A Bit of a Special Experience

[jakenewmanbass]

I've just got back from Cardiff (which is where I hail from originally) I was lucky enough to be doing a session with Arran Ahmun (drums) old time collaborator of Pino, and drummer with the legendary John Martyn.
We managed to get 5 tracks done, no more than 2 takes for any of them as Arran is as solid as a rock and his groove a joy to play on.
I got talking to the producer who plays keys with Van Morrison among others, we got onto the topic of old instruments and I told him I would like an old P bass to complete my collection, and I mentioned being a massive James Jamerson fan, to which her replied, "I have a multi track recording of Whats goin' on knocking about somewhere". Trying to supress my excitement I said.... ahem.... "any chance I could have a listen to the bass solo'd" he says "yeah sure".
So I spent the last hour in the studio listening to the magnificent joy that is JJ playing one of [i]the[/i] seminal bass parts of an entire generation/movement/culmination of a ground breaking era in music.
Someone will probably say "oh yea thats been around for ages"
well I didn't know about it and it is a joy to hear, its the most groovy, sat back, down home, fat, funky, beautiful, joyous bass lines I've ever had the pleasure of getting that close to.
So I had to share.
Jake

[The Funk]

Awesome. I'd love to be able to sit in a studio control room with a multi-track recording of it and mess around with the faders.

[DirkThrust]

[quote name='jakesbass' post='174288' date='Apr 11 2008, 01:06 AM']well I didn't know about it and it is a joy to hear, its the most groovy, sat back, down home, fat, funky, beautiful, joyous bass lines I've ever had the pleasure of getting that close to.
So I had to share.
Jake[/quote]

It's all that and more. Jamerson is one of my all time favourites as well.

I tried working it out recently. It's a fairly simple structure but a lot of JJ's playing seems to be improvised. Playing the notes is easy but getting that laid back, funky feeling is close to impossible (for me anyway)

[chris_b]

Isolated Jamerson bass tracks probably come from the www.ricksuchow.com web site. They used to be freely available but Motown complained. You now have to get some sort of sign in to access them. Unless you know someone who has them on CD already!!
You get bass only and the whole rhythm tracks for ABC, Brick House, I Want You Back, Let's Get It On, Reach Out I'll Be There, Standing In The Shadows Of Love, What's Going On and Ain't Too Proud To Beg.
Personally I prefer Jamerson in the mix.

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='chris_b' post='174400' date='Apr 11 2008, 10:50 AM']Isolated Jamerson bass tracks probably come from the www.ricksuchow.com web site. They used to be freely available but Motown complained. You now have to get some sort of sign in to access them. Unless you know someone who has them on CD already!!
You get bass only and the whole rhythm tracks for ABC, Brick House, I Want You Back, Let's Get It On, Reach Out I'll Be There, Standing In The Shadows Of Love, What's Going On and Ain't Too Proud To Beg.[/quote]
This was a multitrack of the whole song.


[quote name='chris_b' post='174400' date='Apr 11 2008, 10:50 AM']Personally I prefer Jamerson in the mix.[/quote]
Ultimately so do I, but as a matter of interest.....

Edited April 11, 2008 by jakesbass

[paul, the]

How did they get this?

[matty589]

[quote name='AndyMartin' post='174305' date='Apr 11 2008, 06:45 AM']It's all that and more. Jamerson is one of my all time favourites as well.

I tried working it out recently. It's a fairly simple structure but a lot of JJ's playing seems to be improvised. Playing the notes is easy but getting that laid back, funky feeling is close to impossible (for me anyway) [/quote]
Right on the money. JJ was originally a jazz upright player so lot of his 16th note lines are slightly swung - if you listen to a few famous bebop songs you hear the same feel (again, hard to replicate). It is also his touch and use of dynamics. And although the bass sound is as dead as, who cares about hi-fi? It such a warm, fat sound it totally anchors What's Going On...

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='paul, the' post='174759' date='Apr 11 2008, 05:59 PM']How did they get this? [/quote]
I was too spluttery with excitement to ask, sorry

[lowdown]

[quote name='chris_b' post='174400' date='Apr 11 2008, 10:50 AM']Isolated Jamerson bass tracks probably come from the www.ricksuchow.com web site. They used to be freely available but Motown complained. You now have to get some sort of sign in to access them. Unless you know someone who has them on CD already!!
You get bass only and the whole rhythm tracks for ABC, Brick House, I Want You Back, Let's Get It On, Reach Out I'll Be There, Standing In The Shadows Of Love, What's Going On and Ain't Too Proud To Beg.
Personally I prefer Jamerson in the mix.[/quote]

Yep .. I have access to this site....
And it is pretty amazing hearing JJ Isolated...
Such a big rich warm sound...and really tight articulation....
You also get the mix without drums , for some strange reason.

And you are right , the tracks were knocking around for ages for
a lot of the stuff , and Motown put some legal block on it.
I believe there are .wav files knocking around of the multi tracks as well.

On another note..There are also some rare Jaco tracks up there as well..
And a few Macca Solo'd Bass things as well ..or at least track sharing.

Garry

Edited April 11, 2008 by lowdown