Drummer Cafe Community Forum

I have been thinking about this a lot since my band has been going through bass players like water(sound familiar Smoggy?).Now I am about to purchase a bass and become my own bass player for recording purposes anyway.
 But besides myself, I think the ultimate bass player for my playing and whom I'd love to lock in with would be.............
Doug Pinnick of Kings X. He has such a heavy groove and I love the tones he gets out of his rig. I think his playing might best suit my playing style.....ahhh...if only.

Of course, the Rush geek in me would also love to play with Geddy Lee, but overall my style probably would not fit in the long run. It's fun to dream and think of stuff like this though.

In a heavy kinda band I'd go with Rex Brown from Pantera, as I've always thought he's miles ahead of anyone as far as his sound and style goes. Very distinctive, very complimentary of the music, very aggresive style.

I always liked Mike Anthony's playing with VH, thought he'd be tops for rock playing.

I'd probably love doing some rock with Flea as well, he's got some tremendous ideas and a very characteristic and notorious style that never overshadows the music.

About ten come to mind, but I gotta go with Tony Levin.

Of course, this is subject to revision if Uma Thurman takes up the bass.   :P

Yeah, I can think of about ten myself.  But, I always thought it would be fun to play with Robert DeLeo of STP.  He has a great sound  and so much movement.

lately, jeff berlin is my guy. but i like tony levin, too. he's just a cool dude all-around, in addition to being a great player.

jaco, also, if i wanted to torture myself, and he was available.

also always loved chris squire. everyone disses him for the rickenbacker, but i thought he had a great sound.

it's funny, cheffy. i was trolling for band sitches on craigslist or wherever, and in addition to finding some people to play with, i also befriended a sorta beginning chick bassist. we're supposed to hook up in january to fart around. i'm not sure if she's any good, but i thought it would be cool to try.

so i feel ya, but also encourage you to keep looking. something's gotta turn up. even if you have to prop them up somewhere.

I'm spoiled in this area - I've already played with a couple of them: Mars Cowling and Stu Hamm. I'd also love to play with Eddie Gomez and Leland Sklar.

This is hardâ€"I like so many.  As far as electric bass, Carol Kaye would be my current choice; she's a no-nonsense player who gets a good sound, and has good time.  

I don't really know many string bassists to offer an informed opinion.

EDIT:  I'd like to second Leland Sklar.

Someone that looks like Mariska Hargitay, and plays like McCartney.

Paul McCartney or Rick Danko (if he were still with us)

 :o :o :o

oh, dont get me started on ms. kaye...  :-X

and yea, there's a reason why leland is the first of the first callers.

It's the beard, right?

Vote for Will Lee from me. Great to listen to and great to watch.

session -> anthony jackson & pino palladino

anthony's the godfather of modern electric bass, and there's not one song from the '70s or '80s he didnt work on (the apprentice, anyone?).  he's a living legend.  and pino is easily his rightful heir.  the scotsman'll do a cheesy paul young song, and turn it into a masterpiece.  OR, he'll go on and define modern day r&b feels w/ jill scott, d'angelo, or erykah badu.  or he'll carry on john entwhistle's torch and rock out w/ the Who.  but it'll be hard to forgive his john mayer trio stint.  ::)

rock -> jeff ament (pj) & rob deleo (stp)

both gents really know how to move a groove feel heavy, and yet not make it feel plodding.  they dance around the rhythm to keep it interesting yet hold it down.  i'd say 85% of my rock playing at one point or other were literally driven by their ideas/feels.

jazz -> ray brown & ron carter

they can both hold it down like a solid gold anchor and yet, swing like a bunch of motherpluckers.  their mark on jazz is incalculable.

fusion -> john patitucci & matt garrison

john's a bassist's bassist.  impeccable groove and time, who can move from upright to electric like he was changing pants.  matt's like a bolt of a tornado ready to lay havoc.

gospel -> Andrew Gouche & Maurice Fitzgerald

andrew's a producer as well, and knows a song from the inside out.  maurice needs to be locked up cause his grooves will kill.

any of these guys would be a HOOT.

Les Claypool

Eddie Gomez

Jaco

Mel Schacher (I was always a big Grand Funk fan!)

Ohhhhh, Stu Hamm!  That must have been incredible! He is one of my favs. I love his playing on the The Light Beyond with Steve Smith and Frank Gambale.  I hear that Hamm, Dennis Chambers, and Greg Howe are going to tour the east coast sometime early next year.  That would be a must see!

I would say Geddy Lee and Sting. If you've played with Sting, it pretty much means you are a top notch drummer (following Copeland, Hakim, Katche, Colauita, Freese, etc, etc).

As for the John Mayer trio comment (Joker), I have actually enjoyed that cd! Especially with Steve Jordan laying down the groove back there.

We get to list more than one?

OK...in addition to Tony Levin...

- Lincoln Goines
- Dave Holland
- Steve Swallow
- Marcus Miller
- Richard Bona
- Anthony Jackson
- Bootsy Collins
- Verdine White

I'll stop there - there are myriad others I could list, but we would be here all day.

...and in the "the "dream bass player' I actually got to play with" category, Larry Gray.  (Just one gig, but man, did he sound good...)

Ditto, dude.  For the first time I found myself actually digging John Mayer due to this trio!

I'm with JW on this one.  Any time I have EVER heard Tony Levin's work I have just been envious of the coresponding drummer.  :P ;D

Tony Levin
Stu Hamm
Will Lee
Rudy Sarzo
Stanley Jordan

incidentally, there's a nice little article by mr. miller on jaco's influence on him. (poorly-constructed sentence, but you get the idea...)

http://www.jacopastorius.com/features guestartists/marcusmiller.asp

I may have broken a rule by going for three names. . .

Schwartz created a slight breach of etiquette by skipping the triple dare and going right for the throat!  :)

. . .but I found it dang near impossible to get the list down to one name!

James Jamerson

McCartney.





Dan

Depends on the genre, but my "dream" band would have Jah Wobble on bass guitar and John Edwards on upright.

I'd love to play with Sting, good pick. He's a subtle guy with his bass lines, which is cool. Besides, he's an absolute genius of a writer IMHO.

And I'd enjoy to play with the Ox just cause I'm a mark for him. I don't know if a I'm man enough to match his style though  :D.

Robertino Pagliari of OHM. He's amazing in every way. He completely dominates his 6 string fretless bass. Only guy i know that plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with harmonics on a bass. Also the only guy i know that will lean over and tell an audience member "bless you" while doing a crazy bass solo. That was at the baked potato, so his bass is literally on top of you while he plays ;p He's a really cool person too, i got to talk to him after the show, and he just handed me the cd since it was the first time i had seen them. He said that way i'd get addicted adn buy their other albums. He was right.

but have you watched the man live?  and i'm not talking about his playing, music, et al.  its literally the most painful experience ever.

and yet, its one of the most confounding things i've ever thought about in my life.  how does someone who comes up w/ the FATTEST, LEANEST, SICKEST pockets, move onstage like he does?

course, the best thing is MM doesnt sound NOTHING like jaco, which is a feat unto itself.  8)

I haven't, but I would love to see for myself!  Is he like a gyrating penguin or something?

oh man,

that's actually a pretty good description...  :P

but check out a G3 DVD, where he's playing w/ Satriani.  just unreal in so many respects.  ;)

Jaco Pastorious (sp?) and Geddy Lee. Geddy is awesome, and Jaco..... well, he is Jaco.

BUT

I'd have to say my DREAM player would be Vic Wooten. There is a guy who can lay down one hell of a solo, but he knows when to just push the song along

If I have one pick, it's Tony Levin.

Man You are right, there are a bunch.
John Paul Jones
Billy Sheehan
Chris Squire
Stu Hamm
Tommy Shannon
There are so many that would be great to play music with.
I like any bass players that plays with Joe Satriani.
His drummers and the bass players are great/ top notch but he has
used several. Plus I am Really getting in to this type of music.
          Mark

I can think of two, Bob Glaub and Lee Sklar. There are alot of great bass players mentioned but these two for me just make me want to play drums!!.

 8) 8) 8)

speaking of which, i just got this:

(http://www.lakland.com/images/basses/glaub/glaub_2_tn.jpg) (http://www.lakland.com/basses/glaub.htm)

 8)

In addition to many named already, I would add to my list:

Skylark <Doobie Brothers>--spanks like there's no tomorrow
Myron Dove <Santana>
Cliff Burton <R.I.P>--Metallica

Nice Axe Joker, I just made my Bass purchase as well, a Hamer Velocity 2, should be arriving at ny door this week, alomg with a Line 6 Bass Pod....happy day ;D

Tony Levin....or John Patittucci....I mean this is a dream thing,right?? Not like I could actually fullfill those guys expectations.....
Actually, my current bass player is all I could ever ask for....he's really good, a real pro, someone I can hook up with, he knows what the term "music business" means and we're doing a wedding band thing, with people who he teaches music with... all covers, $1500 bucks a pop....snicker if you want...that's the bread and butter of the working music scene.

BTW, what IS that thing Tony Levin uses??  THe Stick?....are there special effects ON the fretboard, or is that my imagination? 12 strings? Anybody know anything about the features  of that instrument?

chapman stick...  think of it like a bass meets keyboard

while tony's good, there are some phenomenally ungodly players.

http://www.stick.com/

Okay, I'll bite.  Why?

you dont know Joe?

she claims to be the bass player on many a motown song that are widely believed to be played by the great james jamerson.  she caused quite a stir in that bass player magazine issue oh so many years ago.

I usually focus on the guitar but every once in awhile the bass playing will be so unique and such an integral part of the song that ill wonder who it is. Think twice from Phil Collins, Quadrant 4 Tommy Bolin is Lee Sklar. Hey, this leads me to a question.

My diet of bass players is pretty narrow and im sure there are tons of unsung heros out there. Thanks for the list Kohei, ive printed it and will try to expand my horizon.

I did know; I didn't know if that was what you were getting at, though.

For all I know, she did.  I didn't know it was many songs, though, that were argued; as far as I know, "I Was Made to Love Her" is the big dispute.  Larrie Londin played on a bunch of Motown too, I hear.

Did you count Edwards as one of the 5?  :)  

He's an upright bassist on the free jazz/avant garde scene.   I first heard him with a sort of doom metal/jazz band called God.   And then later with one of my all time favorite drummers, Eddie Prevost.   He's also played with Evan Parker, Lol Coxhill, John Butcher, Steve Beresford, Paul Lovens ... He's not the biggest name out there, even on the european scene (Barre Phillips would probably hold that title), but he eventually will be  ;D

And speaking of upright players, Percy Heath (of the Modern Jazz Quartet) was one of my earliest bass influences some 18 odd years back.

So many bass players.  I guess there are some jazz lovers and progressive Rock.  No one mentioned Stanley Clark.
                    Nutty

How about the bass player that plays for Los Lonely Boy's? If you haven't seen him play, he is very good and what a showman!!

Well he'd be handsome and have big mucles and no back hairs.

No coment Ranman.  I don't want to know! Later man!
                                        Nutty

Would he be from the land down under?, 6'4 and full-oh muscles?.

"brokeback mountain" finally open near you guys? :P

Red river gorge.

it's been said already, but i have to go with geddy lee or sting ;D

I think that Lee Sklar Played on the Billy Cobham CD with Jan Hammer and Tommy Bolin called Spectrum.  He is a great bass player.  
                                       Nutty

Kip Winger is my man. Or Geddy Lee.

Will Lee or Victor Wooten.

John Paul Jones

Rudy Sarzo
Duff Mckagen
Nikki Sixx
Gene Simmons

my dream bass player...
knows that i am not keeping time for him/her. they keep their own time.
knows that bass is mostly about feeling the low end and that they are not a lead guitarist.
knows that most of the time they probably shouldn't be heard, just felt.
knows that some notes should be long and some notes should be short.
knows that some spaces should be long and some spaces should be short.
knows when to play and when not to play.
knows how to listen while they play.
understands that groove rules over chops.
knows how to understand a song and their place in it.
knows that these requirements apply to everyone else in the band too. :)

I got to play with Will Lee once in college.  His parents live in the town where I went to school and once time he was in town visiting them and he came and played a few numbers with our jazz band.  We bought him a hat that said "Huntsville Bass Club" and he wore it on Letterman the next week.

Anyway, back on topic:

Verdine White

I feel you there.