This past weekend, I watched the Robert Trujillo-produced documentary about the life of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius entitled Jaco. Although the film was made in 2014, I finally got around to viewing it, and the timing was perfect. A steady diet of highly mediocre Instagram bass videos sent to me by my bass-playing friends featuring cute children, overplaying adults, and sexy, scantily-clad women who didn’t get the message that they should be working toward the fall of the patriarchy was draining my soul and spirit. The videos demoralized me because they depicted the art of music and bass playing as a cheap parlor trick that anyone could do.  People say that if you do something that you love for a living, you will never work a day in your life. I have never been a fan of aphorisms, but in my life, I have come to a different conclusion; Sometimes, doing what you love as a means of sustenance can make you despise what you once loved. As such, it is often necessary to find inspiration in any way possible. 

 

The Jaco documentary, available for viewing here, did not make me feel any better about my decision to pursue a career as a professional bassist for the last forty-three years but instead explained the motivation behind that decision. It is very impactful when someone profoundly influences your life, as Jaco influenced mine. Someday there might come a time when you realize that you should have emulated Bill Gates rather than Jaco Pastorius.  Often, it is impossible to deviate from the course you set out on once the passion takes hold. This is especially true for those pursuing careers in the arts.  Although it is not stated directly, what is implicit in the documentary is the idea that whatever your chosen instrument, all musicians must strive to develop a personal style and voice.

 

Jaco did this by transforming his life’s joy and chaos into art and settling on one specific bass to express himself; a 60’s fretless Fender Jazz Bass played through his beloved Acoustic 360 amplifier. This is a crucial lesson for those (like me) that feel the need to have a vast array of bass guitars. Know Your Bass Player “head honcho” Tom Semioli has often pointed this out to me to no avail. Sometimes too many equipment options are a detriment to finding your voice. After trying to break new ground on my six-string bass between the years of 1987 to 1995, an unexpected encounter with a Hamer 12-string electric bass guitar in a New Jersey music store changed my life. With that instrument, I could finally express myself like never before. I released an audio CD entitled Holyland in 2005 and my 12-string bass X-ploration DVD in 2007. From that point on, my career took off, and modest critical acclaim followed.

 

The themes of mental illness and family were the aspects of the documentary that resonated with me the most and shaped my life and Jaco’s. The birth of Jaco’s daughter Mary was the catalyst for him to get serious about his life and ultimately become a better bassist. As he looked at his newborn daughter, he turned to his brother and said, “Gregory, I have to do something on the electric bass that has never been done before.” Jaco was a working musician in Florida, but he instinctively knew that wasn’t enough to give her and his other children the life they deserved. Unfortunately, Jaco’s mental illness, undiagnosed until much later in his life, caused him to become estranged from his children and lose his career and, ultimately,  his life.

 

On the other hand, he achieved his goal of becoming arguably the most incredible electric bassist ever. Although I have no biological children, the birth of my niece Alexandra in 1993 radically altered the trajectory of my life. Moreover, I am no stranger to mental illness. My late sister suffered from schizophrenia and manic depression and could not raise her daughter. I relocated from Florida to raise my niece as my daughter with the help of my parents. By 2004, I was in the same place Jaco was when he told his brother Gregory that he needed to become the world’s greatest bassist. Unlike Jaco, I decided that getting a day job unrelated to music was a better plan than becoming a better bassist.

 

By 2008, I decided to get the college degree I abandoned in 1980. By 2017, I received my bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in the City of New York. During my nine-year journey in academia, I never stopped playing the bass. I played live sporadically and maintained a rigorous practice schedule. I wasn’t trying to break new ground but simply preserve what I had developed over the years.

 

After graduation, I got a better job and resumed my music career. By 2018, I realized that although reinventing myself as an academic was perhaps the most extraordinary period in my life, music and playing the bass were what I did best. After graduating college at age 55, I recorded some videos with friends, including a dual bass performance with Steve Swallow, which fills me with pride. The message is clear. There is no one size fits all solution to succeeding in life or the music business. My favorite scene in the documentary is when Jerry Jemmott showers Jaco with accolades regarding all the innovations he bestowed on the bass guitar’s history, lexicon, and development. Jaco turns to Jemmott and says, “ get me a gig!”

 

Jaco’s mental illness wreaked havoc on his personal and professional life. As Jemmott wisely pointed out, if you are a musician and your life doesn’t have stability, your art will suffer. Success in the music business always was, and always will be, about having the respect of those that you respect and having paid work and a full schedule of gigs. Everything else, including popularity on social media platforms, is an illusion and a distraction.

 

Although it might be a controversial statement, I believe Jaco Pastorius’s bass playing has not been surpassed. I agree with Flea, who asserted that “he’s the greatest bass player that ever played… there’s nothing else like it… am I missing something or someone… is there anything close to it on bass? Not to me, man!”

 

Robert Trujillo deserves much respect for his effort to document the life and legacy of Jaco Pastorius.

 

 

 

 

Lawrence Haber is a new acquaintance who has been making a name for himself on the New Jersey music scene. Fads come and go, but if you are a musician, things like reading music, preparedness, and being on time never go out of style. In an age when young bassists aspire to become influencers on Instagram, Lawrence has decided to focus on becoming a respected working musician by satisfying the needs of his clients, whatever the situation. Know Your Bass Player has always been associated with world-class players deserving broader recognition. Still, in my view, the best aspect of KYBP is the stories about the working bass players of the tri-state area and what it takes to make a living in today’s challenging environment.  I am pleased to introduce Lawrence Haber to the readers of Know Your Bass Player.

 

Tony Senatore

 

When and where were you born?

 I was born in 1982 in Brooklyn, NY.

 

Did you study music in college? I am curious as to your educational background and specific teachers who guided you, not limited to only music teachers.

 

Although I took several music classes while studying Communication and Psychology at Rutgers University, my formal music education began in high school, studying privately with an incredible instructor named Joe Macaro. Joe studied Jazz at Berklee College of Music as well as Classical at New England Conservatory. Joe has played professional gigs on Electric Bass and Double Bass since the 1960s. We studied lesson plans from Charlie Banacos on both instruments, Charlie Parker solos from the Omnibook, classical repertoire with the bow from his time as a student of Bill Curtis, and many other formal methods. I learned ear training, functional piano, reading, improvisation, and many other core areas that made me the professional player I have been since 2003, when I began gigging full-time (the ultimate education). I also credit my father, Jeff, who introduced me to all kinds of music as a child, music appreciation is also critical to becoming a well-rounded player with a full musical bibliography. I have also studied privately with Gerald Veasley, John “JD” Di Servio, and most recently Evan Marien, helping me with an artistic concept beyond the bass.

 

 Did your family support your decision to study music at the college level?

My family supported my decision to pursue a music education with love and respect. My father suggested Joe as an instructor because he knew Joe would guide me both professionally and artistically. My father is a DJ and always encouraged me to listen to music with intent and curiosity. He also helped open doors for me to build my network.

 

Do you make your entire living playing music? What are the various types of gigs that you do?

Since 2003 I have played 50-200 professional gigs a year, but I also work for an incredible music program called Music Together as a Licensing Manager. I also do a good deal of professional recording and teach privately. Most of my professional live gigs come in the form of corporate events and private parties such as weddings, clubs, and restaurants. Bands in those settings mostly play Top 40, but I also play straight-ahead jazz gigs, original singer/songwriter gigs, and the occasional theater pit gig.

 

Who influenced you coming up regarding bassists that caught your ear? When you listen today, do your early bass influences measure up to your perceptions of them when you were young?

 

The first bassist that caught my interest was John Entwistle from The Who. His attitude and intent struck me, and he had a beautiful presence both sonically on recordings and live on-stage with the band. Louis Johnson’s tone and rhythmic approach excited me to dig in more, bringing me to Marcus Miller, one of my major heroes as a sideman bassist and composer/producer. Like many young players, I would sing along to Paul McCartney’s melodic lines. I loved Motown and R& B growing up, so James Jamerson and Anthony Jackson quickly became the standards I wanted to pursue once I understood their contributions to pivotal recordings. Joe introduced me to Jaco, who changed everything and made me want to understand jazz harmony, tone production, composition, and improvisation. On Upright, I was floored by Scott La Faro’s lyrical approach and Ron Carter’s command of time and sound. I appreciate my early bass influences more and more every year. I still transcribe them to gain insight into the details of their playing.

 

Are there any bass players or musicians in general that inspire you today?

In addition to my teachers, Hadrien Feraud and Janek Gwizdala are two of the most important living bass players. Both have incredible facilities but use their technique to create gorgeous musical landscapes. Pino Palladino and John Patitucci constantly push boundaries and have beautiful things to say about the bass. Every time I hear them play, I smile and want to pick up the instrument. I want to use this opportunity to shout out some local musicians whose playing influences me whenever I can perform with them or initiate a conversation. Guitarist Michael Vanderweerd is one of my closest musical associates and friends. Mike plays guitar like Stevie

Ray Vaughan and sings like Ray Charles. He is the most soulful person I know. He has given me countless opportunities to play paying gigs with great players. Richie Monica is a world-class drummer who taught me a lot about how to conduct myself early in my career and how to listen. He never held back the truth about my playing and schools me to this day when I’m not on my game. Stephen Bard is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter who knows more about delivering a clear musical statement than anyone I have ever met. He is a prolific musical creator who consistently produces fantastic original music and is a blast to play with on live gigs. I am blessed.

 

When I went back to school from 2008 to 2017, I aimed to teach history or social studies at either a public or a charter school. This changed when I consulted with some of my friends who have been educators for many years. They informed me that changes in the education system and the advent of Common Core standards pushed them into early retirement, and if I had any ideas about teaching with my own style in my effort to change the world one student at a time, I should reconsider teaching.

 

Similarly, I feel the same obligation to be honest when young musicians ask for my advice regarding a music career. It is more challenging to survive playing music today than in past eras. Reality is not negativity; I am obligated to young musicians to clarify this. If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring bassists, what would you tell them?

  

Always go back to the fundamentals while remaining curious about where your tastes can lead you. This combination will continuously inspire you to grow as a bass player, musician, and human. Also, play upright, write your own music, and sing!

 

 

Lawrence Haber: Electric/Upright Bass Player, Music Educator/Clinician, GHS Strings Endorsing Artist, Genzler Endorsing Artist, Bartolini Emerging Artist, Master Strap Artist https://www.lawrencehabermusic.com/

The Know Your Bass Player Interview by Tony Senatore

 

Recently, one of my Facebook friends, who happens to be a fine bassist, posted that although he started his days with great optimism, after checking out his Facebook feed, he realized that either he was a substandard musician, had made bad decisions, or had any combination thereof. My reaction to his words was quite the opposite. My daily social media habits have reinforced my view that the world is more vapid, vacuous, and morally bereft than I ever imagined. Whether I searched for quality journalism, music, or depictions of humankind at its best, it seemed as if there was none to be found. When creative people are faced with such obstacles, they have choices. They can go with the crowd and follow trends rather than set them or try to uphold all they hold sacred in everything they do, no matter what the cost.

 

Moreover, they could either remain aloof and unsupportive for fear of losing whatever notoriety they have or be nurturing and try to align themselves with like-minded people who toil away in relative obscurity, unwilling to lower their standards.  In my life, when faced with such choices, I have decided on the latter. When I learned of Charles Nagtzaam via my friend Tony Renaud, I was pleased to see that many individuals are still willing to uphold the time-tested tenets of music while resisting the latest fads, and I wanted to be acquainted with him. Charles is the type of bass player that I admire. He doesn’t live in the past. Charles is constantly trying to break new ground on his instrument. What I like most is that, like me, he always tries to move forward while tipping his hat to the great bassists like Anthony Jackson, that inspired him.

 

Things ranging variously from technology to guns are decidedly non-moral. Whether they are used for good or nefarious purposes is ultimately in the hands of the user. While I have come to despise social media, without it, I would never have learned about the brilliant playing of Charles Nagtzaam. Moreover, if it wasn’t for my friend Tony, there is a good chance that I might never cross paths with him. The lesson is clear. We must stop thinking about ourselves and instead put some effort into others. Social media should not be a place to question your worth. On the contrary, it should be a place to confirm what we are doing right and to help people that we are in a position to help. That said, I would like to introduce Charles to the KYBP family. – Tony Senatore 

 

 

When and where were you born?

 

I was born in June 10, 1967 in a small town called Cuijk, near Nijmegen, which is in the Netherlands

 

Did you study music in college? I am curious as to your educational background, and/or specific teachers who guided you, not limited to only music teachers.

 

From where I grew up, there was not much of music in Elementary School. My parents discovered I had affinity with music and made me play the wooden flute (recorder?) at the local music school, thinking that learning how to read notes was the most important base. After two years of this (I was around 9 years old), I wanted to play drums or electric guitar, but my parents decided to put me on classical guitar lessons first, most likely to prevent complaints of our neighbors.

 

In 1979 when I was twelve my dad died, and I was tired of classical etudes and wanted to be able to just play a song. Preferably songs I heard on the radio or on those records which my four-year older brother had. By then I was heavily into all kinds of music. The first time I briefly picked up the bass, it felt like home to me. Due to my classical guitar training, my left hand was already a bit familiar to a wider neck and where the notes were. I didn’t own a bass yet and started playing along with songs on the lower strings of my classical guitar. A year or two later, my mom got me a cheap bass guitar (Kumika P-bass clone) and I started playing with friends from school. That’s when it all started.

 

After high school I wanted to study at the conservatory and wanted to play (preferably) jazz funk. However, in order to get admitted, I had to play upright bass. After some upright bass lessons with Ruud Hendriks I got admitted to the conservatory of Arnhem to study upright bass with Henk Haverhoek (http://www.henkhaverhoek.nl) a great musician and teacher who has played with many famous jazz musicians. 

 

Two years later the school contracted Lené te Voortwis as the main subject electric bass teacher, and I finally got my first real electric bass guitar lessons. Both Lené and Henk had a huge part in my development. After my graduation I got a lot of wisdom from artists which whom I’ve worked with.

 

If you studied music in college, did your family support your decision to study music at the college level? Are there any musicians in your family?

 

My dad used to sing in the church choir. My mom (85) was a housewife and used to sing all the time. When I was in college she was already a widow and did everything she could to make ends meet. She somehow found the strength to carry on, take a part time job and found a way to give us everything we needed. She came from a large single parent family too and, just after WWII, only her brothers could study due to financial reasons. So, she never got the chance to study and was determined to give her children the chance to be able to become anything they wanted. She was very supportive in my decision to make a living from music. I only had to get my high school diploma first, which was kind of a struggle for me after I took up the bass guitar. She had to lock it away in a closet at times in order to make me finish high school first.

 

My brother plays drums but isn’t a professional musician. My older cousin taught me the first barre chords on guitar but is also not a professional musician.

 

 Do you make your entire living playing music, either live or in the studio, or do you have an alternate source of income?

 

I make my entire living with music. I’m still playing a lot live, and get the occasional calls for a studio gig. I’m also teaching bass and band-coaching at the conservatory in Arnhem (https://www.artez.nl/en/courses/bachelor/jazz-pop-arnhem) and at Rockacademie in Tilburg (https://rockacademie.nl). This mixed practice is enough to make the ends meet. I have two daughters of 18 and 17 years old and they’re somewhat at the start of their college education.

 

Who influenced you coming up, regarding bassists that caught your ear?

 

Verdine White, Bernard Edwards and Leon F Sylvers III were a huge influence. I’ve always loved soul music! When I picked up the bass, Mark King was conquering the charts with Level 42. So that was a huge influence at first. My brother pointed out Stanley Clarke and bought his first two albums. And I got more and more into jazz rock and serious about music. Marcus Miler, Anthony Jackson and Jaco Pastorius were the main influences during the time before I got admitted into the conservatory.

 

 But also so many other great bass players like Nathan East, Louis Johnson and Will Lee caught my attention. Marcus, Anthony and Jaco however would really “make my jaw drop” more than a few times whenever I heard something “new” of them. And I never stopped listening to them ever since. There was no Spotify neither CD’s, so discovering new music was really a thing you couldn’t do by surfing on the internet. You were relying on good friends who bought a lot of records. And you had to buy some yourself. And of course, we had Maxwell and TDK, which made it a little cheaper for a music freak like me.

 

During my study James Jamerson, John Patitucci, Pino Palladino and Francis Rocco Prestia were very much of influence, and of course upright bass players Ray Brown, Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Paul Chambers, Scott LaFaro. And I have to mention Gary Willis and Jeff Andrews.

 

When you listen today, do your early bass influences measure up to your perceptions of them when you were young?

 

I think my perception of how to experience those early influences changed. At a young age one is full of questions like “how do they do it,” “how do they get that sound,” “what’s happening harmonically/rhythmically” etc. As you grow older and understand that there are no real secrets in music, and that it’s also hard work and understanding of theory, analyzing, studying and more, a lot of those early questions might have been answered. But each one of those early influences are very authentic players with a signature sound. Something one only gets out of that unique individual person in combination with a certain instrument. And that still holds up to me with each and every one of them, while in the meantime I’m still searching for my own signature sound. That might be a downside of transcribing and analyzing too much of almost everything.

 

Are there any bass players or musicians in general that inspire you today?

 

 For sure! It’s amazing to see how some newer players still grow into “their thing” which appears to be another new way of approaching the instrument. Like Victor Wooten, MonoNeon is a second to none authentic player, as is Thundercat. I also like bassists Michael League and Joe Dart who are influenced by stuff from the era I grew up in (mid 70’s), giving it a fresh new formula. Also Hadrien Feraud and Dario Deidda are very inspiring bassists. And, of course, Pino Palladino.

 

I am sure that like me, you have many basses. I have about forty, but I could exist with only my 1973 P bass if I had to. What bass that you currently own is your main instrument that you would never part?

 

I have enough basses, although not forty. I have to say my STENBACK FIVE will probably be that bass. Amazing response, great tone. A five string that feels like a four string somehow. Well balanced. When I bought it, it probably hadn’t been played that much, and the bass really had to come alive through playing. After two months it definitely did, a day and night difference.

 

If it wasn’t for the need of a five string, I could exist with only my 1972 Fender Jazz Bass, too.

 

Your YouTube channel has a vast array of very accurate transcriptions of some of the greatest bass lines ever recorded. Of all of the transcriptions that you have done, which was the most difficult?

 

Thanks for the compliment. I try to be as accurate as possible. There are a few of those videos which I had to do in more than one take. “Voice” by Hiromi was three takes, “M&M studio” had a cut right before the solo, which I still can’t play as accurate as the original. “You Got It!”, “Some Sharks” and “Island Magic” were all a one straight take eventually, but that doesn’t mean that those were less difficult. It has to do with focus, staying relaxed and, of course preparation.

 

 Also, “difficult” evolves to “getting a little bit more comfortable” every day with a good practice routine. I wasn’t able to feel odd meters in an even flow yet, for instance. After transcribing and practicing it, it just gets more fluid because it starts to feel natural and balanced. You just have to put in the hours of practice, which are harder to find at a later age. But I’ve still managed to put in the work to do it, so far. Difficulties come in all areas. Even a “simple” 4/4 groove has its difficulties if you don’t understand the feel or the pocket. So it’s not only a matter of a lot of notes or odd meters. Switching from pick to fingerstyle playing could easily call for hours of practice. So Leon Sylvers’s bassline of “Here I Am” by Dynasty also took some time to get a little more comfortable with.

 

Can you recommend any specific method books that have helped you to become the bassist that you are today?

 

When I studied, I probably checked out anything I could get my hands on. “Standing in the Shadows of Motown”, “The Funkmasters”, “What Duck Done”, “Sitting in with Tower of Power”, “Modern Electric Bass” & Oscar Stagnaro’s “Latin Bass Bible” of the more style-method books. As for improvisation, David Baker’s “Bebop Era”, Adelhard Roidinger’s “Jazz improvisation & pentatonics”, “Charlie Parker Omnibook”, “John Coltrane Omnibook”, Hein van de Geyn’s “Comprehensive Bass Method” were all great books to discover and get ideas from. And there’s so many more of which I probably took a few excerpts from in my daily study routine.

 

 As a recommendation to upcoming players I would say: explore the stuff that moves you yourself first. Whenever I hear a great melody with a great chord sequence, I want to know what that is. And not by ONLY looking up a YouTube tutorial or (maybe even worse) a quickly written TAB sheet. The same with basslines, drum rudiments or odd time signatures. When I hear something great, I’ll bury myself between the speakers or headphone until I exactly know what it is that moves me. Train your ears and carefully listen to what you really hear, not taken all of those videos and websites as an instant truth. The blessing of having all the acces to all the material with just one click can also set you on a detour when watching an incorrect explanation.

 

When I went back to school from 2008 to 2017, my goal was to teach history or social studies at either a public or a charter school. This changed when I consulted with some of my friends who have been educators for many years. They informed me that changes in the education system, and the advent of Common Core standards pushed them into early retirement, and that if I had any ideas about teaching with my own style in my effort to change the world one student at a time, I should reconsider teaching.

 

In a similar way, I feel the same obligation to be honest which young musicians that often ask for my advice regarding a career in music. It is more difficult to survive playing music today than in past eras. Reality is not negativity, and I feel an obligation to young musicians to make this clear. If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring bassists, what would you tell them?

 

 At Rockacademie, where I also teach, each student is forced to choose a learning path from the perspective of a mixed professional practice. So, next to a skill (main subject) (vocals, bass, guitar etc) one has to choose for either “session musician”, “artist”, “audio engineer”, “skills- & band coach (education)” and “business manager”.

 

At Artez Jazz & Pop, we stimulate all students to be as artistic and authentic as possible (more like the “artist” direction), which makes it probably harder to get instant work that pays the bills once a student graduates. Some students rather do a different profession alongside their career so they can carry on with their own intrinsic creativity without any concession to commercial succes.

 

Both schools have alumni who are really successful, so I would advise a student to really look around, check out each school’s curriculum to know what appears to be the best thing for your own growth. And by this I most certainly don’t mean “the easiest path to making money”. One should know that, if you’re in it for the money, it will never pay off. I believe Wynton Marsalis said something like: “You really have to be obsessed with making music, otherwise it’s barely impossible to put in the amount of work you need to make it a successful path”. Or Woody Shaw: “So you’ve tried to play the trumpet but didn’t have the talent? Really? Well, start practicing three hours a day for one year, come back, and then we’ll talk about talent again”.

Since you really have to love what you do, it’s probably a good idea to have a wider palette of options, but only if those options are almost equally joyful as playing your instrument. And with some of these options you might just want to try it first.

 

 Keep an open mind and if a different direction doesn’t get in the way of your development as a musician: do it. It’s better to quit after trying than wondering how it could have worked out a few years later when that ship has already sailed and chances have passed. You’ll probably never have the same amount of time to explore other options. If you still want to make a living only through making music, though: be ready to sacrifice and put in the hours. And remember that success should always be measured by the things you have had to give up for it.

 

Charles Nagtzaam Renders Anthony Jackson’s classic Chaka Khan bass passage “Sleep On It” 

 

Charles Nagtzaam Website : https://charlesnagtzaam.wordpress.com/

 

 Charles Nagtzaam YouTube https://youtube.com/channel/UCZ-rbZYrz45_WgbqAaosV7w

 Photos by Frank Boeigen, Kathie Danneels 

 

 

Know Your Bass Player Q&A With Jon Rogers, By Joe Gagliardo

 

How/when/why did you start playing bass guitar?

 

I grew up in a house with a lot of live music.  My dad and his brother (my original guitar heroes) played and wrote folk music, and there were always guitars to play in the house.  I started learning how to play at about 8 yrs old, and joined the school band at North Main Street School in Spring Valley, New York when I was 11.  Bill Withers’ sister was the special ed teacher there and arranged to have Bill’s full band play in the little gym/ auditorium.  That was my first live concert and a real music lesson about what a rhythm section can do.  After the show, as the band was packing up, Melvin Dunlap came over to where I was standing with my elbows on the stage, and said he saw me checking him out, and asked if I liked the bass (I’m sure I was staring at him!).  I told him I did, and that I was learning guitar.  Melvin grinned and said “this is the bass; bass is where it’s at!”

 

When I was 13, my best friend Andy Rossi (now senior vice pres. at Korg) who also played guitar, suggested we start a band, but insisted that I play bass.  I immediately thought of Melvin Dunlap and said yes!  No looking back!

 

 Any formal training?

 

That was my dad’s condition on my buying a bass.   When I was 14, I found a teacher through the original Alto Music in Spring Valley.  I can’t remember the guy’s name, but he had an old full-size upright and an Alembic electric bass that lit up!  He was very relaxed and promised that he wouldn’t make me read out of the Simandl studies if I practiced my exercises, and learned my theory!  I stayed with him until I was 16 or so, and then started commuting into Manhattan on weekends to study with different bass teachers-anyone I could find really.  When I was 17 I got a job teaching bass at Alto Music, and had the realization that you can also learn from your students!

 

In 1981 spent my first semester of College at Berklee in Boston.  Berklee was a great experience, but I heard that Ron Carter was going to start teaching at the City College of New York in Harlem; a very short train ride from my apartment.  So I came home, auditioned with Ed Summerlin at City College (played a Jaco-inspired version of Charlie Parker’s “Donna Lee”), and was accepted into the program.  I showed up early for the commencement faculty performance and sat in the audience right next to where Professor Carter’s bass was lying on the ground.  He showed up almost 45 minutes late due to a snag at a prior recording session, not in the best mood.  He uncased, picked up and tuned his bass, and then launched into the first notes with the faculty jazz orchestra with such volume and power that I literally almost fell off my chair.  First lesson.  I learned so much from him- a real master, and a very nice man.  He made me defend every note choice I made.  Ron and I split up after my first year over my preference for electric bass.  I then studied with Blood Sweat and Tears bassist Ron McClure-a great bassist and guy, again through the City College, and then privately with Homer Mensch, from the “Jaws” soundtrack/ NBC Orchestra/ New York Philharmonic.  

 

Bass players who influenced you:

 

First from my parents’ records; Dee Murray, Paul McCartney, Bill Wyman, Billy Cox, Harvey Brooks, Rick Danko…

 

Then from my High school days; John Paul Jones, John Entwistle, Geddy Lee, Chris Squire, Glenn Cornick…

 

 Post High school and later; Jaco, Stanley Clarke; Ralphe Armstrong, James Jamerson, Paul Jackson, Pino Palladino, Tony Levin…

 

 Summary of bands/years, recordings, and current music activity.

 

In 1982 I got a job teaching and playing bass at Talent Unlimited, a NYC high school program for the performing arts, where my brother attended.  TU was a NYC entity with connections to a lot of cultural organizations, so we got to play for the gospel choir at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, and regularly performed at civic events for the City and Board of Ed.  The program had an astounding array of young performers, including Cory Glover of Living Colour.  Keith Jarrett and Joanne Brackeen sent their kids there. 

 

I also joined the act “Mike Quashie, King the Limbo,” a glam rock-Calypso band.  Mike Quashie was famous for his friendships with Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed and Led Zeppelin, and was a fixture in New York’s West Village.  We played a lot of dance clubs.  Quashie really focused on theatrics as well as the music, and I learned a lot about presenting on stage from him.  You can see him doing his fire act, setting John Bonham’s gong ablaze on the opening reel of the Led Zeppelin DVD. 

 

My brother (a drummer) and I also hired ourselves out in the mid-80s as a rhythm section, and worked as a band in Manhattan with some of the talent from Talent Unlimited.  We called ourselves “The Worx” and did studio work, supported other acts, and performed our own original music in local venues.  In 1985, we cut a demo “Invisible Man” for Sony, but turned down the deal offered.  My brother continued to court Sony, and wrote for them, ultimately focusing on songwriting, engineering and production.  Dee Lite’s “Groove is in the Heart” is a good example of his early skills behind the console.  He’s still making it happen, big time.

 

I also played bass for several independent New York bands during the mid 80s including Rich Blood and the Equators, Black Tire Safari, and The Troubleshooters with Alan Freedman, and in 1985 I joined Bill Sledge and his Hammers, playing jazz six nights a week during the summers at Tavern on the Green. 

 

During winter of 1986 I escaped the cold by joining Princess Cruises’ Love Boat Orchestra; an 11-piece band playing production shows, and backing guest performers in the ship’s main theater.  This was a stellar band, full of seasoned pros from Vegas and younger pedigreed jazzers.  The only guys in the band who didn’t have degrees were myself and saxophonist Victor Goines (Wynton Marsalis’ cousin and director of jazz studies at Julliard and Northwestern University).  That was the most musically challenging, yet cushiest gig imaginable.  I can’t understate the luxury of not having to set up and breakdown gear for each show!   Of course the food, the itinerary and the social life were extraordinary.  Then I met my future wife from Chicago on board the ship, and by 1990 I was back to living life on land. 

 

When I got to Chicago I started jobbing on events with the Michael James Orchestra; a local big band, and working in the studio and on live dates for local indie bands, including Jack Salamander and later Barrett’s Hidden agenda, but my focus was primarily family and raising kids.

 

Nowadays, with the kids out and having their own adventures, I feel lucky to be playing more.  Currently, I’m recording both locally and back on the East coast, and I’m very happy to be playing live again with the popular festival band The Sofa Kings, Barrett, Jack Salamander, the Vini Bruckert Band, Black Partridge, and country band Hodie Snitch.  And I’m looking to do a whole lot more!  Have guns, will travel!

 

Your go-to basses back in the day, and now, and rigs:

 

1974 My first bass; a one pickup Guild Jetstar mated to a Gibson EB neck, so that it looked like a Gibson EB0 (it took a few years before I figured that out).  Rig:  My dad’s black Kustom plush.  I loved that amp.

 

 1978; a Rickenbacker 4001 modified with a brass ingot milled to fit the slot under the bridge, the brass was welded to a Badass bridge (all work imagined and done at Alto Music); sounded great for a couple of years but too much tension eventually made the neck warp.  Rig:  Ampeg SVT.  I took that to a couple of gigs on the NYC subway (with help). 

 

 1982 An Aria Pro II

 

 1983 I traded Ron Carter a broken down old 7/8 size Czech upright I had, for a fretless Fender Jazz with a neck of unknown manufacture (solid piece of rosewood with a single strip of maple down the back for the truss rod, no fingerboard, metal inlaid markers on the side only, old style grover tuners, but with a crack behind the nut before the first tuner).  I took the bass to Roger Sadowsky for an assessment before agreeing to the trade. He took the neck off and told me that Dave Schecter signed it, that the crack repair would be stronger than new, and that if I didn’t want it, he would buy it.  Good enough for me; by the end of the week it had a new set of EMG J pickups, a set of Roger’s hand-wound pots and wiring, and a headstock that still looks like it was never cracked.  Always my go-to if frets aren’t required.

 

 1986  A ‘57 Fender P bass with cut down body. 

 

 1987 The moisture at sea was taking its toll on the fretless, so I made an emergency run to the big guitar chain in LA as soon as we made port, and played every bass in the store.  The best playing instrument at any price was an Ibanez RD707.  It was cheap, light and sounded great; perfect for the gig, and it still feels and sounds great.  Rig: Dad’s black Kustom plush!

 

 Today, I still play the fretless and the Ibanez.  I picked up a new Gibson Thunderbird a few years ago and am just loving it.  The redesign makes it hang so much better than the old version, and the look and sound are just iconic.  Rig:  TC Electronic RH450 and Eden Nemesis.

 

 A description of your playing style.

 

I like to think, musical and natural.  Everything else is so artist/ song-dependent for me.  I take my note choices seriously and focus on the feel.  I try to give every song what it needs from the bass, adding a little fun and flavor, just when and where it can really use it.  That’s it; Fun!

 

A few songs to highlight your playing:

 

Nayobe; “I Don’t Have to Make Believe” 1986 https://youtu.be/3-4HI9HzgaI

 

The Equators; “Road to Panama” 1986 https://bit.ly/3dmE1Tf

 

Chubby Checker (with Jerry Marrotta, Tracy Bonham, Happy Traum, Professor Louie); “Lookin’ for Me” 2016 https://youtu.be/_vIrRUedv2M

 

Jack Salamander (with Chicago poet Gregorio Gomez); “Midnight Dreams” 2021 https://youtu.be/VmBevzX3CN0

 

Vini Bruckert Group; “That Thing” (Lauren Hill) 2022 https://bit.ly/3C7dvYm

 

For All Things Jon Rogers …. Jonathan Rogers Music (jonrogersmusic.com) 

 

Know Your Bass Player Q & A with Joe Gagliardo & John Abbey

 

How/when/why did you start playing bass guitar?

 

I kind of started playing by “accident” when I was 13 or 14. Two of my older brothers play bass. One summer, my friends and I would hang out at my house listening to records and play air guitar along with them. One of my brothers was home from college, and on a whim one day, I pulled his bass out of the case and figured I’d play “air bass” while actually holding a bass. I guess the accidental part was this, he played left-handed. I assumed he had a left-handed bass but he’d learned to play upside down, and when I strapped on the bass it was “set up” for me and from that day on that was it.

 

 Any formal training?

 

At first no. I’d ask my brother(s) when they were around to show me some stuff. I bought Mel Bay’s Volume 1 bass book…learned the names of the strings, notes on the fret board but mainly just listened to records and tried to figure stuff out. In elementary school I played violin for a year, and in junior high, you had to be in the chorus, but I had no formal training. I didn’t take any music classes in high school at all, but by my senior year I wanted to learn to read music and understand theory etc etc…unfortunately none of the music teachers were interested in having someone who knew nothing join band or orchestra.

 

That summer, between senior year of high school and freshman year of college, I took a basic music theory class at a community college, and I ended up staying there for my freshman year. It was a classically oriented program and after a year I wanted to learn other stuff. I switched to SUNY Old Westbury. At the time it was one of the only jazz programs around. The head of the department was Ken McIntyre and faculty included Warren Smith, Charles Persip, Jack Jeffers, Dick Griffin, Jimmy Owens…super heavyweights, although at the time their impact was lost on me.

 

After that, I went to B.I.T and studied with Potter Smith, Bob Magnuson, and Jeff Berlin. I was there during a very transitional year for that school..it was just starting to lean away from the jazz/fusion side of things and towards the “metal/big hair” of the mid-80’s. The guitar program still had Joe Pass and Joe Diorio on board and they were thrilled with guys that were into what they did vs what they thought was the “flash”

 

Bass players who influenced you…

 

Man..so many!…Jack Casady, Bill Wyman, Willie Dixon, John Entwistle, Paul Chambers, Charles Mingus, James Jamerson, Jerry Jemmott, Duck Dunn, Larry Graham, Marcus Miller, Jaco, Rick Danko, Aston “Family Man” Barrett, George Porter Jr..I’m sure I’m forgetting a bunch.

 

Summary of bands/years—and recordings…

 

Alright, let’s see I’ll probably be off by a year or two and I’ll skip the “early years”and apologies in advance for stuff I’ve missed and therefore omitted.

 

1984-85 Lauren Smoken-self titled debut record produced by Jack Douglas, 1985-1990?-Outback..came this close :-), recordings with Rob Fraboni, Lori Carson 1988-1990, Carolyne Mas 1989, Todd Kray 1990-1998?

 

Stevie Cochran 1985-1992, David Poe 1995-2003-self titled debut produced by T-Bone Burnett, The Late Album, Love Is Red, Dog’s Eye View-1994-1996(?) debut album Happy Nowhere, Amy Rigby 1994-97, Mike Errico 1996-Pictures Of the Big Vacation, John Cale-1996-1998, Ray Davies-2000, Hubert Sumlin and David Johansen 2004-2005, Amy Speace 1999-2002, Neal Casal- 1995-1997, Moe Tucker 2000, Mark Geary 1998-2001.

 

Current musical activity…

 

Let’s see-since 1998/99 I’ve been producing and engineering…so since moving from NYC to Chicago in 2002, that’s been a majority of my work.

 

Throughout my 20 years in Chicago, I’ve been playing (on and off in some cases) with Robbie Fulks, Steve Dawson, Sons Of the Never Wrong, and Jon Langford’s Four Lost Souls.

 

Partial “recent” discography Producing/Engineering- Emily Hurd -her full discography, The Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook Volumes 1-4, Robbie Fulks-Revenge of the Doberman and 16, Funeral Bonzai Wedding self-titled, and Last Flight Out, Martin Lang-Bad Man.

 

Your go-to basses back in the day, and now…

 

These are the basses I used to have and play(very rarely more than one at a time)…that I regret selling; 1978 Fender Jazz Bass, Ken Smith 4 string serial # 109 (smh), early 80’s Steinberger, 1973 Fender P-bass-fretless, mid 80’s Tobias 6 string.

 

I had a GREAT late 18th century German upright bass that suffered a broken neck on the last day of a tour..after it was fixed, it was never the same and I sold it…still haven’t found an upright I like as much as that one.

 

In 1986 I got a 1966 Fender Jazz bass…it took about 6 months for it to get and stay in shape…that’s been my go to bass ever since. I also currently have a 1967 Guild Starfire (the bass I grew up playing courtesy of my bro!) a 1968 Vox violin and a bass made by a great luthier here, Bruce Roper. It’s a short scale hollow body based on Starfire specs. My upright is a German carved bass from the 50’s but made in Italian style..Oh almost forgot, I also have a Guild Ashbory.

 

 Describe your approach / style…

 

Hmm..another tricky one to answer.  I’d like to think that I always serve the song, stay in the pocket and react to what’s happening in the moment.

 

What are you up to when not playing bass?

 

 I am a Producer-Engineer (and Bass Player) at Kingsize Sound Lab and I have taught at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

 

Similar to how I started playing bass, I got into producing and engineering kind of by accident. A buddy of mine from M.I.T. days, Joe Carter III, a great jazz guitar player, said “You know all these singer/songwriter, rock guys..I want you produce a record for me.

 

I wrote a bunch of tunes on piano and I want to make a record that’s a cross between Tumbleweed Connection and Exile On Main Street.” 

Without skipping a beat, I agreed..and not knowing ANYTHING, but with the help of a lot of super talented people I started to learn and TJ Swan-Redemption was the result.

 

Fast-forward 12 years and a few random spaces in Chicago, Mike Hagler and I partnered up and got our current space together in 2010.

 

It’s a great set-up. We work independently of each other…but we share a huge live room, gear, etc.

 

A partial list of stuff I’ve been lucky enough to work on: Robbie Fulks-Revenge of the Doberman and Sixteen, Funeral Bonzai Wedding-self titled and Last Flight Out, Freakons-self-titled, Mike Allemana-Vonology, Martin Lang-Bad Man, Jonas Friddle-The Last Place To Go, Belle deLouisville, Use Your Voice

 

Emily Hurd-(pretty much everything) most recently- Underkill, Nightshades, Josh Berman-A Skip and a Hop….

 

John Abbey Sound & Vision…

 

“New Pony” live w. Robbie Fulks https://youtu.be/xEduxa3J4UA

 

“Oh Chocolay_Sons of the Never Wrong”  https://youtu.be/uS5uxjj5ZVk

 

“Heart of Snow” Emily Hurd  https://youtu.be/3qAcYG6NECM

 

“Reunion” David Poe https://youtu.be/scS2xlIcIIo

 

“Love is a Blessing” live w. Steve Dawson  https://youtu.be/uYYZWiydtUI 

By Tom Semioli

 

Life is uncertain…eat dessert first! Wiser words you could not impart to a bass player…

 

In a recent NOTES FROM AN ARTIST episode on Cygnus Radio, hosted by David C. Gross with Know Your Bass Player “honcho” Tom Semioli; interviewee Bruce Thomas commented on the “coffee table” aesthetic of certain instruments, most notably extended range basses.

 

NOTES FROM AN ARTIST with Bruce Thomas (March 2021) Podcast Link:  https://notesfromanartist.buzzsprout.com/1771322/8669271

 

Mr. Thomas specifically singled out Mr. Gross’ new, custom made Ken Bebensee fretless six string bass, replete with pink strings (see above).

 

A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bassist revered by generations of players for his watershed work with Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Thomas inadvertently addressed a parallel topic – the bass guitar as a culinary home furnishing.

 

As numerous bassists, especially those in urban environs, reside in rather tight confines – the instrument is never far from reach, hence its inclusion in activities not related to music – such as eating.

 

Here are portraits from select Know Your Bass Players engaged in the fine art of dining with bass guitars!

 

 

An economic player, Amy Madden (Jon Paris, Alan Merrill, John Lee Hooker) simply combines her Guild bass with Rhode Island Sea Bass…

 

 

On the bandstand and in the studio, Jeff Ganz (Johnny Winter, The Hit Men, Broadway) and his Gibson EB with Ensure nutrition beverages are a natural fit….

 

 

Recognized for his mastery of the 12-string, when Tony Senatore (Genya Ravan) plucks and plectrums half of that aforementioned configuration by way of his 1988 Carl Thompson six-string, it goes down smooth with Clan McGregor…

 

 

Mama mia! Lasagne also makes for pocket grooves and savory melodies! Behold Mark Corradetti (Essra Mohawk, Dann Glenn) feasting with his 1996 Steven Sukop five-string… Mangia!

 

 

A prolific player, performer, educator, and radio host – Joe Iaquinto (Peter Cetera, Billy Preston, Branscombe Richmond and the Renegade Posse) snacks with his 2015 Wilkins Roasted (no pun intended) P/J bass…

 

 

The Sadowsky J bass in the clutches of Mark Polott (Haystacks Balboa, Urban Blue, The Brats) go hand-in-hand with boutique beer!

 

 

Tom Semioli (KYBP Founder) opts for a no-frills breakfast menu of Fender Mustang, yogurt/granola, and Dunkin Donuts iced coffee in rapt anticipation for a delectable Bongo Fury miniature domed quick bread… (Some people like cupcakes exclusively, while I myself I say there is naught, nor ought there be nothing so exalted, on the face of God’s grey earth as that Prince of foods… the muffin!”)

 

 

A Clement Fretless six-string, a 1930 Ford, and a two bottles of vino satiate David C. Gross (Aztec Two Step, Humble Pie) just fine….

 

 

Keep it simple! Danelectro (with a built-in fuzz) is the choice of Joe Gagliardo (One of the Boyzz) with a cuppa and a donut….

 

 

Tea, chocolate, and a grizzled ’69 P bass every evening at 9:00 PM ET when he’s not on the bandstand or in the studio…such is the decidedly domestic life of Paul Page (Ian Hunter’s Rant Band, John Cale, Sydney Green Street Band).

 

 

A bottle of red, and a bottle of white bookend this gourmand of grandeur: Michael J. Visceglia (Suzanne Vega, John Cale, M.O.S., Then There Were Two). A staple of Mediterranean traditional cuisine, Michael, who is of Puerto Rican and Italian heritage (as represented in his fashion accessories), dines on spaghetti (with “gravy”) exclusively atop a 2019 Bacchus bass.   

 

By “former” New York City bassist Joe Iaquinto, who now resides in the Midwestern United States….returning to the land of his birth on occasion to devour Italian food in eateries of dubious renown….

 

In my generation (i.e. living in 1970s New York City) – hearing and having to play disco music in clubs was unavoidable.  In hindsight, some of the music was downright fantastic; especially for bass players. We were up in the mix, given to thumb thumpery, and were afforded the attention typically bequeathed to our bandstand brothers and sisters.  However at the time, the “stigma” attached to disco was overwhelming. It was considered purely commercial music with little or no “artistic value” by the ever present jazz, rock, blues, and pop elites. 

 

As if to answer the prayers of those who couldn’t stand it any longer, punk rock began to infiltrate the music scene akin to lava spewing out and destroying all that was polyester, platforms, and satin!  As I witnessed this massacre, I couldn’t help but cling harder to my beloved Earth, Wind & Fire, Doobie Brothers and Chicago records,  wondering how anything good could come from this music of the streets.  I consider myself musically openminded.

 

Yet most of the stuff I was hearing from the rehearsal studios in my then hometown was downright frightening! Working at the legendary Manny’s Music store on 48th Street in Manhattan – where artists spanning the Beatles to Miles Davis purchased gear,  I was pushed further into the abyss by the number of people suddenly coming into the store and bashing on Fender Precision basses in the manner of Sid Vicious and Dee Dee Ramone: no disrespect…..

 

Then I heard the Laughing Dogs. 

 

Yeah, they were playing CBGB and were classified as a punk band. To  my ears they were head and shoulders above the common crop of three-chord, “1-2-3-4!!!” amateurs.  These guys composed clever, interesting songs, they rendered strong vocals. In general, they were damn good rock musicians. 

 

Bassist Ronny Carle (aka Ronny Altaville) was a chameleon; running the gamut from throttling his Rickenbacker and Fender Jazz basses in an 8th note frenzy to creating melodic lines that would make Macca proud. These guys were truly a power pop group with a punk attitude, slyly hiding their true intentions behind a wall of lo-fi bass and drum sounds.  They gigged often with such soon-to-be-legends Blondie, Talking Heads, Mink Deville, and the Shirts – all iconic New York City ensembles. Their most punkish song, “I Need a Million” appears on the 1976 album Live at CBGBs. If you’re not familiar with the Laughing Dogs, do yourself a favor and check them out. 

 

I absolutely love bands that can play multiple styles of music and do so with a sense of humor that keeps them from sounding contrived, and that’s these guys. 

 

Check out “Lazy Road,” from their album, Pre-Colombian Gold, 1974-1976.  It sounds similar to early Steely Dan. And pay rapt attention to  Ronny Carle’s wonderful playing.  “Low Life,” from the 1979 LP, The Laughing Dogs exudes enough jangly guitar and vocal harmonies to launch a dozen 1990s shoe-gazing pop bands! 

 

I’m grateful to my dear friend and fellow New Yawker Larry Tepper, for providing me with lots and lots of Laughing Dogs material.  Larry is also the guy who turned me onto Colin Hodkinson and Back Door way back when we were in high school. Hey, it’s what we bass players do, right? We pay it forward! 

 

Ronny Carle Sound & Vision…

 

“Lazy Road” https://youtu.be/UxkEenY6e2I

 

“I Need a Million” https://youtu.be/kqceZjbFVXo

 

“Low Life Band From Brooklyn” https://youtu.be/e9ucPYeqL-k

 

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 Angel Air Co UK

There’s no avoiding John McCoy… on stage, or on record!

 

A showman, multi-instrumentalist (cello, horns, guitar, drums…and upright) and beloved mainstay on the British metal scene since the 1970s, John has anchored numerous ensembles, some under his own name, and most notably in the service of Ian Gillan sans Deep Purple and with the late, great guitarist Bernie Torme.

 

The burly, baldheaded, bottom busting, be-spectacled bassist is a groove pumping powerhouse with a whopping resonance akin to his physical presence.  Given the fact that he started his career in the biz as a guitarist with The Drovers in the mid-1960s, McCoy is particularly suited to accompany six-string virtuosos. John’s weapon of choice is a battered Fender Precision run through various permutations of Marshall and Trace Elliot rigs. 

 

 

John McCoy Sound & Vision…

 

McCoy “Because You Lied” https://youtu.be/iEGIWEZSsiQ

 

McCoy “Demon Rose” https://youtu.be/WsT7s560-Mg

 

Gillan “On The Rocks” https://youtu.be/Y0JOE-tQ7P4

 

Mammoth “Fatman” https://youtu.be/h7gK3oeVUV4

 

GMT (Robin Guy, John McCoy, Bernie Torme) “You Can’t Beat Rock and Roll” https://youtu.be/-m9rG5IS8ts

 

 

Val Burke, bassist (electric) by Tom Semioli

 

Seminal Sides: You Broke My Heart So…I Busted Your Jaw (1973), The Mirror (1974) by Spooky Tooth; Willie & The Mighty Magnificents Play That Funky Beat.

 

Artists / Bands: Spooky Tooth, Willie & The Mighty Magnificents

 

Cited by Marcus Miller and Jamaaladeen Tacuma as a profound influence on their playing, Val Burke hails from the bass player capital of the world: Queens County, New York City.

 

Val served as the house bassist for Stang / All Platinum records, waxing sides with The Moments, (Ray, Goodman & Brown) Whatnauts, Linda Jones, Donnie Elbert, Sylvia. As the Concord Resort Orchestra bassist, Burked backed Ben Vereen, Tom Jones, Tony Martin, Robert Goulet to cite a few. Val also worked A&R for Cameo.

 

He anchored two latter day Spooky Tooth slabs You Broke My Heart So…I Busted Your Jaw (1973), and The Mirror (1974). Tooth were long in the tooth with regard to their commercial and artistic prime, yet these platters do have their enjoyable, groovin’ moments.

 

Dig this Burke bass passage which must’ve inspired Marcus and Jamaaladeen: “Women and Gold” from The Mirror  https://youtu.be/1IVm5kwyoOk

He worked the bass chair for Elephant’s Memory Band sax colossus Stan Bronstein’s Living On the Avenue (1976), and Willie & The Mighty Magnificents Play That Funky Beat.

 

Dig Val working the pocket with Stan Bronstein on the title track to “Living on the Avenue” https://youtu.be/PHkeywFLw6E  

Dig Val with Willie & The Mighty Magnificents “Funky Beat” https://youtu.be/X36hc5wh3Eo

 

Interview with Val Burke in Ebony Live: Larry Smith Unsung Hero of Hip Hip Gets His Props (2017) https://bit.ly/3h4J6gw

 

Interview with Jamaaladeen Tacuma which cites Val Burke: For Bass Players Only by Jon Liebman https://forbassplayersonly.com/interview-jamaaladeen-tacuma/

 

“But there was one bass player who turned my head completely around and became a major influence. His name is Val Burke. Val was the bass player in a self-contained R&B band called Willie & the Mighty Magnificents. They were the backup studio band for a group called the Moments, which had hits like “Love on a Two-Way Street.” At the time, they were headed up by hip-hop pioneer Sylvia Robinson of Sugar Hill Records. This band was cooking all the time when I saw them…..”