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Who's your favorite bassist?
- Thread starter Ezrah
- Start date
BIG Fan of Nathan East. He is what I have aspired to be. Consummate studio player/sideman who can give you anything you ask him for and provide you with an beautiful and melodic solo when asked to do so. Blistering speed doesn't impress me. Knowing how to create a fantastic groove and knowing what notes to pick to create something clever and melodic when soloing does.
Anthony Jackson.
Stanley Clarke.
Jaco.
Chris Squire.
Jimmy"Flim"Johnson.
Tom Kennedy.
Alain Caron.
Gary Willis.
Mark Egan.
Stanley Clarke.
Jaco.
Chris Squire.
Jimmy"Flim"Johnson.
Tom Kennedy.
Alain Caron.
Gary Willis.
Mark Egan.
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Most of the Great Bass players mentioned here never came across to me as having a 'Huge Ego'
And yes many excellent players don't get Praise and noticed as some others; that doesn't mean their Humble
if only one - Pino. but there are dozens
Though to pick just one. Bobby Vega is my current favorite, but also..:
Chris Squire
Geddy Lee
Steve Harris
Geezer Butler
John Deacon
John Paul Jones
John Entwistle
Tony Franklin
Jaco
And the list goes on.
Chris Squire
Geddy Lee
Steve Harris
Geezer Butler
John Deacon
John Paul Jones
John Entwistle
Tony Franklin
Jaco
And the list goes on.
As others have said, it's too hard to pick only one. So instead of listing all legends who are of course a huge inspiration (Jaco, Patitucci, McBride, Richard Bona, Anthony Jackson...), I'm gonna put young ones that make me say "We will watch your career with great interest" (insert Palpatine gif) :
- Jamareo Artis
- Tal Wilkenfeld
- Jamareo Artis
- Tal Wilkenfeld
First bass player I meet in NYC over 40 years ago and the cat is still a monster.
Will Lee
Will Lee
Whoooooooooooooooooooo are you?? Who-ho! Who-oh?
As to answer the question of this thread: Christopher Wolstenholme.
Yeah, not an answer that's probably gonna be recurring in this thread (but who knows). My answer to that question was based on one thing ; MUSE was the band that got me INTO music when I was a young teenager. Yes, I discovered other amazing bass players so far in my life, other bass players than I probably like a LOT too. But Christopher Wolstenholme is responsible for the amazing basslines from my first band love (let's call it like that). Yes I listened to music before finding MUSE, but I wasn't INTO it. I was just casually listening to music, like "everyone does". Then, MUSE hit me differently. And at this time I was into the electric guitar.. until I realised the bass guitar was my thing.
Everyone mentioned so far.
And everyone not mentioned yet.
And everyone not mentioned yet.
I don't think of "favorite musicians" in a vacuum. I judge them not so much on "them," but on how I like the music they played a role in making.
Those would be the ones who played on the widest range of stuff that I like – which is primarily '30s–'70s American music that was marketed primarily (or entirely) to a black American audience – or "R&B," for short. I can narrow that down farther, to the classic periods of Chess, Stax, and Motown. From there, I'd have to name their most commonly recorded studio bassists, which would be Willie Dixon, Duck Dunn, and James Jamerson. I hold all this music in pretty equal regard in terms of quality, though each has a different and distinctive type of R&B sound. If I really had to pick one of those three over the others, I'd pick Stax.
Therefore, my answer is Duck Dunn.
Is he the best bassist who ever lived? Nope. But he played the bass on the greatest music ever created (if I was truly pressed to pick). That is far more important to me than "how good" he, or anyone else, was/is.
Not so surprisingly, then, Steve Cropper is my favorite guitarist, Al Jackson, Jr. is my favorite drummer, and Booker T. Jones is my favorite keyboardist.
Those would be the ones who played on the widest range of stuff that I like – which is primarily '30s–'70s American music that was marketed primarily (or entirely) to a black American audience – or "R&B," for short. I can narrow that down farther, to the classic periods of Chess, Stax, and Motown. From there, I'd have to name their most commonly recorded studio bassists, which would be Willie Dixon, Duck Dunn, and James Jamerson. I hold all this music in pretty equal regard in terms of quality, though each has a different and distinctive type of R&B sound. If I really had to pick one of those three over the others, I'd pick Stax.
Therefore, my answer is Duck Dunn.
Is he the best bassist who ever lived? Nope. But he played the bass on the greatest music ever created (if I was truly pressed to pick). That is far more important to me than "how good" he, or anyone else, was/is.
Not so surprisingly, then, Steve Cropper is my favorite guitarist, Al Jackson, Jr. is my favorite drummer, and Booker T. Jones is my favorite keyboardist.
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In no particular order:
Tom Kennedy, Tim Landers, Tommy McClure, Randy Scruggs, Jim Hughart, John Patitucci, Wooten, Gary Willis, Paul Thompson (pdbass on YouTube)... Eddie Gomez, Holland, Scott LaFaro, Ray Brown, Anthony Jackson, Carol Kaye, Drake Leonard
There's more... but I need coffee, besides dozens of lists will include those.
Tom Kennedy, Tim Landers, Tommy McClure, Randy Scruggs, Jim Hughart, John Patitucci, Wooten, Gary Willis, Paul Thompson (pdbass on YouTube)... Eddie Gomez, Holland, Scott LaFaro, Ray Brown, Anthony Jackson, Carol Kaye, Drake Leonard
There's more... but I need coffee, besides dozens of lists will include those.
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