"_______ doesn't get enough love around here!"

Timmah

Timmah

May 19, 2011
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Connecticut
#1
Who's your favorite bass player that gets no love around here? Whether they're local heroes or that fifth guy in a big-name band, there's always someone forgotten when we clamor about the Jacos and McCartneys of the world. How about posting a clip or two of your forgotten idol for our collective aural pleasure?

I guess I'll kick off: Tim Foreman of Switchfoot is my favorite bass player ever, and has been pretty much since I started playing. He's a master of melodic intricacy without intrusiveness, of being the band's backbone without getting boring, and of absolutely massive tone. For your viewing pleasure, just two of his many great lines:

 
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#2
Here's some you rarely see mentioned-

Avishai Cohen...was checking out some of his albums out the other night...and it made me think how little props he gets here, at Bass Player, etc.

Ditto for -
Jeff Andrews
Mark Egan
Fima Ephron
 
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#5
Hmm...maybe Lonnie Plaxico? Laurence Cottle? To be honest, so many bass players do seem to get enough love around TB that it's hard to come up with anyone truly deserving who isn't either A) already getting a ton of love; or B) completely unknown.
 
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#17
Jack Meyers (or Myers) - one of the main bassists during the last of the good years at Chess records . I was very surprised to read in Ed Friedland's column "BLues You Can Use" that he had never heard of Jack until very recently. But Ed made up for his late disovery by featuring Jack in two columns during the last couple of years of his column. I "discovered" Jack when I worked at MCA/Universal in the early 90s when they issued all of the Chess box sets (WOlf, Muddy, Bo, Chuck, etc.) and they included extensive liner notes, including who played on each track.

But Jack would rate at the top of this poll just based on his appearance on the legendary American Folk Blues Festival tours of Europe. Somewhere around 65 or 66 he was part of the core backing band that supported most of the solo artists on the tour. He and Fred Below provided the *perfect* blues rhythm section for several of the world's great blues artists. With Otis Rush, they formed an amazing trio - a liineup I generally do not like. Just to make sure everyone realized they were watching the coolest rhythm section in the biz, Jack and Fred wore matching berets and sunglasses while performing. (I haven't found any proof, but I'll wager that the Black Panthers stole this look 1 or 2 years later when they formed and wanted the ulimate badass look. )

Jack was not a Duck Dunn type bass player who defined a certain style with skill, taste and restraint. Jack was more like the Jamerson of the blues, playing poopie that no one else would get away with in a blues context. He was "out" in a musical setting that required "in" and yet he got away with it. But don't try this at home,
 
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#19
I'll add a few off the top of my noggin who don't get mentioned too much around here.

JV Collier
Chris Chaney (Although to be honest I have seen his name now and again)
Nick Beggs
Jonas Reingold
 
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