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Max Bennett

W.Roberts

Inactive
Oct 20, 2015
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Dear Mr. Sklar, I trust you know Max Bennett much less Carol Kaye, both of whom I've had the pleasure of some email conversations. Bennett to me is the undisputed king of the pocket player, for me, on a Ry Cooder level of joy to listen to especially his work with ... everybody! Zappa, Mitchell, Crusaders, LA Express and the hit "Street Life" where IMHO he got the absolute biggest electric bass sound rivaled only by James Jamerson on John Lee Hooker's "Drug Store Woman." Max Bennett makes me smile, is the most satisfying bassist to listen to again IMHO. I knew Jaco Pastorius back in Laud. when jobs were all over the place and I have been told by others who knew and worked with hi I the only bassist in the town he would come specifically to hear because I was doing my poor imitation of Bennett and Rainey where he was already in the stratosphere. We crossed paths and never had that conversation I would have wanted because he was the revolution. But to this day Max Bennett is my go-to guy for the sheer aesthetic, one that makes me grin ear to ear. Your comment on Max? Would love to hear them. R. Marcus.
 
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Dear Mr. Sklar, I trust you know Max Bennett much less Carol Kaye, both of whom I've had the pleasure of some email conversations. Bennett to me is the undisputed king of the pocket player, for me, on a Ry Cooder level of joy to listen to especially his work with ... everybody! Zappa, Mitchell, Crusaders, LA Express and the hit "Street Life" where IMHO he got the absolute biggest electric bass sound rivaled only by James Jamerson on John Lee Hooker's "Drug Store Woman." Max Bennett makes me smile, is the most satisfying bassist to listen to again IMHO. I knew Jaco Pastorius back in Laud. when jobs were all over the place and I have been told by others who knew and worked with hi I the only bassist in the town he would come specifically to hear because I was doing my poor imitation of Bennett and Rainey where he was already in the stratosphere. We crossed paths and never had that conversation I would have wanted because he was the revolution. But to this day Max Bennett is my go-to guy for the sheer aesthetic, one that makes me grin ear to ear. Your comment on Max? Would love to hear them. R. Marcus.
Max is a dear friend and I echo all you have said. A fabulous player on every level. A still nailing it..........
 
Thank you for reading and replying to my post about the indelible and incredible Max Bennett. You ain't too shabby yourself. Um ... an understatement, of course. Your lines are as sweet, as George Jones might croon, Tennessee Whiskey,
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lionel Albert
Dear Mr. Sklar, I trust you know Max Bennett much less Carol Kaye, both of whom I've had the pleasure of some email conversations. Bennett to me is the undisputed king of the pocket player, for me, on a Ry Cooder level of joy to listen to especially his work with ... everybody! Zappa, Mitchell, Crusaders, LA Express and the hit "Street Life" where IMHO he got the absolute biggest electric bass sound rivaled only by James Jamerson on John Lee Hooker's "Drug Store Woman." Max Bennett makes me smile, is the most satisfying bassist to listen to again IMHO. I knew Jaco Pastorius back in Laud. when jobs were all over the place and I have been told by others who knew and worked with hi I the only bassist in the town he would come specifically to hear because I was doing my poor imitation of Bennett and Rainey where he was already in the stratosphere. We crossed paths and never had that conversation I would have wanted because he was the revolution. But to this day Max Bennett is my go-to guy for the sheer aesthetic, one that makes me grin ear to ear. Your comment on Max? Would love to hear them. R. Marcus.
 
I'm real sure the bassist on "Streetlife" was Alphonso Johnson. I wholly concur about Mas Bennett tho.
Alphonso Johnson, as utterly brilliant as he is, did not do the session for the Crusader's "Street Life" with Randy Crawford. Dat monster on the bass guitar is indeed Max Bennett. I have this on good authority -- from Max directly and via our many email conversations over many years.
 
Max Bennett is one of my all-time favorite bassists. I admire the talent that can not only change styles as the music changes but create masterpieces with every change. Verdi, Stravinsky, Miles Davis, Dylan there are others but not many. Max Bennett did/is doing?, this.
 
Alphonso Johnson, as utterly brilliant as he is, did not do the session for the Crusader's "Street Life" with Randy Crawford. Dat monster on the bass guitar is indeed Max Bennett. I have this on good authority -- from Max directly and via our many email conversations over many years.
Then it was Wilton Felder. Check the credits,Max is not on that album.
 
So, to be clear, Max is lying, yes? Because a liner note put forth by some union beancounter takes precedent over my actual conversations and study of Bennett? Too funny, dude. I can tell you don't actually listen and would definitely fail a decent blindfold test and clueless of how the record business, the actual business with the union guys, worked. Go be right with someone else since being right is paramount to shutting the Hell up and actually listening and studying the cats to bring it.