Fretless Inspiration ?

[JohnFitzgerald]

I've grown up in the whole Jaco vibe. He's the man for me, no doubt it.

Equally, I completely appreciate Jack Bruce's ability to do a completely different thing on the fretless.

Both inspirational.

Old school fretless Pino is pretty inspirational too, all be it, he's coming from the Jaco school.

Going a bit left field, we have Les Claypool who's taken it into another dimension entirely.

Who else should I be listening to ?

Who is out there that's doing something different to the guys above ?

(I'm loving my new Precision, but it would be a tragedy if the TRB1005F took too much of a back seat.)

[Beedster]

[quote name='JohnFitzgerald' timestamp='1383734268' post='2268208']
Who is out there that's doing something different to the guys above ?
[/quote]

You. Do your own thing, that way it's be different to the guys above. I like all of the above players but tend not to like it when I hear obvious references to them at gigs or recordings (especially in Jaco's case as it's just been done to death). Fretless bass is an instrument on which it's very easy to sound cliched because even the most left-field musician soon becomes widely copied. Just play what sounds right to you. I was once told that my fretless bass sounde like a trombone. The guy said it was a compliment, I'm not sure I took it that way, but to my mind it did at least indicate that I wasn't copying Jaco or Pino.

Given the names of the two most famous proponents and innovators of fretless, perhaps you should also consider a name change to 'Jono'

[JohnFitzgerald]

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1383734758' post='2268215']
You. Do your own thing, that way it's be different to the guys above. I like all of the above players but tend not to like it when I hear obvious references to them at gigs or recordings (especially in Jaco's case as it's just been done to death). Fretless bass is an instrument on which it's very easy to sound cliched because even the most left-field musician soon becomes widely copied. Just play what sounds right to you. I was once told that my fretless bass sounde like a trombone. The guy said it was a compliment, I'm not sure I took it that way, but to my mind it did at least indicate that I wasn't copying Jaco or Pino.

Given the names of the two most famous proponents and innovators of fretless, perhaps you should also consider a name change to 'Jono'
[/quote]

Unfortunately, I'm very likely to reference Jaco in my playing.
Hence my looking for a new thought on my approach.
I'm sure there must be something I'm doing that's uniquely 'me' but from inside my own head, I probably struggle to see it.

Bobby Vega blew my mind in pick approach, only recently discovered him and he's been doing it for years.
I'd love a similar find on fretless.

I'm not looking to ape anyone, but there'll be something in there that helps me move on.

[Beer of the Bass]

Right now my absolute favourite fretless track is this:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIgzP4Rj0Ns[/media]

The rest of the album is great too, if you get on with the whole space rock gnomes & pixies shtick. I have to presume that Francois Moze's approach to fretless playing was entirely original, as a French bassist in the early 70s would be unlikely to have heard Jaco Pastorious.
Also (on a very different tack), if he doesn't mind being plugged, I've got to mention Kev Hopper (Spoombung on BC). He doesn't really sound like anyone else on fretless bass!

Edited November 6, 2013 by Beer of the Bass

[JohnFitzgerald]

Duly noted.
I'll have a listen.

Thanks !

[ambient]

Steve Lawson is an awesome fretless player, he's very influenced by vocalist like frank Sinatra, plays a 6 string and incorporates a lot of chords.

Michael Manring, absolutely amazing player, not of this Earth.

Alain Caron.

Marcus Miller, believe it or not he plays a lot of fretless, listen to some of his live albums.

Mick Kahn from Japan.

There's a few to be getting along with

[JohnFitzgerald]

Mick Karn and Marcus I'm already familiar with.
Michael Manring, don't know what to think of him.

Others, I'll check out.

[krysh]

gary willis and laurence cottle?

[bh2]

Take a listen to this...

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiE0GkVTWKo[/media]

Inspired me to defret my 62 Jazz, although I have been playing fretless on and off since the early eighties, I was about to give up playing alltogether, then I found this album!

RIP Mick...

Thanks for the gong link... I've just rediscovered Mike Howlett from another thread. Not fretless though.

Edited November 6, 2013 by bh2

[ezbass]

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1383734758' post='2268215']
You. Do your own thing, that way it's be different to the guys above.
[/quote]+1. The other day I just played along to songs that my band do where I don't use fretless, it was liberating not to have someone else's fretless lines influencing my note and execution choice. However, if you're just after someone else to listen to for pleasure, add Tony Levin to your list, his live stuff with his band on 'Double Espresso' is well worth an ear; Zep's Black Dog done instrumentally is great fun.

[bh2]

Absolutely old boy... I've done plenty of gigs where no one has noticed or cared...

I just love the freedom.

Now get those frets orf that JV!

Edited November 6, 2013 by bh2

[Urban Bassman]

Percy Jones, John Giblin, Dill Katz

Might be having a listen too

[paul_5]

Definitely John Giblin. Such a lyrical player and a great tone too.

[JohnFitzgerald]

I do like lyrical players.

[Dingus]

Larry Klein , Mark Egan and Jimmy Haslip all deserve a mention . All three are great fretted and fretless players.

[iconic]

I forget the guys name but his playing on this track was sublime...my first choice for a "I wish I could play fretless like this guy" example.
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h26rb1MZH2Q"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h26rb1MZH2Q[/url]

[ead]

If you want something a little bit different try Dali's Car - Mick Kahn on fretless bass plus the former Bauhaus singer iirc.

[White Cloud]

My all time favourite British bassist, the great Welsh fretless genius Percy Jones. Ground breaking, innovative, unique...even Jaco was blown away when he overheard Percy practicing!

A word to the wise - seek the Brand X album "Masques" ...so many great examples of Percy playing his Wal fretless..."The ghost of mayfield lodge" in particular....

Edited November 6, 2013 by White Cloud

[Dingus]

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1383773280' post='2269044']
My all time favourite British bassist, the great Welsh fretless genius Percy Jones. Ground breaking, innovative, unique...even Jaco was blown away when he overheard Percy practicing!


[/quote]

Anthony Jackson has also gone on record as saying that he rates Percy Jones as one of the very best fretless players out there , and that he is one of the few who isn't deriavtive of Jaco to one extent or another.

[geoffbyrne]

Tesco is doing 'JOHN MARTYN - Sweet Little Mystery - The Essential' for £3. Well worth it. Doesn't say on the sleeve notes who played the fretless - no doubt someone here will tell us.

Lovely subtle fretless stuff, though.

G.

Edited November 7, 2013 by geoffbyrne

[ezbass]

I'm thinking John Giblin as a likely candidate for the above.

[iamtheelvy]

Don't limit it just to other fretless players. Listen to fretted bass players who inspire you. Do your take on that. On a fretless.

[White Cloud]

Here is a great example of Percy Jones.

It saddens me that a British bassist recorded this before Jaco's breakthrough on the Weather Report album "Heavy Weather" - yet went almost unnoticed. Its maybe a reasonable assumption that if Jaco had recorded this it would have been lauded as earth shattering. I think Percy is totally underrated and almost ignored by the main stream bass press in the UK.

http://youtu.be/ZQYkBwfzHAc

[philw]

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1383773280' post='2269044']
My all time favourite British bassist, the great Welsh fretless genius Percy Jones. Ground breaking, innovative, unique...even Jaco was blown away when he overheard Percy practicing!

A word to the wise - seek the Brand X album "Masques" ...so many great examples of Percy playing his Wal fretless..."The ghost of mayfield lodge" in particular....
[/quote]

Percy is the main reason I play bass. I got to Brand X via Genesis (Brand X was Phil Collins' entertainment during Genesis down-time) and I was so blown away by Percy's playing I decided there and then I was going to learn to play bass. That was maybe 1980. I had a Wal by 1983. White Cloud is spot on: the Masques album is brilliant, and it's peppered with the most innovative, unique, and sublime fretless playing. It's required listening I'd say for anybody who wants to play fretless.

P

[philw]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1383816050' post='2269368']
Tesco is doing 'JOHN MARTYN - Sweet Little Mystery - The Essential' for £3. Well worth it. Doesn't say on the sleeve notes who played the fretless - no doubt someone here will tell us.

Lovely subtle fretless stuff, though.

G.
[/quote][quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1383838748' post='2269843']
I'm thinking John Giblin as a likely candidate for the above.
[/quote][quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1383838748' post='2269843']
I'm thinking John Giblin as a likely candidate for the above.
[/quote]

It was very much John Giblin. I've been impossibly lucky enough recorded twice in recent years with Martin Levan, who engineered and produced John Martyn's Grace and Danger sessions back in, I think, 82. Martin still talks about John G's fretless playing on those sessions. He loved that I play a fretless Wal like John's although he was always polite enough to talk only about the sound of the bass reminding him of Grace & Danger rather than my playing.

P