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In Praise of Ian King - Kingbassist


molan
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I went to see Dreamgirls at the Savoy Thestre on Monday and had central seats in the third row of the stalls.

I was totally blown away by the bass playing I could hear (but not see) throughout the show.

Amazing tone, beautiful playing and the bass sat perfectly in the front of hour mix. Not sure if there was an amp/ cab I could hear as well but it really was a phenomenal sound.

I'd go as far as to say it was some of the best live playing I've ever heard. Note perfect, not as much as a single click, pop, squeaky string etc.

I was so impressed that I thought I'd try to find out who it was that had made me smile so much. I didn't have a programme so wasn't sure if the band members would be listed but I did find the MD's name online. Then I Spoke to a friend who's a west end pit player and he said he knew someone who was a serious 'bad ass' player and he suspected it was him.

I then found the MD on twitter and tweeted him just to say how much I'd enjoyed he show and particularly the bass playing. He replied to me and I asked if my friend's suspicions were correct and he confirmed they were!

So - the player in question is Ian King. A serious pro who's been in many West End shows and also happens to be a member here as 'Kingbassist'.

Absolute top class musician and right up there at the top of the tree of London theatre players.

You can hear him in action here: https://youtu.be/pxZevYx6vcw

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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1483574291' post='3208478']
Fantastic bass playing. . . . and isn't that an Overwater he's playing?

Edit
Listening to this for a second time, I could do with less of that shouty woman at the front and more bass.
[/quote]

+1

Great musicianship from Ian and I have to agree with you Chris - if only the vocalist had his sensitivity for the dynamics in the song.

Sure, she has a big gospel singers voice, but her performance is totally lacking any light and shade.

Anyway, back to the bass... I can remember seeing this when it was originally broadcast and really noticing the bass sound and bass playing, which doesn't happen often when watching these kind of shows on TV.

Always good to learn how many very talented bass players there are on this forum, so thanks to the OP for doing that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi guys,

Just wanted to say hi and thanks so much for the kind words, I'm humbled.. I feel really lucky to have been asked to play in some great shows and don't take it for granted.. I played in 'The Book of Mormon' for 3 and 1/2 years and the MD of that show was leaving to start 'Dreamgirls' and he kindly asked if I wanted to move across with him.. I'm glad I did as it's turning out to be a really fun show, and a great play for a bass player.. It hasn't been done for 35 years but still sounds fresh in my opinion..

In Amber Riley's defence, we appeared on the Graham Norton show before the musical had even opened.. We had just met her and read the chart down that morning.. She had zero experience singing with a band at that point and was extremely nervous I think.. She's quickly settled into the show and sounds amazing I have to say, and with that confidence comes a bit of light and shade in her performance.. I think if you saw her live now you'd be really impressed, she brings the house down every night!

Regarding gear, I exclusively use Overwater basses now. I have two Jazz 5's and a hybrid Jazz 5 fretless.. They're all wonderful and I highly recommend them, Chris May and the guys at Overwater have been honing their art for many years now and the results are there to see.. A lot of West End players use them as they're reliable, extremely playable and free of hum/buzz/interference which is important in theatres.. I'm particularly impressed with the John East Uni-Pre at the moment and that's in the black bass in the clip above.. Check their basses out at http://overwaterbasses.com (and no I don't get a tenner for saying that!).

Well thanks again, all the best....

Edited by Kingbassist
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Excellent work there Ian, hope the run keeps going a while longer.

It's all coming back to me now - I watched the clip from Graham Norton when it was broadcast, after turning over from 'Later' on BB2 which featured possibly the worst performance on TV I have ever seen, by Madeleine Peyroux. I remember thinking at the time what a fantastic voice Amber Riley has, I think she's great.

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That was a great VID clip. The full band were pretty impressive.
Bass was very crisp and clear but then again Overwater basses do tend to be that way. (I have 2)
Wish i could play that good.
Those vocals were damned impressive i have to say.

Out of curiosity what amp was used that night ? I was sure i saw a Markbass cab behind Ian.

Dave

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[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1485459156' post='3224161']
That was a great VID clip. The full band were pretty impressive.
Bass was very crisp and clear but then again Overwater basses do tend to be that way. (I have 2)
Wish i could play that good.
Those vocals were damned impressive i have to say.

Out of curiosity what amp was used that night ? I was sure i saw a Markbass cab behind Ian.

Dave
[/quote]

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 11 months later...

Hi there,

Thought you may be interested to hear about my latest job at 'Hamilton: An American Musical' which is playing at The Victoria Palace theatre, London. It's a hip hop musical and I get to play 4 instruments on it! My main bass is my trusty Overwater 5-String Jazz bass; I also play a 4-string Lakland Hollowbody bass strung with flatwounds and played with a pic; I play my double bass with it's newly fitted 'Low C Extension' (for the super low notes needed for this style of music) and also an Artruria Keylab 25 controller keyboard for the synth bass stuff. It's a demanding show but I'm really enjoying it, and the songs written by Linn Manuel Miranda!

I'll upload a picture of my pit set-up.. It's a lot of fun!

Cheers, Ian

Hamilton London - Pit set up.jpg

Hamilton London - Pedalboard.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

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