of hazy, hypnotic grooves which he plies on his battered Fender Jazz with a reverence for psychedelia, baroque pop, and classic rock.

In addition to his work with OCS (five Top 5 UK slabs, fifteen Top 20 UK singles the last time I counted…) Damon also anchored Paul Weller’s band for a dozen years, and appeared with The Who at Live 8.

Following a serious hand injury, which he as fully recovered from, Michella now turns to academia, teaching a pop music course at The University of South Wales.

Damon Minchella Sound & Vision…

Ocean Colour Scene:

“The Day We Ride the Train” https://youtu.be/1rr4tXN2eJM

“The Riverboat Song” https://youtu.be/brzzM31G4x8

“You’ve Got It Bad” https://youtu.be/GSCRUwJk1_Q

Paul Weller:

“He’s The Keeper” https://youtu.be/dUx-E8w3ctU

“Horseshoe Drama” https://youtu.be/byB1-AWxZlU

The ‘Oo at Live 8

“Won’t Get Fooled Again” https://youtu.be/t1fJVdpIyRM

Chris Edwards (Kasabian)

Updating the sounds of 1990s Madchester for the 21st Century, Leicester lads Kasabian continue to forge a mesmerizing meld of hard rock, psychedelic and electronica.

Among modern rock’s most spirited live ensembles, bassist Chris Edwards anchors bandleader Sergio Pizzorno’s sprawling, ambitious compositions with crunchy, in-the-pocket grooves and countermelodies abetted with a myriad of effects which solidify the band’s signature din. His primary weapons of choice are the Fender Deluxe Jaguar, Fender Jazz, and the Gibson EB-2.

Dig Chris’s raucous riffage on “Clubfoot” https://youtu.be/lk5iMgG-WJI

Dig Chris’ disco thumpery on “You’re In Love with a Psycho” https://youtu.be/kimPUWSwxIs

Dig Chris on “Where Did All the Love Go?” https://youtu.be/Xl3QoD6wiDI

Roy Vogt (Dickey Betts)

Courtesy Roy Vogt Com

He is a preeminent educator, exemplary session player, Kiesel Signature Bass artist, solo recording artist, and virtuoso sideman. With great insight, humor, humility, and depth of knowledge – Roy Vogt was among my favorite teachers for any subject at the University of Miami and other learning “institutions.”

Here’s Roy’s bio from his website www.RoyVogt.com

How many people can lay claim to a career so varied that it includes appearances on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball, Montreaux Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, the London Palladium, the Grand Ole Opry and the Kremlin? From Punk to Funk, the simplicity of Country and Blues to the complexity of HyperJazz and World Beat? Not many. Yet premier bassist and educator Roy Vogt has done all that and more.

The first person to receive a Masters degree in Electric Bass Performance – from the University of Miami’s prestigious music school – Roy has been pursuing the art of bass for more than forty years. In addition, he is recognized as one of the finest educators in the world, mentoring dozens of successful professionals, including the legendary Willie Weeks. Electric, fretless, upright, you name it. If it plays low notes and has strings, Roy is a master at playing it, and in teaching others to do the same.

Over his four-decade career, Roy has recorded or performed with an amazing list of top stars, including Larry Coryell, Victor Wooten, Dave Weckl, Tom Scott and the LA Express, Chester Thompson, Miroslav Vitous, Glenn Campbell, BJ Thomas, Chet Atkins, Englebert Humperdink, Dickey Betts, Tony Joe White, Charlie Daniels, Jerry Reed, and dozens more.

Roy has been teaching at the university level for thirty years. Since 1983, he has held the Bass Professor chair at prestigious Belmont University (Nashville, TN), one of the very few schools to offer a commercial music degree program designed to turn students into professional musicians working at the top of the industry. Roy’s students have toured and recorded with such notable stars as Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill, Little Texas, Michael W. Smith, Lady Antebellum, Chick Corea, Sir Tom Jones, Blood Sweat and Tears, Yanni, and countless other music icons.

Roy Vogt Sound & Vision…

“Amen Corner” https://youtu.be/HZi7A2gssHc

“Burnin’ https://youtu.be/5ji7AW3Ouvg

“Open Spaces” https://youtu.be/dKvdO1gxaSw

“Miss Sippi” https://youtu.be/ZbfAHnLdSKc

Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge, BBA, Cactus)

Courtesy of Tim Bogert Official Website

By Tom Semioli

A giant, and an influencer who stands among the greats of any generation. He was an electric bass pioneer, master soloist, heavy groove-player, educator, and sonic innovator, among other attributes. The late John Voorhis “Tim” Bogert radically expanded the role of the instrument on stage and on record by way of his matchless tenure in the groundbreaking ensembles Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Beck, Bogert & Appice, in addition to his many other collaborations.

Renowned for his working relationship with drummer Carmine Appice, Bogert’s primary weapon of choice for his most recognized recordings and concert performances was a hybrid Telecaster (neck) and Precision (body) bass – which was sold to a collector. In his later years Bogert utilized an extended range, among other instruments.

Photo By Chris Dixon

Tim Bogert Sound & Vision…

Vanilla Fudge:

“You Just Keep Me Hangin’ On” https://youtu.be/xNcFWGox-SM

“Shotgun” https://youtu.be/mXez-BqNGtk

“Some Velvet Morning” https://youtu.be/zBtKYBKg_yU

Beck, Bogert & Appice:

“Superstition” https://youtu.be/n0R8Tdr0oB8

“Black Cat Moan” https://youtu.be/6qP_t0HySoI

“Morning Dew” https://youtu.be/7UjJwjGtyvo

Cactus:

“One Way or Another” https://youtu.be/ajdc8ZEESUM

“Parchman Farm” https://youtu.be/d_y_m0mImGw

Boxer: “No Reply” https://youtu.be/-GyQ_O0dQgs

Derringer – Bogert -Appice: “Rhapsody in Red” https://youtu.be/O50mwhzJE58

Jerry Duplessis (The Fugees, Shakira)

It doesn’t get much deeper than Wonda!

A producer, session cat, sideman, studio entrepreneur, pop and soundtrack composer, multi-instrumentalist, and former musical director of The Fugees (he co-produced The Score along with his cousin Wyclef Jean), among other endeavors, Grammy Award winning bassist Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis augments his reverence for Aston Barrett and James Jamerson with a phat low B which percolates in-the-pocket akin to the aforementioned groove masters.

Dig Wonda on fretless with Wyclef “If I Was President” https://youtu.be/9pq_3OheqzU

Also known as “Ti Bass” and “Jerry Wonder” on assorted album credits, among Wonda’s wondrous all-star stage and studio resume includes Melissa Etheridge, Whitney Houston, Ne-Yo, LL Cool J, Jennifer Hudson, Estelle, Mary J. Blige, Musiq Soulchild, Shakira, Wyclef John, Destiny’s Child, Lionel Ritchie, and Tom Jones to cite a very few.

An activist and philanthropist in his native Haiti – Wonda is co-founder of Yéle Haiti with Wyclef – a non-profit organization which promotes education.

Dig Jerry with…

Wyclef and Nila “Sweetest Girl” https://youtu.be/6aU8P6HlPr4

Melissa Etheridge (live) “Monster” https://youtu.be/deugmFr0O8w

Musiq Soulchild “Silver and Gold” https://youtu.be/8Zb8uYz6EFo

The Fugees “Killing Me Softly” https://youtu.be/H-RBJNqdnoM

Shakira “Hips Don’t Lie” https://youtu.be/DUT5rEU6pqM

Kerry Wilson “Freedom Ride” https://youtu.be/BclygKkszYA

Selah Sue “Fade Away” https://youtu.be/9Y4MvBZ4cRw

With Lionel Ritchie “I’m Coming Home” https://youtu.be/1SZuUumHa2I

Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde) w. Interview

As the voice, songwriter, and bassist for Concrete Blonde, Vowel Movement, and Pretty & Twisted, Johnette Napolitano is that rare artist who melds pop melody with cinematic imagery in her libretto parallel to such iconic writers as Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Lou Reed, and Patti Smith; all of whom she cites as influences.

Nowadays Johnette composes for films and continues her career as a fine artist.

Johnette Napolitano Sound & Vision…

Concrete Blonde’s “Joey” https://youtu.be/OdpTcvSn8HQ

Pretty & Twisted’s “Ride” https://youtu.be/FOPJs0TTjhg

Johnette crooning “Someday” with Will Lee on bass https://youtu.be/kEbOm_QyUr4

Concrete Blonde “Heal It Up” from the Jon Stewart Show https://youtu.be/QcJjaL2sL9w

Running Scarred – A Conversation with Johnette Napolitano – Amplifier Magazine, Tom Semioli – April 2007

“In his diaries, I loved the way Eno described Japanese painters who took all day to prepare, grind ink, and select brushes to be ready for one stroke. So that’s what I did for my first record.”

Known to the rock ‘n’ roll masses as Concrete Blonde’s singer – songwriter – bassist, Johnette Napolitano’s moment has arrived. Though she has participated in highly acclaimed side-projects (Pretty & Twisted, Vowel Movement, The Heads) composed for films Wicker Park, Dead Science and Underworld, and dabbled in electronic music (Sketchbook and Sketchbook 2), Ms. Napolitano makes her long awaited solo debut with a decidedly kaleidoscopic collection entitled Scarred.

“Before Concrete Blonde, I was a ten-year-old kid playing guitar on my bed. Call it midlife or whatever, but I need to get back to her and really be that person again.”

Melding folk, techno, garage rock, and punk, Scarred also emerges as a showcase for the talents of Napolitano’s collaborators Will Crewdson and Sultan Ahmed of Catfish Star, whom she met in London fifteen years ago. Recalls Johnette “Will actually recognized me in a record store! I was so flattered. We stayed in touch on and off over the years. Then, about a year ago, he sent me tracks and I just fell in love with them. The songs just wrote themselves.

Napolitano composed “Save Me” during the horror that was Hurricane Katrina. “I couldn’t sleep for a week and just wrote to Will’s tracks. Later we went into a Hollywood studio and the first vocal I laid down as ‘Like a Wave.’ I knew in a minute that it was special, and so did everyone there.” Also on board for Johnette’s bow was ex-Concrete Blonde guitarist Jim Mankey, who served as engineer and guiding light. “Jim has a lot of respect for Will’s playing and sensibility for guitars…and, in turn, Will has tremendous respect for Jim as well, so the back-and-forth between them was amazing.”

Despite the fact that Scarred was recorded in different studios over an extended period of time, Mankey’s telekinetic knob-twiddling along with Napolitano’s penchant for working quickly made for a cohesive song-cycle. “After every mix, Jim would comment about a lyric or a vocal he liked and that made me feel confident. We even kept a few of the rough board mixes – I’m a firm believer of walking out of the studio with something you can live with the rest of your life…”

Among two pleasant surprises on Scarred are two unlikely covers: Coldplay’s “The Scientist” and the Velvet Underground’s “All Tomorrow’s Parties.”

“Danny Lohner and I worked on the Underworld soundtrack. He received the call for us to cover “The Scientist” for Wicker Park. We weren’t that enthusiastic about it because we’re both writers and we would rather have composed something, but of course, we did it. I drove around in my truck listening to the song for a couple of days since I’m a bit of a method actor when it comes to delivering a vocal. I was damn depressed for days!”

“All Tomorrow’s Parties” was Will’s idea. I’d worked on a song for an Australian film Candy, which had a Nico temp track ”Wedding Theme” which they couldn’t clear, so they called me in to replace it, which I did. I’m constantly online with Will and as soon as I told him about it he came up with the Velvet’s song. We did it on one take! Even my die-hard Nico friends love it!”

Lee Sklar (“The Section”)

His name is synonymous with excellence on our instrument, and, along with Jamerson, Dunn, Rainey, Jemmott, Kaye, Osborn, and Flowers, to cite a respected few, he is among the greatest session players, and sidemen of all time.

Cited by this writer in Huffington Post (December 2017) as a bass player deserving of recognition in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ( https://bit.ly/37D8plz ), Leland Bruce Sklar was/is the foundation for “The Section” – a historic musical assemblage comprised of guitarist Danny Kortchmar, keyboardist Craig Doerge, and drummer Russ Kunkel.

Though these players were also referred to as “The Mellow Mafia” – there was nothing placid, nor easygoing about this ensemble of Los Angeles based virtuosos who were the catalyst on scores of iconic album and singles sessions, and all of whom were well-versed in jazz, folk, blues, soul, funk and classical music and permutations thereof.

Lee has anchored over 2,000 albums, film and television scores, and 25,000 bass tracks (and counting) with artists ranging from Ray Charles, Crosby, Stills, & Nash in various configurations; Hall & Oates, Donna Summer, David Sanborn, Diana Ross, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Billy Cobham, Michael Jackson, Peter Allen, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, Bee Gees, Sarah Brightman, Glenn Campbell, Joe Cocker, Robbie Williams, Neil Diamond, Rita Coolidge, The Doors (post Morrison), Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Don Henley, Julio Iglesias, Lyle Lovett, Jimmy Webb, Trisha Yearwood, Tanya Tucker, Jimmy Webb, Carly Simon, Reba McIntyre, David Cassidy …his resume is exhaustive….and his collection of instruments is exhaustive (check out Lee’s page on The Unique Guitar Blog Spot https://bit.ly/2YcioLj ).

In brief, Sklar utilizes the entire harmonic range of the bass and intuitively shifts from playing in the pocket to rendering counter melodies which become intrinsic to the composition. Lee’s legacy has been widely documented in several books (including Michael Viseglia’s A View from the Side) , news features, interviews, and documentaries.

Lee Sklar Sound & Vision

Jackson Browne “Doctor My Eyes” https://youtu.be/qKGTaplzmV4

James Taylor “Smiling Face” https://youtu.be/ZSsfNlS42Cc

Billy Cobham “Stratus” https://youtu.be/b1rX9E8NuRw

Phil Collins “Sussudio” https://youtu.be/r0qBaBb1Y-U

Dolly Parton “9 to 5” https://youtu.be/E4OzdyxbOuU

Alphonso Johnson (Weather Report)

He is a giant of the 1970s jazz fusion era who also expanded his artistry into rock and pop music. Alphonso Johnson began his musical journey on trumpet, then on to upright bass, then to the electric where his virtuosity shone brightest.

Barely into his 20s, Alphonso was in the studio and on stage with Weather Report, taking over the bass chair from Miroslav Vitous. His three slabs with the band: Mysterious Traveller (1974), Tale Spinnin’ (1975) and Black Market (1976) which he split with Jaco – are world music touchstones. Johnson’s Fender Precision tone was cited by Darryl Jones in this testimonial: https://youtu.be/ltDn-gZzeF0

An educator, solo recording artist, collaborator, bandmember, and clinician, Alphonso also brought the Chapman Stick to the forefront, and has recorded extensively on extended range and fretless.

I highly advise you visit Alphonso’ website wherein he explains his approach to the instrument – and his latest releases and live dates.

He is among the handful of bassists you need to experience live! http://embamba.com/

My choice Alphonso tracks which span funk, world, soul, rock, pop and every permutation thereof:

“Cucumber Slumber” from Weather Report’s Mysterious Traveler (1974) https://youtu.be/5gsk-ae_y8I

“Man in the Green Shirt” from Weather Report’s Tale Spinnin’ (1975) https://youtu.be/gdstJfWHqx0

“Hip Pockets” from Billy Cobham – George Duke Band Live on Tour in Europe (1976) https://youtu.be/PK4Ox-EJeOE

Title track from Flora Purim’s Open Your Eyes You Can Fly (1976) https://youtu.be/L-yYZg-DQYQ

“Stump” from Alphonso’s Moonshadows (1977) https://youtu.be/F8VM8NZPcmw

“Children Are the Spirit” from Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Just Family (1978) https://youtu.be/v9St6i68Eok

“Book of Rules” from Bob Weir’s Bobby & the Midnights Live (1981) https://youtu.be/YjAhM6e1D-o

“I Missed Again” from Phil Collins’ Face Value (1981) https://youtu.be/yr-SNCtoyPk

“Brotherhood” from Santana’s Beyond Appearances (1985) https://youtu.be/kOjaaIPYahk

“Fountain of Salmacis” from Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited (1997) https://youtu.be/VwFZd0i0nb8

Jazz Is Dead’s Laughing Water (1999 ) https://youtu.be/UzpeMhtxrF4

“Waters of March” from Sergio Mendes’ Encanto (2008) https://youtu.be/PwrtN3l7-xQ

Courtesy Tom Robinson Com

Bassist and bandleader of the highly influential Tom Robinson Band (TRB) which spanned the years 1976-79, Robinson possesses that rare gift of combining an activist, intellectual libretto with great songs and melodies.

Anthems including “Up Against the Wall,” “Ain’t Gonna Take It,” “Glad to Be Gay,” “Blue Murder,” “Right On Sister,” and “2-4-6-8 Motorway” remain as relevant today as they did four decades ago.

As a bassist who came to the instrument out of necessity, Robinson – with his signature Fender P, was a solid pocket player.

Though his band was branded punk, Tom and the TRB were much more expansive – incorporating blues, jazz, soul, cabaret, dance-hall, and reggae motifs into their two essential albums: Power in the Darkness (1978) and TRB II (1979). Ever since he split TRB, Tom fronts his solo projects as a guitarist.

Tom Robinson Sound & Vision:

“Up Against The Wall” https://youtu.be/-kZMfLULwHA

“2-4-6-8 Motorway” https://youtu.be/kGrnEc_3mYo

“Bully For You” https://youtu.be/RIavik9iv_A