Originally Posted by: ChristopherSchlegelOriginally Posted by: Tom SklenarWho´s your favorite bass player? Doesn´t matter on the music style. For what reasons is he/she your favorite?
Fun question!
I've seen a ton of great bass players. Guys that are jaw dropping good. In small clubs over the decades I've been fortunate to see Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten (w/ Bela Fleck), Jimmie Johnson (w/ Allan Holdsworth
), tons of other jazz & blues guys.
On the rock big stages I've seen Geddy (Rush! :D), Flea, Sheehan & tons of other giants of bass.
But when I think about my favorites, I start to think about who's bass style or lines influenced me. When I play bass or write a bass line for a song, who I am chasing? These guys!
James Jamerson. Mr. Motown. All those great Motown hits, Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder's golden years. Funny thing is that I heard & copied his bass lines long before I learned who he was, since he was a session guy & not "one of the guys on the stage".
Paul McCartney. The early Beatles stuff is a master class on how to play pop rock bass. Always melodic, while always keeping the rhythmic pulse.
John Paul Jones. His influence is all over what I love to hear, play & write for in blues-rock & heavy rock. And he wrote the riff to "Black Dog"!
Honorable mention to Louis Johnson. Whenever I think of a funk bass line or try to do something like that my first point of reference is Johnson, the guy who made Michael Jackson's early solo albums so funky & danceable.
Your list of names is great. Some of them are obvious for me, some of them less. Thanks for mentioning Louis Johnson. I am quite surprised, that I met many people, or better said many bassists and musicians, who don´t know him. According to me, his style and playing is fantastic. And I have to agree with you about his basslines in Michael Jackson´s albums.
