OldGit Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 It's the great man's 74th birthday today. (b Jan 29 1936) Let's have a Jamerson Day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Indeed. Only Jamerson tracks and P basses for me today, the man was a genius. [quote]"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." - James Jamerson, 1979[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 The greatest electric bass guitarist ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman69 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Ah yes, a true gem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YouMa Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Respect is due,learning to play his lines is such an education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
originalfunkbrother Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 My bass hero. The world would have been far much worse without James Jamerson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
originalfunkbrother Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Jamerson is noted for expanding the role of the bass in popular music, which until that time largely consisted of root notes, fifths and simple repetitive patterns. By contrast, many of Jamerson's bass lines for Motown were more melodic, more syncopated, and more improvisational than had been heard before. His bass playing was considered an integral part of the "Motown Sound". He transcended the standard "bass line" and created a duet with the singer. Prominent bassists who have claimed Jamerson as a primary influence include James Brown's Bernard Odum, Rick Danko, Anthony Jackson, Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, Bernard Edwards, Jason Newsted, Jaco Pastorius, John Patitucci, John Paul Jones, Robert DeLeo, Mike Watt, Billy Sheehan, Geddy Lee, Victor Wooten, Paul McCartney, and Matt Rubano. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
originalfunkbrother Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Gaye was desperate to have Jamerson play on "What's Going On", and went to several bars to find the bassist. When he did, he brought Jamerson to the studio, who then played the classic line while lying flat on his back. He is reported to have played on some 95% of Motown recordings between 1962 and 1968. He eventually performed on nearly 30 No. 1 pop hits -- surpassing the record commonly attributed to The Beatles. On the R&B charts, nearly 70 of his performances went to the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-basser Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 And I am 21 today, obviously all good bassists are born 29th of January Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJE Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 I have to be honest and say that although a fan of a Soul/Motown music I have never really paid much attention to the band or James Jamerson during my time as a bass player. Recently though I have been watching Standing in the shadows of Motown on you tube (very poor until pay day and cant get the DVD in any shops near me) and it has blown my mind. Jamerson is just superb, so incredibly melodic and clever in the way he plays, it is a true inspiration. I have loved watching it so much I am going to invest a small amount of money and get it from Amazon. The whole band are superb and I just want to get myself a P bass with some flats on it and start learning what I can of his basslines. A genius, an inspiration and so sad that he is still not with us, imagine what he could have created. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigthumb Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 [quote name='d-basser' post='728435' date='Jan 29 2010, 09:40 AM']And I am 21 today, obviously all good bassists are born 29th of January [/quote] Cock on there! Have a great day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billphreets Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND-iW51idC0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND-iW51idC0[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 It's great that he is finally recognised for his work when you consider how unknown the band was at the time. An inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 [quote name='NJE' post='728511' date='Jan 29 2010, 11:02 AM']I have to be honest and say that although a fan of a Soul/Motown music I have never really paid much attention to the band or James Jamerson during my time as a bass player. Recently though I have been watching Standing in the shadows of Motown on you tube (very poor until pay day and cant get the DVD in any shops near me) and it has blown my mind. Jamerson is just superb, so incredibly melodic and clever in the way he plays, it is a true inspiration. I have loved watching it so much I am going to invest a small amount of money and get it from Amazon. The whole band are superb and I just want to get myself a P bass with some flats on it and start learning what I can of his basslines. A genius, an inspiration and so sad that he is still not with us, imagine what he could have created.[/quote] Save up a bit more and get the book. You'll get a load more from that. Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson (Guitar Book) ISBN-10: 0881888826 ISBN-13: 978-0881888829 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 The Bach of bass. Happy Birthday James. I'm with Anthony Jackson - a true 20th Century genius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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