Top 5 favorite bass players

[googdot]

Mingus! Mingus! Mingus!

 

[stratman]

Thanks Sholling for reminding me of Marcus Miller.

 

[sholling]

Thanks Sholling for reminding me of Marcus Miller.

he rocks doen't he. There are probably 3 or 4 totally different versions of Panther and I love all that I've heard. Not to mention Burning Down the House! I managed to get a hold of his unavialabe Master of All Trades DVD. All I can say is wow. My PB12-Plus/2 is scheduled for delivery on Thursday and I can't wait. It will be Miller time.

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

Problem with...Stanley Clarke is he thinks he's a guitarist...and that's not what a bassist is supposed to be...

I just disagree with this statement. He is a guitarist, a bass IS a guitar, it just has less strings and plays at a lower octave. Is a bass player just supposed to keep rhythm? To me that's like saying a drummer should just keep time. If that's the case, why not just sample a bass riff and use that, dispense with the musician altogether.

I suppose if you're just listening to pop music, yeah, the bassist just plays three notes over and over again. But Clarke is jazz, improvisational jazz. And he's been one of the innovators of that instrument in the last 30 years.

 

[Jim N.]

Top 5 (in no particular order)...
Stanley Clarke
Stu Hamm
Ron Carter
Mingus
Tony Levin

Honorable mention:
Percy Jones (Brand X)
Brian Bromberg
Bunny Brunel (Chick Corea, CAB)
Jeff Berlin (Bruford)
Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck)
Gary Willis (Tribal Tech)
Larry Graham (the funk master)
Alain Caron (Uzeb)
John Pattitucci (Chick Corea's AB and EB)

For want of betters terms, I classify bassists as either "choppers" or "groovers". Great chops versus laying down great grooves. On of the best grooves ever is the one Leland Sklar laid down on Billy Cobham's "Stratus". Another great groover is Tommy Shannon (SRV and original Johnny Winter).

 

[JoeE SP9]

I just disagree with this statement. He is a guitarist, a bass IS a guitar, it just has less strings and plays at a lower octave. Is a bass player just supposed to keep rhythm? To me that's like saying a drummer should just keep time. If that's the case, why not just sample a bass riff and use that, dispense with the musician altogether.

I suppose if you're just listening to pop music, yeah, the bassist just plays three notes over and over again. But Clarke is jazz, improvisational jazz. And he's been one of the innovators of that instrument in the last 30 years.

I'm with Resident Loser on this one. When Stanley plays the upright he plays and sounds like one of the best ever. When he plays electric bass he sounds more like a frustrated guitar player than a bass player. Yes it is called a bass guitar. As a bass player I always thought sounding "bassy" was what an electric bass was supposed to sound like. I always set up my electric (62 Fender Precision) to sound as close to an upright (bass) as possible. Yes I have and play an acoustic (upright) bass and have and play an Ampeg Baby Bass (electric upright).
FWIW: I never liked the tone that guy from ELP used.

 

[skizzerflake]

Favorites would include Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuma, Phil Lesh, John Entwhistle and Flea. I never thought much about Flea until I recently saw the Chili Peppers at the Virgin Festival in Baltimore. They did an encore jam tune and Flea's bass playing was really amazing.

 

[sivadselim]

Did anyone mention Oteil Burbridge?

 

[mech]

Favorites would include Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuma, Phil Lesh, John Entwhistle and Flea. I never thought much about Flea until I recently saw the Chili Peppers at the Virgin Festival in Baltimore. They did an encore jam tune and Flea's bass playing was really amazing.

Flea and Les Claypool were the reason I started playing bass!!

 

[skizzerflake]

I just disagree with this statement. He is a guitarist, a bass IS a guitar, it just has less strings and plays at a lower octave. Is a bass player just supposed to keep rhythm?

A bass is a distinct instrument, not a guitar anymore than a tuba is a trumpet. Bass players have often not been very prominent but there is no reason why they can't.

 

[EdL]

And Marcus Miller didn't make anybody's list?

You know, I guess that's why he spends most of his time in Europe. He is one the baddest bass players of all time.

 

[mnnc]

Clark
Wooten
Jaco
Patitucci(Toto/Corea)...did I spell that correctly?
Myung
Willis

 

[sivadselim]

Oteil....................damnit!

Sorry, he's such a nice guy, I gotta give him props. Again.

And what about Jimmy Haslip?

Avishai Cohen blows me away, as well.

Just trying to name some that aren't being mentioned.

 

[annunaki]

Mine are as follows:

1. Les Claypool

2. Justin Chancellor

3. Flea

4. Tim Commerford

5. John Paul Jones/ Geddy Lee

 

[mint]

Bass players have often not been very prominent but there is no reason why they can't.

I agree, I'm a fan of Peter Hook. His playing style has been described as "a bass player who thought he was playing lead guitar."

 

[salad 419]

3 Scott Thunes (frank zappa)
4 Frank Zappa.

REALLY???????? I'm not trying to be difficult, but Scott Thunes is my LEAST favorite bass player that played with Zappa. I'm NOT saying that he's not a great bass player, but I just like Tom Fowler better and Patrick O'Hearn is my Favorite Zappa Bass Player.

Which recordings are you referring to that Frank Played on??

Sorry to the rest of you if this is somewhat off topic.

Victor Wooten is good.

The Sheenan stuff on the Vai videos is good.

Not a Geddy Lee fan at ALL!!!! Not a Rush fan at ALL!!!

I'll check out some of the other fellas. Good thread topic.

 

[ctwed]

Wow,
No mention in any of the posts of Scott LaFaro, how sad.

 

[deftech]

Geddy Lee
Flea
Anthony Jackson (jazz session player)
Chris Squire
Pete Fondren

 

[BurtonBass]

Hi i`m new to the forums. As you can see i`m an avid Cliff Burton fan so it should be no surpirse to see him on my list.

Now as for the aforementioned list:

1)Cliff Burton
2)Geezer Butler
3)Steve Harris
4)Les Claypool
5)Jason Newstead(not treated fairly in Metallica)

However there are many other good,if not great bassists:

Flea
Billy Sheenan
Sting
Nikki Sixx
Robert Truijllo
John Paul Jones
Lemmy Kilmister
Paul McCarthy
Duff McKagan
Gene Simmons

 

[gene]

Jaco Pastorius (Weather Report, Solo/varios)
Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, others)
Nathan East (Fourplay, Eric Clapton, etC)
Chris Squire (Yes)
Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny Group)