Jaco In Seattle...from 1976

This must be from the first Weather Report tour with Jaco in the band. Here is a pretty decent audience recording of Jaco taking a solo in front of the Wayne Shorter tune "Lusitanos".

You can hear some classic Jaco-isms in his solo - pentatonic runs in odd note groupings, playing all the color tones and extensions, and of course, the tone and the groove. Oh the groove.

This was at the Paramount West Theatre in Seattle on May 27th, in 1976, so Jaco was just starting to be heard by the world.

NAMM 2013 Bass Shred Porn

It's NAMM time again, so there are of course a ton of youtube videos of great bass players showing off just how much better they than you (and me). Here are a few of the folks whose names we all recognize filmed at this years NAMM show doing disgusting things to various bass guitars.

Marcus Miller on Travis Smiley

Marcus playing an unaccompanied version of "Detroit".  He has the melody and everything in there. He splits it up on the record, but you can hear how he must have written this one on bass since it is all there even when it is just him. 

New Evan Marien Tracks

Evan Marian has just released  a new 5-track album, some of which he recorded at Matt Garrison's ShapeShifter lab in NYC.

Evan mixes some serious shred into electronic music and the result it some dub-stepy electronic music with electric bass all over it, so check it out if you want to hear how you don't have to leave this stuff to just synth players.

http://evanmarien.bandcamp.com/album/collection

New Link to Autumn Leaves Transcription

Looks like the site I was hosting the PDF file on has died, as things do on the internet, so here is a new location where you can download the transcription of the bass line to Autumn Leaves, as played by Sam Jones.

Autumn Leaves Transcription

Marcus Miller on "Night Rhythms"

Here is a little thumb stuff, which has been scarce on the blog, but when you have someone like Marcus Miller doing it, you can't really go wrong.

Below is the main groove from a Lee Ritenour tune called "Night Rhythms" written out.  I don't know of any videos that show Marcus actually playing the line as he recorded it, but there is a version with Melvin Lee Davis (another very scary thumb player) playing the same line, more or less.

Here is the original studio recording with Marcus on it.

And here is a full band version with Melvin adding an intro out front and then playing his take on the line.

There is a LOT of syncopation in this one, and a lot of anticipation. A lot of what makes the line stand out is what 16th notes are accented. Here is the line from the melody section:

bass lick tempo 100 4/4 | Cmin c16 c c c+ r8 r16 c16 f#- g bb8 eb-4 | Cmin c16 r c c+ r c f#- g~ g8 eb16 f eb4 | Abmin ab-16 r ab ab+ r8 r16 ab16 d- eb gb8 b-4 | Fmin f16 r f f+ r f f- f# Gmin g8 g~ g g

This thing is a 16th note work out, you really have to be able to put each one exactly where it goes or the line falls apart really fast. So practice it slow, and for even more licks, check out the variations both Marcus and Melvin add to the line when they play it, there are lots of great licks in there, on both versions.

Victor Wooten Dual Music Release

Looks like Mr. Wooten is going to drop a double album next month, one all instrumental and one with words/vocals. I am sure it will have the requisite amazing bass playing, but also just some great tunes and music as well. From the sample, it sounds quite eclectic.

A Bass Lesson with Oteil Burbridge

Otiel has some great things to say about music, not just scales and chords, but the bigger picture stuff that every musician has to deal with, things like fear, being self critical, practicing, and life as a musician. He seems like a pretty deep guy and he nails it as far as how the things that hold us back have nothing to do with not knowing a scale or chord, but we become our own enemies. Good stuff.

And oh yea, he sounds great on his six string. Otiel has his own band called the Peacemakers, and he also plays with The Allman Brothers.