| Author | Message | ||
| richbass939
New Username: richbass939 Post Number: 2 Registered: 11-2004 |
I was just wondering what kinds of music you guys play and listen to. I can't imagine a type of music that an Alembic wouldn't sound great behind. What types of music do you play at home, play at gigs, and listen to? What bass players interest you or influenced you? Rich | ||
| 811952
Advanced Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 319 Registered: 10-2003 |
Everything. Really. Right now I'm listening to Don McLean (earlier it was Cat Stevens). I'm a big YES and King Crimson fan, and listen to whatever jazz or symphonic music the IU station has playing when I'm driving around. Cake is awesome, as are Chicago (the old stuff), Kate Bush, Rush, Johnny Cash, Dylan, The Police, Miles, Zappa, Beatles, Sex Pistols, the Floyd, ELP, Elvis Costello, John Hartford, Pearl Jam, Jaco, They Might Be Giants - You get the idea. Pretty much everything except modern Country and Western (which is way too formula for me to not get p*ssed off listening). I think I probably use a bit of all of it when I play (and I'm developing a mean bottleneck-slide bass technique). I've copied just about everything I have onto the computer and usually just set the thing on random stun and let it play for hours while I'm working. My folks owned radio stations of all stripes for many years, so I've got an eclectic couple-hundred or so hours of sound to keep me entertained. A Steve Gadd drum solo just came on. Sweet. Some time ago I had an opportunity to ask Tony Levin what he listens to for inspiration while he's doing his photography or whatever, and his reply was that he tries to only listen to "good" music, because if "bad" music becomes acceptable to your ears, then you will unwittingly begin incorporating it into what you're playing. Sounds reasonable to me. He listens to a lot of Berlioz, Ravel, Stravinsky and the like, if I recall. Abraham Laboriel & Al Jarreau just came on. I LOVE WinAmp! John | ||
| 811952
Advanced Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 320 Registered: 10-2003 |
Richard, I just checked out your profile. I played 3 nights in Craig in early '83 and thought I was going to get killed every night. Some guy was buying us two or three rounds of whiskey every set and we were told by the bar owner that we should drink them all if we didn't want to get shot by the appreciative patron (it must have been the Alembic that he liked so much). I went out to breakfast with the female lead singer of the band and everybody in the dive got up and stood around our table and told us what they wanted to do with her in explicit detail. One of the scariest experiences of my life. Otherwise, what a cool part of the world to behold! And Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Albert Lee just finished playing and Larry Graham's bass solo just came on... John | ||
| richbass939
New Username: richbass939 Post Number: 3 Registered: 11-2004 |
John, You're right. Craig can be a little on the "red" side. Now the scariest folks are the ones on meth (or cooking it up). But, I like having the mountains right here. It makes for a nice, easy get-away. So, you were gigging with an Alembic in 1983? You have a wide assortment of bass player interests. Same here. It makes for a more interesting sound. One can make a song sound completely different by throwing in a groove that changes the feel. Especially for "jam" type of songs where you have time to explore a little. Some of my best memories as a player are when the drummer and I locked in and experimented. We could change the feel several times. People think we're just in the background but we can literally take over a song. I didn't know you could see someone's profile. I am new to all this. It's not a problem but I thought that was just for Mica and the others in the company. Rich | ||
| 811952
Advanced Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 322 Registered: 10-2003 |
Richard, Simply click on my name (or yours) and it should open a new window with the profile. John | ||
| dela217
Senior Member Username: dela217 Post Number: 480 Registered: 6-2002 |
John, That sounds like every night here in the French Quarter of New Orleans! I know what you mean. When I am just listening, I usually have something on as background music. I am tuned in to our local jazz station, WWOZ. They are on the web and you can listen to them anywhere. When I am driving in the car, country. I am a fan of new country, but I love the classics too. When I am playing bass, it could be anything! Michael | ||
| davehouck
Senior Member Username: davehouck Post Number: 1047 Registered: 5-2002 |
Early this evening I was listening to Marcus Miller. | ||
| tom_z
Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 71 Registered: 7-2004 |
I like to listen to many kinds of music, but lately I've been on a bit of a jam band jag. I've been listening to a lot of moe., Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (Victor Lemonte Wooten kicks ass), Grateful Dead, Umphrey's McGee, Gov't Mule - Warren Haynes in general, Medeski, Martin and Wood, String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band (mind-blowing bluegrass). I've also been enjoying Derek Trucks and Robert Randolph, these young guys are future legends in my estimation. Always in my CD mix is Miles, Coltrane, Monk, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver and other bebop stuff - also John Scofield, Wynton Marsalis and Marcus Miller. I don't go long without a healthy dose of Latin Jazz (lately: Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Caribbean Jazz Project, Jesus Alemany - plenty more). Check out Avishai Cohen - great young jazz musician plays piano and bass. Also listening to some Charles Earland on the Hammond B3. I'm on the staff at the Las Vegas Philharmonic as well so I get to see a fair amount of live classical and art music. Stuff I want to make more time for is George Clinton and P-Funk, Leo Kotke, Brian Wilson, Jorma Kaukonen, more Miles Davis, Steven Stills (his older stuff), Dwayne Allman, a cool gospel group - Ollabelle, the Campbell Brothers, David Grisman, and Kaki King, a very promising young acoustic guitarist, too many others to list. Well, that's what's in the rotation lately - any other suggestions? | ||
| keavin
Senior Member Username: keavin Post Number: 522 Registered: 12-2002 |
Classic rock,& anything funky,& kickass drummers! | ||
| echo008
Intermediate Member Username: echo008 Post Number: 154 Registered: 2-2003 |
Just picked up the album "Brain" from Hiromi, Anthony Jackson/ Tony Grey on Bass ...Tight, tasteful and just plain jaw droppingly good. I 've also been revisiting alot of my Stevie Wonder Albums, the album "Natural Wonder" is one of my favorites. besides that .... Grateful Dead, Miles, Wilco ... - Tom | ||
| richbass939
New Username: richbass939 Post Number: 4 Registered: 11-2004 |
That's quite the variety, as I expected. Mentioning Victor Wooten (whom I saw once with Bela Fleck) got me thinking about a clinic video a friend showed me. Victor played a solo version of Amazing Grace. It started out slowly with harmonics then moved into slapping and popping. What dexterity and imagination. Has anyone seen it? Rich | ||
| davehouck
Senior Member Username: davehouck Post Number: 1049 Registered: 5-2002 |
Yes; Wooten's Amazing Grace is very nice indeed! | ||
| ajdover
Intermediate Member Username: ajdover Post Number: 149 Registered: 11-2003 |
Me? Rush (Geddy is my biggest influence), Yes (as is Chris Squire), The Who (hey, I own a Spyder!), Jethro Tull, early Genesis, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, the Police, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Paul McCartney's later stuff, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stanley Clarke, Jaco (amazing we only have to say his first name and everyone knows who we're talking about!), Toto (David Hungate was very underrated, IMHO - his solo on "99" is amazing), the Yellow Jackets (Jimmy Haslip - a monster), the Smithereens (a guilty pleasure), Duran Duran (love John Taylor's stuff - it always fit), Dire Straits (John Ilsey - equally underrated), Level 42 (Mark King - what can I say), Blue Oyster Cult (love the bass solo on Godzilla), Chicago (Peter Cetera always played tasty stuff), Cream (Jack Bruce - what a player), Living Colour (mostly for the drummer), The Tubes (loved Rick Anderson's stuff, and Prairie Prince's Drumming), Primus (Les is a Bass God). Alan | ||
| richbass939
New Username: richbass939 Post Number: 6 Registered: 11-2004 |
Yay, Someone finally said Stanley Clarke. Alan, I like just about all of them you mentioned. But Stanley was the one who drew my attention to Alembic. I was really interested in what bass he was playing. 30 years later I have one in my living room. Does anyone know about a guy who plays (or played) with Buddy Guy. I think his name is Greg Rzab. I believe he owns Jaco's Fender Jazz. I saw a TV show one time with Guy at The Woodlands, TX, outdoors. Rzab was amazing. I'd like to see that one again or at least get a CD with that kind of stuff on it. Rich | ||
| mint_bass
Advanced Member Username: mint_bass Post Number: 217 Registered: 1-2004 |
Heres a deal Do you guys get HMV music stores in USA and Europe because they have released a Stanley Clarke 3 CD bundle for £15 about $20. It contains Live at the Greek, School days and East river Drive what a great buy. Andrew | ||
| mint_bass
Advanced Member Username: mint_bass Post Number: 218 Registered: 1-2004 |
I just checked the Website for HMV and the box set does not seem to be there i thought you might have been able to get it over the net but N/M. I am not sure if it is exclusive to HMV or not i will investigate. Andrew | ||
| mint_bass
Advanced Member Username: mint_bass Post Number: 219 Registered: 1-2004 |
I just checked the Website for HMV and the box set does not seem to be there i thought you might have been able to get it over the net but N/M. I am not sure if it is exclusive to HMV or not i will investigate. Andrew | ||
| musikdept
New Username: musikdept Post Number: 9 Registered: 11-2004 |
When I'm gigging, we cover everything from Melissa Ethridge to Skynyrd to Korn. When I'm at home, I put on one of the Victor Wooten "instructional" tapes and jam with him. His style and dexterity are truly amazing. My influences are (of course) Stanley Clarke, early Alice Cooper (Dennis Dunaway), Eagles (Timothy Schmidt) and Yes (Chris Squire) | ||
| jagerphan84
Intermediate Member Username: jagerphan84 Post Number: 124 Registered: 10-2003 |
I play mostly funk/groove/jam experimental stuff, but everything from folk to dub to straight-up rock gets thrown in the mix. Like John, I've got a couple hundred hours of sound on my computer which I set to "random" and I'm usually pleased with the results. In heavy rotation are Frank Zappa (Tom Fowler & Arthur Barrow are great), Ry Cooder, King Crimson, Hot Tuna, Nick Drake, John Cale, Ween, Stanley, Jaco, Captain Beefheart, Steely Dan, Jeff Beck, Les Claypool (in varying lineups), Leo Kottke, Al DiMeola, Paco De Lucia, Jean-Luc Ponty, and so on, and so on... Recent additions that I've been listening to in the car are Roxy Music, ELP, Pere Ubu... Interesting stuff! I have found that generally speaking, the earlier in the artist's recording career, the more I like the music. Ry Cooder's early stuff is some of the best, IMHO. Adam | ||
| gare
Intermediate Member Username: gare Post Number: 107 Registered: 11-2003 |
Lately I've been listening to alot of news radio in the car, I hate sitting in traffic so I have to know where those backups are. Musically I've gone back recently to listening to Bach,Mozart, Prokofiev. Also classic rock. As a yutte, I was heavily influenced by McCarney,Cetera,Squire,Lake,Entwhisle,Bruce, also early Tull,Genesis,Mahavishnu Orch,Elp, and of course Jaco. I also like some material by Manilow,Denver,and Dylan..I just dont want to hear them sing it. | ||
| lembic76450
Member Username: lembic76450 Post Number: 68 Registered: 5-2002 |
In all the mentions of various players, I don't think I have ever seen anyone mention Carl Radle. I have always found him a very subtle and tasty player. He seemed to have that uncanny ability to add or subtract notes without it jumping out at you. Played on a couple of good albums, too | ||
| dnburgess
Advanced Member Username: dnburgess Post Number: 339 Registered: 1-2003 |
The first bass playing that I was aware of as a distinct musical entity was Glen Cornick on Stand Up. Then Noel Redding and Greg Lake on the first ELP album. David B. | ||
| richbass939
New Username: richbass939 Post Number: 9 Registered: 11-2004 |
Jethro Tull has always had interesting, creative bass parts. I've often wondered whether Ian Anderson wrote the bass parts or left it up to the bassist. I can almost see it either way. They sound very different from song to song and album to album. I've always liked the stuff that Greg Lake has done. Sometimes it's all over the place but it fits exactly what the song needs. Not to mention that he sings lead while he's doing it. I like Dennis Dunaway, too. His look was kind-of cool. He just stood there sometimes; then he leapt off the platform he was on down to the main stage. Cool effect in concert. Rich | ||
| musikdept
Junior Username: musikdept Post Number: 12 Registered: 11-2004 |
Rich...I think you're the only person to actually like Dennis Dunaway. I think he was highly underrated. Some of his bass riffs were infectuous. I also enjoyed Ross Valory of Journey's stryle of playing. | ||
| richbass939
New Username: richbass939 Post Number: 10 Registered: 11-2004 |
I remember when I was the only person I knew who liked ELP. Friends would say "What is this crap?" I thought it was genius. I still do. I still play along with Brain Salad Surgery occasionally. Once ('73 or '74) I read a review that stated that Keith Emerson was "fast and sloppy". Shortly after that Leonard Bernstein said that Emerson was probably the best young classical pianist at that time. That sort-of shut them up for a while. I wish that I had seen them live. I know people who did and they said it was all you would hope it would be. A lot of rock bassists didn't get the credit they were due. Dunaway was never going to be the Alice Cooper of the band. But ask any lead guitarist or singer who had been in a band with a bassist or drummer who wasn't rock solid and you'll find out what value we have. Rich | ||
| alembic83
New Username: alembic83 Post Number: 9 Registered: 9-2004 |
Anybody else like Billy Gould from Faith No More? I think he was a really great bassist, he covered so many different styles. He seemed equally adept at pick and fingerstyle, depending on what the music required. I always liked his tone, too. He once said that he tried to make the bass sound like it was almost in pain when he played it. He had a great "grunt" tone going on live. For me, Gould is the guy who really made me notice bass and get interested in it. I hope he gets back into playing sometime. He's got his own record company at the moment... Aside from Gould, Cliff Burton (one time Alembic player), Geddy Lee, Les Claypool, John Taylor, and Scott Reeder from Kyuss. Jason | ||
| 811952
Advanced Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 323 Registered: 10-2003 |
Ah yes, Dennis Dunaway! Billion Dollar Babies is one of my favorites. Nice stuff. And don't anybody forget that Greg Lake played Tarkus at light speed on an 8-string (Alembic, of course) in concert - I struggle with it on a 4-string! John | ||
| richbass939
Junior Username: richbass939 Post Number: 12 Registered: 11-2004 |
I didn't know that Lake played an Alembic. I never thought much about it. I just know that I like his style. Rich | ||
| dnburgess
Advanced Member Username: dnburgess Post Number: 340 Registered: 1-2003 |
Lake sold an 8 string Alembic to John Entwistle. I think that was JE's first Alembic and first 8 string. | ||
| bigredbass
Advanced Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 344 Registered: 9-2002 |
I saw ELP when they were touring behind 'Brain Salad Surgery' (surely the coolest album cover I ever saw)in 1972. That tour led to the "Welcome Back My Friends . . ." live album. At that time I was up for a scholarship in piano to North Texas State, I'd been absorbed in classical piano my entire childhood and knew which end was up. Saw Rubinstein twice. Believe me, Emerson was as good as I ever heard, fast, ballsy, and technically VERY correct in his playing. To my ears he was terrifically Brubeck- and Gershwin-influenced, both guys being technical terrors, NO clams. Even while his Steinway concert levitated over our heads and rotated end over end over end WHILE HE WAS PLAYING ! Carl Palmer is THE great overlooked English art rock drummer, never mentioned with Bruford, Allen White, etc. He was fabulous, as was Lake switching back and forth between guitar and bass thru the show (and he did play his ALEMBIC eight string). Of course Carl Radle is a fave from Eric's post-Cream, pre-Miami days, and played on the 'Layla' album, with Eric and the late Duane Allman. Listen to the line under the chorus of 'Bell Bottom Blues'. I firmly plan to be buried with a copy of 'Layla' and the Allmans' 'Live at Fillmore East'. After the Beatles and Motown, those two albums plus 'Who's Next' and 'Exile on Main Street' pretty much cover me. Plus the West Coast AM singles from the 60s and early 70s with Carol Kaye, Joe Osborne, etc. A real favorite is Dee Murray under Elton's first 10 or 12 albums, with Nigel Ollson drumming. And of course JPJones, and on and on . . . Then the Southern influences, the blues, the gospel. . . . And I certainly agree with Tony Levin that bad stuff will creep into your playing from bad records! J o e y |
