molan Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I went to see Dreamgirls at the Savoy Thestre on Monday and had central seats in the third row of the stalls. I was totally blown away by the bass playing I could hear (but not see) throughout the show. Amazing tone, beautiful playing and the bass sat perfectly in the front of hour mix. Not sure if there was an amp/ cab I could hear as well but it really was a phenomenal sound. I'd go as far as to say it was some of the best live playing I've ever heard. Note perfect, not as much as a single click, pop, squeaky string etc. I was so impressed that I thought I'd try to find out who it was that had made me smile so much. I didn't have a programme so wasn't sure if the band members would be listed but I did find the MD's name online. Then I Spoke to a friend who's a west end pit player and he said he knew someone who was a serious 'bad ass' player and he suspected it was him. I then found the MD on twitter and tweeted him just to say how much I'd enjoyed he show and particularly the bass playing. He replied to me and I asked if my friend's suspicions were correct and he confirmed they were! So - the player in question is Ian King. A serious pro who's been in many West End shows and also happens to be a member here as 'Kingbassist'. Absolute top class musician and right up there at the top of the tree of London theatre players. You can hear him in action here: https://youtu.be/pxZevYx6vcw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 (edited) Fantastic bass playing. . . . and isn't that an Overwater he's playing? Edit Listening to this for a second time, I could do with less of that shouty woman at the front and more bass. Edited January 5, 2017 by chris_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Yes, Ian is an Overwater and Epifani man I think. I hear that there's quite a few OWs in West End pits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Just found this little interview with him; https://youtu.be/59kD9TKjjTc Lots of interesting little insights into the world of London Theatre playing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Great bass sound and playing, thanks for the link. What a fabulous player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodney72a Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Ian King, indeed. One of the very best. Any show he's in is worth seeing just for the bass playing alone. Phenomenal musician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyguts Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Stuff like this just goes to show how great bass playing adds so much to the overall performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1483574291' post='3208478'] Fantastic bass playing. . . . and isn't that an Overwater he's playing? Edit Listening to this for a second time, I could do with less of that shouty woman at the front and more bass. [/quote] +1 Great musicianship from Ian and I have to agree with you Chris - if only the vocalist had his sensitivity for the dynamics in the song. Sure, she has a big gospel singers voice, but her performance is totally lacking any light and shade. Anyway, back to the bass... I can remember seeing this when it was originally broadcast and really noticing the bass sound and bass playing, which doesn't happen often when watching these kind of shows on TV. Always good to learn how many very talented bass players there are on this forum, so thanks to the OP for doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatboter Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Funny that you mention this..Watched the Norton show here in Belgium and wanted to ask here who the bass player was because he played so well, thx ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubrad Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Scott Devine did a great interview with him, available on the podcast: http://www.scottsbasslessons.com/podcast/in-conversation-with-ian-king Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingbassist Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 (edited) Hi guys, Just wanted to say hi and thanks so much for the kind words, I'm humbled.. I feel really lucky to have been asked to play in some great shows and don't take it for granted.. I played in 'The Book of Mormon' for 3 and 1/2 years and the MD of that show was leaving to start 'Dreamgirls' and he kindly asked if I wanted to move across with him.. I'm glad I did as it's turning out to be a really fun show, and a great play for a bass player.. It hasn't been done for 35 years but still sounds fresh in my opinion.. In Amber Riley's defence, we appeared on the Graham Norton show before the musical had even opened.. We had just met her and read the chart down that morning.. She had zero experience singing with a band at that point and was extremely nervous I think.. She's quickly settled into the show and sounds amazing I have to say, and with that confidence comes a bit of light and shade in her performance.. I think if you saw her live now you'd be really impressed, she brings the house down every night! Regarding gear, I exclusively use Overwater basses now. I have two Jazz 5's and a hybrid Jazz 5 fretless.. They're all wonderful and I highly recommend them, Chris May and the guys at Overwater have been honing their art for many years now and the results are there to see.. A lot of West End players use them as they're reliable, extremely playable and free of hum/buzz/interference which is important in theatres.. I'm particularly impressed with the John East Uni-Pre at the moment and that's in the black bass in the clip above.. Check their basses out at http://overwaterbasses.com (and no I don't get a tenner for saying that!). Well thanks again, all the best.... Edited January 26, 2017 by Kingbassist 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBike Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 This is what makes Basschat such a great forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Excellent work there Ian, hope the run keeps going a while longer. It's all coming back to me now - I watched the clip from Graham Norton when it was broadcast, after turning over from 'Later' on BB2 which featured possibly the worst performance on TV I have ever seen, by Madeleine Peyroux. I remember thinking at the time what a fantastic voice Amber Riley has, I think she's great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 That was a great VID clip. The full band were pretty impressive. Bass was very crisp and clear but then again Overwater basses do tend to be that way. (I have 2) Wish i could play that good. Those vocals were damned impressive i have to say. Out of curiosity what amp was used that night ? I was sure i saw a Markbass cab behind Ian. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenderphil Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Agreed ⬆. London is very fortunate to have a plethora of fantastic musicians, and bassists- however none are as smooth, stylish and class as Ian.... 100% proper. 👊🏼 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingbassist Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 [quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1485459156' post='3224161'] That was a great VID clip. The full band were pretty impressive. Bass was very crisp and clear but then again Overwater basses do tend to be that way. (I have 2) Wish i could play that good. Those vocals were damned impressive i have to say. Out of curiosity what amp was used that night ? I was sure i saw a Markbass cab behind Ian. Dave [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingbassist Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Hi again.. Yes it was a Mark Bass rig.. it was a rental so I'm not 100% sure what the head was, TA501 possibly?? It had a tube in the preamp.. Nice front ported 4x10 cab.. sounded great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Thanks Ian. I've tried the 4x10 ported with standard MB head and its pretty nice. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingbassist Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 (edited) [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/300721-electric-bass-lessons-with-ian-king-london-or-woking-theatre-work/"]http://basschat.co.u...g-theatre-work/[/url] Lessons available now Edited February 19, 2017 by Kingbassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingbassist Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Hi there, Thought you may be interested to hear about my latest job at 'Hamilton: An American Musical' which is playing at The Victoria Palace theatre, London. It's a hip hop musical and I get to play 4 instruments on it! My main bass is my trusty Overwater 5-String Jazz bass; I also play a 4-string Lakland Hollowbody bass strung with flatwounds and played with a pic; I play my double bass with it's newly fitted 'Low C Extension' (for the super low notes needed for this style of music) and also an Artruria Keylab 25 controller keyboard for the synth bass stuff. It's a demanding show but I'm really enjoying it, and the songs written by Linn Manuel Miranda! I'll upload a picture of my pit set-up.. It's a lot of fun! Cheers, Ian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 I wouldn't know where to begin!, excellent stuff, enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 21 hours ago, stingrayPete1977 said: I wouldn't know where to begin!, excellent stuff, enjoy +1 Not seen the show yet as tickets are gold dust apparently, but my best mate went and said he and his family loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingbassist Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 22 hours ago, stingrayPete1977 said: I wouldn't know where to begin!, excellent stuff, enjoy Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingbassist Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 57 minutes ago, silverfoxnik said: +1 Not seen the show yet as tickets are gold dust apparently, but my best mate went and said he and his family loved it! Nice one, yeah I need to take a night off and watch it myself.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 On 27/01/2018 at 10:20, Kingbassist said: Nice one, yeah I need to take a night off and watch it myself.. Saw Hamilton show this afternoon and it was absolutely tremendous. Congratulations to all of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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