Is there a popular bass player, that you just don’t get?

[tinyd]

22 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

 

Nah, I grew up listening to fusion stuff and am not a snob at all. 

 

It's all personal preference, it's just I've never really enjoyed a bass solo (I can admire them though!).

I think some bass solos are pretty nice but I mostly agree - I like bass solos that still hold onto the tune's groove somehow.

For me, the best jazz bass players do the same thing as good bass players in any genre - they underpin the harmony while also driving the music forward. Depending on the tune, tempo etc, this can be fairly simple sounding, or very virtuosic (e.g. Ron Carter walking at fast tempos with Miles Davis - it's "just" a walking bass line....)

[Huge Hands]

22 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Talking of Stu Hamm you can see how he stacks up against some other bass players in this ultimate widdle-fest! For me he's nowhere near the best in this group - top 3 for me (apart from Stan) are Bunny Brunel, Billy Sheehan and Jimmy Johnson - none of whom do slappyclappy stuff...

 

Considering all of his comments about "the bass player" when talking about the Police, I am surprised that Stuart Copeland ever agreed to play in a band with loads of them!

 

[acidbass]

On 18/03/2024 at 15:05, No lust in Jazz said:

Mark King

+1000

[Musicman666]

for me it's justin chancellor .. don't get me wrong, i love the sounds he produces but i look at what he's playing and it doesn't seem to look all that challenging in contrast to his fan base which seem to think it is. 

[tegs07]

18 minutes ago, Musicman666 said:

for me it's justin chancellor .. don't get me wrong, i love the sounds he produces but i look at what he's playing and it doesn't seem to look all that challenging in contrast to his fan base which seem to think it is. 

Tool remain one of my favourite bands. For me Justin Chancellor could be playing one note and hitting the strings with a wet fish as long as as he was still creating that sound and driving that juggernaut forward.

[Baloney Balderdash]

2 hours ago, Musicman666 said:

for me it's justin chancellor .. don't get me wrong, i love the sounds he produces but i look at what he's playing and it doesn't seem to look all that challenging in contrast to his fan base which seem to think it is. 

And we all know the quality of music can be objectively measured by how complicated it is, the more complicated the better music.

 

Edited March 20 by Baloney Balderdash

[Musicman666]

10 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

And we all know the quality of music can be objectively measured by how complicated it is, the more complicated the better music.

 

.. naively I thought saying  " don't get me wrong, i love the sounds he produces" would somehow protect from tool diehards .. evidently I was wrong.

[BreadBin]

Mick Karn.

Crap intonation, weird slidey 'bwarp' noises. Sounds like someone didn't learn how to play fretless properly.

Edited March 20 by BreadBin

[mike f]

John Entwhistle - over amplified clatter.

[OliverBlackman]

James Jamerson - his action was more than the thickness of a credit card. Can’t setup a bass properly? Should have had his fingers chopped off!

[Geek99]

1 hour ago, OliverBlackman said:

James Jamerson - his action was more than the thickness of a credit card. Can’t setup a bass properly? Should have had his fingers chopped off!

He used to play double bass and had strong hands. I don’t think a bass players preferred config is sufficient justification for not getting their music imho

[Rayman]

Wow.... some of these comments are golden..... love it.

[Kraken]

On 20/03/2024 at 23:10, Rayman said:

Wow.... some of these comments are golden..... love it.

aren't they. 

 

made me look again at the main player I don't get and think about if the problem is me or them. (it's definitely me).

 

apologies Jeff Berlin, I will give you another listen. 

 

still hasn't changed my opinion that most Jazz is academic rather than music though

[SH73]

Flea

[Baloney Balderdash]

Verdine White :

 

Edited March 25 by Baloney Balderdash

[OliverBlackman]

On 20/03/2024 at 22:40, Geek99 said:

He used to play double bass and had strong hands. I don’t think a bass players preferred config is sufficient justification for not getting their music imho

Just in case anyone else doesn’t notice, my post was written in jest! FWIW though I don’t think even Jamerson enjoyed the music he was playing on. It sounds like he was much happier in a jazz club after a days sessions.

[bass_dinger]

Mark King.  Yakka takka takka tak.

 

I have a CD in my car - The Best Dad Album in the world. One track is Dance the Night Away, by the Mavericks. Two chords, root-5th. 

 

The next track is Running in the Family by Level 42. Lots of notes.

 

I prefer the first track, probably because I can understand the language of that song.

 

I think that, when I listen to Mark King, Mohini Dey, Flea, I don't have the skill set to understand what they are doing. So to me, it's alien. 

[lowdown]

On 20/03/2024 at 19:58, mike f said:

John Entwhistle - over amplified clatter.

 

"The English do not really care for music, but they absolutely love the noise and clatter that John makes." **

[OliverBlackman]

26 minutes ago, bass_dinger said:

Mark King.  Yakka takka takka tak.

 

I have a CD in my car - The Best Dad Album in the world. One track is Dance the Night Away, by the Mavericks. Two chords, root-5th. 

 

The next track is Running in the Family by Level 42. Lots of notes.

 

I prefer the first track, probably because I can understand the language of that song.

 

I think that, when I listen to Mark King, Mohini Dey, Flea, I don't have the skill set to understand what they are doing. So to me, it's alien. 

Yep, if you watch a film in a language you don’t understand and then another one in English, you’re more likely to get more out of the second one. 
 

I had this with many more ‘’jazz’ orientated players such as Jaco, Janek and Mingus. Once I was able to connect with the style, I discovered the beauty in the lines/ melodies. 

[Misdee]

I'm so tempted to reel off a list of bassists who are chronically overrated, not least of all by themselves, but for once I am going to try and be nice.

 

Suffice to say then, that in any music  there is a huge gap between having the knowledge and manual dexterity to execute the playing and having the necessary imagination to create meaningful work that will speak to others on a deep level. YouTube is awash with musos who have great ability who will never be significant artists in their own right because they have no idea how to do something interesting with what they have learnt.

 

There's also loads of famous  and semi-famous bass players who  can't play effectively because they are fundamentally not very good at playing the instrument but have garnered a disproportionate reputation as a bass player through means other than their musical ability. 

 

Edited March 26 by Misdee

[Misdee]

On 17/03/2024 at 20:07, Bassfinger said:

 

The great man said words to the effect that Jaco wasn't a musician, he was a dilettante.

That's a bit like Bez offering a critique of Mozart.

[ubit]

For me, the bass is the bridge between rhythm and melody. That's where it should stay to complement the song. When players come out of this pocket, that's what turns me off. I hate w***ing of any kind over a piece of music, be it bass, vocals or even gratuitous overly played guitar.

[Japhet]

44 minutes ago, ubit said:

For me, the bass is the bridge between rhythm and melody. That's where it should stay to complement the song. When players come out of this pocket, that's what turns me off. I hate w***ing of any kind over a piece of music, be it bass, vocals or even gratuitous overly played guitar.

 

Couldn't agree more. Bass is a support instrument for me but bass solos generally remind me of overacting and attention seeking that most people didn't come along to see. A good, solid groove is where it's at for me.

 

Back on topic - Jeff Berlin. I find his personality way too intense and abrasive. It's as if he's only interested in people who have nothing else in their lives other than bass guitar. I can admire people's skills, dexterity, dedication etc but still not have any connection.

[Rayman]

I had a run in with Jeff once. He’s certainly a character, and you’re right, he really only sees his side of the argument.  Stunning player obviously (or maybe not to some people), but his personality has tripped him up a few times.

[Geek99]

On 20/03/2024 at 18:34, BreadBin said:

Mick Karn.

Crap intonation, weird slidey 'bwarp' noises. Sounds like someone didn't learn how to play fretless properly.

He’s still 56.8 million times better at bass, and 96 thousand times more successful than me