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The best bass playing you ever heard.?


bubinga5
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I must have listened to this clip a thousand times, and it never gets boring. Firstly because I love funky gospel and secondly there is always a nuance in his playing that I didn't hear before. His bass playing has so many dynamics, you can get and learn so much from it. What I really love just like Pino, there is not one bit of slap bass. Not against it but it shows how amazing bass playing can be without it. it's just off the wall groove playing. And that famous fill at 2.05 minutes. Just a wow peice of bass playing. It's this and Willie Weeks on Donny Hathaways Little Ghetto Boy. What's your favourite.? http://youtu.be/pATcvr3zAhg

Edited by bubinga5
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Best bass playing I ever heard. . . . live?

John McVie with John Mayall, dozens of times
Robert 'Pops' Popwell with the Crusaders, New Victoria Theatre
Reggie McBride with Keb Mo at the Jazz Cafe
Joe Dart with Vulfpeck at the Brooklin Bowl
Jack Bruce with Cream, dozens of times
Phil Chen with Gonzalez, dozens of times

This could be a long list. . . . !

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For me that is too much, ok for a verse maybe, the guys sat behind him should be nodding along but neither the bass or the drums are giving them a solid beat to get a count on to groove to, yes the musicians know where the count is but the singers are out of time once it gets going until about 4 minutes in when it finds a pulse again, they are have a great time because they know the song so well and it is a big favourite.

That's a miss for me regardless of the chops I am afraid :(

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Hmmm, difficult one but for me probably Bruce Foxton in From The Jam. All those cracking basslines played spot-on. I never got to see The Jam so this was the nearest, and def worth it. Great sharp, present tone as well - from his Ashdown rig, you know, the woolly amps :lol:

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[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1481966027' post='3196566']
For me that is too much, ok for a verse maybe, the guys sat behind him should be nodding along but neither the bass or the drums are giving them a solid beat to get a count on to groove to, yes the musicians know where the count is but the singers are out of time once it gets going until about 4 minutes in when it finds a pulse again, they are have a great time because they know the song so well and it is a big favourite.

That's a miss for me regardless of the chops I am afraid :(
[/quote]No solid beat to groove to.????? I find it really hard to understand you think that. Different horses I guess.

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[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1481973785' post='3196664']
No solid beat to groove to.????? I find it really hard to understand you think that. Different horses I guess.
[/quote]

It is fine as a musician, we can hear the count, why are the audience drifting so far in and out of time with it? watch it again and TRY not to listen to the bass part but watch it as a audience member.

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[quote name='timhiggins' timestamp='1481967010' post='3196573']
That Sharay clip blows me away everytime !
well i would find it very hard to narrow it down to a favourite but just cos i'm feeling jazzy this morning ...this [media]http://youtu.be/yI-1sq5dFD4[/media]
[/quote]

Ray Brown would say, "get a moustache like mine,man up and get some proper Spirocore strings and use the sides of your damn fingers!" :lol:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghin5QR0QvY[/media]

Edited by stingrayPete1977
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Oscar, Ray and Niels....All soloing (with ease). Serious musicianship from them all. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HEtFO9w3Ds

For me, there has been so many top performances from the big guns over the years, it's hard to pick out one.
This performance from Anthony Jackson still blows me away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZOCdrwGch4

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I think the best playing I have ever heard (live) was from Tom Kennedy. I've seen a few of the really top names like Marcus, Melvin Davis, Vic Wooten, Alain Caron, Nathan East, Alphonso Johnson etc but Tom Kennedy is always playing to compliment the music and never seems to play for playing's sake. Saw him twice with Dave Grusin and he blew me away.

Edited by leschirons
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I can appreciate the skills of a player like Sharay Reed, but it does nothing for me, and to be honest with you, I think it lacks the taste and maturity of the best players. Just a bit too much of everything and not enough restraint. YMMV, of course. There is no doubt the young man has exceptional ability, and each to his own!

For me, it doesn't get any better than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoDamvrfUbQ

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I still go back to Pino's playing on 'Hat', it bounces between soaring melody and solid in the pocket root notes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I_6J7_HGHc

Then there is Tony Levin's playing on Peter Gabriel's 'So' of which 'Red Rain' is a stand out (although pick any track really).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6BesY5Doec

Having seen the Danny Thompson vid above, this is probably my favourite playing by him (but only just, again so much to choose from).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQnFaUJDP4I

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I don't really think in terms like 'best ever' when it comes to musicians, I think that too often you end up trying to compare oranges with automobiles.

Having said that I was lucky enough to see Miles Mosley with Kamasi Washington earlier this year and he impressed the hell out of me.
http://youtu.be/I1QNAMgQETY

It's a cracking song anyway, but if you want to skip straight to the virtuoso stuff, it starts about 3 minutes in.

Edited by Cato
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[quote name='Misdee' timestamp='1481989331' post='3196814']
I can appreciate the skills of a player like Sharay Reed, but it does nothing for me, and to be honest with you, I think it lacks the taste and maturity of the best players. Just a bit too much of everything and not enough restraint. YMMV, of course. There is no doubt the young man has exceptional ability, and each to his own!

For me, it doesn't get any better than this:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoDamvrfUbQ[/media]
[/quote]

Agreed, you can have too much bass.

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The best fretless playing I have ever heard was Alain Caron, in Mike Stern's quartet. His F-Bass tone was gorgeous, his pocket playing flawless, but best of all was his soloing... one of them was so damned melodic, the tune actually got stuck in my head and I found myself whistling it next day. Playing a machine-gun flurry of notes and calling it a solo is all very well, but it takes a [i]real[/i] musician to make it tuneful, and he did it in spades.

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