Marvin Gaye.... Jamerson, Jamerson...in colour

[josh3184]

never said he was bad, but I can't hear anyhing different from hundreds of other motown players.

Fair enough if he essentially created that style of play (which i think is what people are getting at) but his playing itself is merely pretty damn good as opposed to exceptional


IMO of course!!!!!!

Edited March 4, 2009 by josh3184

[Thunderthumbs]

[quote name='josh3184' post='425387' date='Mar 4 2009, 06:14 PM']...his playing itself is merely pretty damn good as opposed to exceptional[/quote]
It depends what you are looking for when you use the term "exceptional".

I didn't discovered Jamerson til I was in my 20s through a guitarist friend of mine lending me a copy of "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown" (it had tapes with it, not CDs!). Of course, prior to this I'd heard lots of Motown stuff, but never really paid that much attention to it.

Just reading through the stuff in that book made me sit up and take notice.

Sure, there are probably an awful lot more technically gifted players these days, but his bass lines were sweetly crafted (in certain numbers) melodies in their own right. Just listen to Darling Dear by the Jackson 5. Apart from the first few opening bars, none of them are the same throughout the rest of the song. It's a fantastic bassline, a great melody, and accompanies the rest of the arrangement perfectly. How many bass lines are written these days (and we're talking in terms of Motown being its day's equivalent of today's pop/soul/r&b stuff), with so much craft?

And remember that he played with his index finger. Even his own son has admitted that he has trouble playing some of his father's basslines with two fingers, let alone one.

Edited March 4, 2009 by Thunderthumbs

[bass_ferret]

[quote name='Linus27' post='425369' date='Mar 4 2009, 06:04 PM']Is this aimed at me?[/quote]
No. I have not paid much attention to that other thread TBH Seems to have got a lot of people worked up though

[bass_ferret]

[quote name='josh3184' post='425387' date='Mar 4 2009, 06:14 PM']never said he was bad, but I can't hear anyhing different from hundreds of other motown players.[/quote]
Almost all of Motowns output from Detroit was played by Jamerson or Bob Babbit. There were no other Motown bass players. Apart from the one's that were Carol Kaye of course

[Linus27]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='425438' date='Mar 4 2009, 07:10 PM']No. I have not paid much attention to that other thread TBH Seems to have got a lot of people worked up though [/quote]

OK thanks. Just worried my joke was being misread.

[josh3184]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='425440' date='Mar 4 2009, 07:13 PM']Almost all of Motowns output from Detroit was played by Jamerson or Bob Babbit. There were no other Motown bass players. Apart from the one's that were Carol Kaye of course [/quote]

ah.


Doesn't everyone just love Jamerson? I mean, what a great player!

Edited March 5, 2009 by josh3184

[jonno1981]

This is pretty much my favourate bass part of all time. So much groove and soul. I think I could just listen to the rhythm section all day. It sounds deceptively simple but it is incredibly complex and melodic bass line which never gets in the way of Marvins vocals. There are thousands of bassists that can play this but I have yet to hear any rendition that approaches the feel and soul of the original. Ta for posting.

Edited March 5, 2009 by jonno1981

[Telebass]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='425440' date='Mar 4 2009, 07:13 PM']Almost all of Motowns output from Detroit was played by Jamerson or Bob Babbit. There were no other Motown bass players. Apart from the one's that were Carol Kaye of course [/quote]

Ha! +1

[Telebass]

Also nice to see, in light of today's high volume gigs, MG's relaxed and expert use of the mic, not practically eating it like most do.

[rbatts2000]

Continuing the thread on Jamerson, has anyone been lucky enough to be sent the password to the isolated Motown bass tracks on the site below?

[url="http://www.ricksuchow.com/press-group-112.html"]Isolated Motown Bass Tracks[/url]

I've contacted the site owner in the past, requesting the user name / password, but I have received no reply so far.

[Guest]

If you want to see what all the fuss is about you need to really listen to jameson's work, This and tracks such as 'Bernadett' & 'For once in my life' etc are regarded as masterpieces by many musicians. What he does rhythmically and harmonically is just astonishing most of us will never get close to that level of musicality even if we spend the rest of our lives at it.
I was introduced to Marvin Gaye by my step father about 25 years ago, he played 'Whats going on' as it was his favourite album. It floored me, a quarter of a century later and i have never tired of it. Although i already loved soul and Motown this album really opened my ears to Jamerson and bass playing in general and i stll find it inspiring, it took many years but it was a big ambition fulfilled when i managed to make it all the way through (in a passable fashion!)

The book Standing in the shadows of motown is a gem, the first section is a great history story of Motown in general and the second half is the scores. I had the original with tapes as well and its educational to be able to pan left and right to hear how the bass weaves its magic.

Thanks for the post.

[99ster]

You can get this whole video on DVD - [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marvin-Gaye-Thing-Performance-1964-1981/dp/B000EMSJ6G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1236425409&sr=1-1"]on this great collection of Marvin Gaye performances[/url] - worth it just for the Jamerson part...

[molan]

I can't believe I've never seen this before - what a fabulous bit of live footage of both Marvin & JJ (plus the rest of the band of course!).

[Johnzy]

Deconstructing the lines and harmony opened my ears to his playing.
Jamerson was such a clever player, managing to flex cross rhythms and jazz lines into Pop is amazing.
Its not a technical thing, its all feel. he was a jazz player who took work playing sessions, and was given a little bit more freedom to creative brilliant sub-hooks. check out marvin gaye' Aint no mountain! thats some serious stretchin!!!!!
He's like the God father of bass. You dont know of him personally, but your role models might do, and their role models definately do!
Chuck Rainey, Willie Weeks, Anthony Jackson, Marcus Miller, Jaco, Stanley, Bootsy all saw him as a massive influenance!

[Thunderthumbs]

[quote name='Johnzy' post='429384' date='Mar 9 2009, 02:05 PM']He's like the God father of bass. You dont know of him personally, but your role models might do, and their role models definately do!
Chuck Rainey, Willie Weeks, Anthony Jackson, Marcus Miller, Jaco, Stanley, Bootsy all saw him as a massive influenance![/quote]
Exactly, I just can't understand why anyone who's influenced by any of the above (and many more for that matter) can't be influenced by Jamerson.

I'd be interested to know who Jamerson's greatest influences were. Anyone know without me doing research?

[molan]

[quote name='Johnzy' post='429384' date='Mar 9 2009, 02:05 PM']Deconstructing the lines and harmony opened my ears to his playing.
check out marvin gaye' Aint no mountain! thats some serious stretchin!!!!![/quote]

And then listen to him on the Diana Ross version to hear the development a few years later

[JohnSlade07]

Thanks for that brilliant stuff. Wasn't that bassline supposed to be Jamerson's personal favourite?

[acidbass]

[quote name='Thunderthumbs' post='429391' date='Mar 9 2009, 02:11 PM']I'd be interested to know who Jamerson's greatest influences were. Anyone know without me doing research?[/quote]

I'm not exactly sure, but I'd take a guess that they are mostly upright players, since that's where he started. Anyone?

[bass_ferret]

I expect it was Jimmy Blanton of the Duke Ellington band 39-41. Thats where modern jazz bass started. I may have stuck something in the wiki.

[redstriper]

Jamerson started playing jazz in 1954 and played on many jazz sessions before he joined Motown.
His early influences were jazz players like Percy Heath, Ray Brown, and Paul Chambers.

This qoute from an interview in 1979 says it all -
'Bass players call from all over, wanting to know what type of equipment I use, what type of bass, what kind of strings-- things like that. I'll tell them, but that's not what's important; it's the feel. The strings don't make the sound, it's the feel. It's all in here, in the heart'.

I wonder what he'd make of basschat !

[bass_ferret]

[quote name='redstriper' post='429570' date='Mar 9 2009, 05:30 PM']Jamerson started playing jazz in 1954 and played on many jazz sessions before he joined Motown.
His early influences were jazz players like Percy Heath, Ray Brown, and Paul Chambers.

This qoute from an interview in 1979 says it all -
'Bass players call from all over, wanting to know what type of equipment I use, what type of bass, what kind of strings-- things like that. I'll tell them, but that's not what's important; it's the feel. The strings don't make the sound, it's the feel. It's all in here, in the heart'.

I wonder what he'd make of basschat ![/quote]
Ray Brown was definitely influenced by Blanton. He even re-recorded some of the piano-bass duet's Ellington recorded with Blanton on an album called "This One's For Blanton" shortly before Duke Ellington died.