Pete Academy

Er, is that Julius playing, then? Or is it Jaco, and Julius is watching it?

Once again I bought Bass Player mag and once again, apart from a Christian McBride feature, there's nothing of interest to me. Less pages, same adverts, same price. Someone wrote in bemoaning this, and the answer was 'blame it on the economy'. They said there was loads of stuff to read on their website, but that sounds like a cop out to me. I'd hate to stop buying BP, and I'd hate to see it go down the pan, as I've been a supporter for many years, but it looks like I'm going to have to check it out properly in the store before deciding to buy it. The last two issues I could have read in Smith's in 5 mins. Compared to BGM with it's (relatively minor) faults, I'm afraid our publication wins hands down.

Too strange for words.

I was watching X Factor.

[quote name='kingofthestuntmen' post='579991' date='Aug 25 2009, 11:06 AM']So is Stanley Clarke the exception that proves the rule..?[/quote] There's always one.

How could we forget the late Steely Dan sax player, Cornelius Bumpus?

Muzz Skillings!!!

What I'm getting at is, if your parents christen you Thelonius Monk, do you automatically aspire to be a jazz musician?

Doug Johns on his latest CD. Jaco on anything, particularly 'River People' and 'Teen Town'. The whole of 'Mothership Connection' by Parliament.

I have come to the conclusion that, apart from talent, to be a successful jazz or funk musician you need to have a really cool name/nickname. For example: William 'Bootsy' Collins, Rodney 'Skeet' Curtis, Robert 'Kool' Bell, Thelonius Monk, Pharaoh Sanders, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Joseph 'Zigaboo' Modeliste, Jaco Pastorius, Tal Wilkenfeld, Ornette Coleman, James 'Blood' Ulmer, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Chuck Mangione, Count Basie, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Francis Rocco Prestia, Oscar Cartaya, Abe Laboriel, Jack DeJohnette, Tito Puente, Stanley Turrentine, Hugh Masekela, Chick Corea. Not a duffer amongst them. I rest my case.

Nobody seems to have mentioned Victor?

[quote name='iamapirate' post='578979' date='Aug 24 2009, 12:49 PM']Hells yeah! The live version or studio, or both?[/quote] Both.

Larry Graham on 'Pow' by Graham Central Station. Me'Shell on all tracks on 'Plantation Lullabies'

Tom Barney on 'Gaslighting Abbie' by Steely Dan. Walter Becker on 'Jack Of Speed' by Steely Dan. Freddie Washington on 'Morph The Cat' by Donald Fagen. Louis Johnson on 'Stomp' by The Bros Johnson and 'Don't Stop Til You Get Enough' by Michael Jackson. Nate Watts on 'Do I Do' by Stevie Wonder. Rocco Prestia on 'Soul With A Capital S' by Tower Of Power.

[quote name='lowdown' post='578532' date='Aug 23 2009, 08:48 PM']Guy Pratt on this - Good Throaty sound. Bit of a Uncle Sam recruitment tune. But none the less, good Solid Bass playing. Oh and anything Marcus and AJ. Garry[/quote] Fantastic!!!

Another: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK5Bhb6KGq8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK5Bhb6KGq8[/url]

And the Mark Adams 'Slave' sound I was on about: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMfFpmJGCr4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMfFpmJGCr4[/url] PS. Much better idea having clips. D'Oh.

No probs, mate. Here's the sound I've been chasing forever: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g6bUe5MDRo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g6bUe5MDRo[/url]

Same with Marcus.

A guy named Mark Adams of the 70s/80s funk band Slave has a sound to die for. Have a listen. Also, whenever I've covered Stevie's 'I Wish', I tend to miss out the end upper slides, as they're impossible to replicate. They sound like a tuba on steroids!!! I know some of these sounds are accidents in the studio, but what the hell.

Again, forgive me if this has been covered in a previous thread, but have you got a bass sound that you like on a favourite song that you've spent your entire bass playing life trying to replicate? For me it's probably anything by Bernard Edwards. But saying that, I went to see Chic in the early 80s and he was using a B.C. Rich, and it sounded awful.