On Saturday morning, the exhibitors floor bustled with bass brethren, fearlessly checking out the latest tricks and treats from the assembled amp, bass, string, and effect companies. More choices awaited this curious crew one flight down, as the first four of the day’s dozen clinics began at 11 am. Among the clinicians also making their BPL teaching debuts were fusion phenoms Gary Willis and Jonas Hellborg.
By sundown, with fingers fine-tuned from gear go-rounds and brains stuffed with instructional intimation, most of the nearly 800 attendees headed south to the Meatpacking District. There, at the Highline Ballroom, the evening’s annual concert commenced at 8 pm. Matt Garrison (in duet with drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez), Tony Levin’s trio, and headliner Meshell Ndegeocello’s trippy-tight quintet made for a well-balanced output—but just in case your favorite bass heroes were missing, they were probably among the 13 thumpers led by Steve Bailey through the closing jam.
Sunday morning, the emphasis was placed right back on the returning registrants, as Stanley Clarke and Oskar Cartaya engaged a jam-packed clinic room in an open discussion about the pair’s plan for a cooperative, comprehensive electric bass method book. Eight more clinics followed, capped by Andrew Gouché’s gospel blowout, and a last pass through the aisles of axes. What’s on tap for next year? With at least one bass superband hitting the studio and stage, and several legends primed for Lifetime Awards, anything is possible.
The Concert
Perhaps it was because Paul McCartney was the first to play the room last spring, or that Meshell Ndegeocello had performed here a week earlier, but something about the Highline Ballroom felt bass-friendly for this year’s Bass Player LIVE! concert. Certainly the wide stage was especially accommodating to the skyline of nine bass rigs. As the main floor was packed and buzzing and the balcony crowd was elbowing the ledge, Matt Garrison and drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez hit the stage at 8:30 pm. The duo’s two pieces were ambitious, experimental, and well received.
Next, drummer Jerry Marotta’s heartfelt induction of BP Lifetime Achievement Award winner Tony Levin, and Tony’s gracious acceptance speech, gave way to a performance by the pair, featuring Levin’s live vocal debut. Guitarist Jesse Gress joined for another vocal turn by Tony. Session guitar legend Danny Kortchmar then took the stage to induct Levin’s fellow BP Lifetimer, Leland Sklar, who was equally at ease, though humbled and overwhelmed by the event and his award. “To answer the question I get asked most about my bass playing: I started growing it in 1965, when I got my high-school diploma,” Sklar deadpanned. On a serious note, he cited “the pride I feel being a part of this astounding community.”
Following a stage reshuffling, headliner Meshell Ndegeocello and her sympathetic five-piece band began an intense 50-minute set, rife with material from her latest release, The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams. Meshell sang and shared bass duties with Mark Kelley, as drummer Charles Haynes, positioned sideways, regulated the band’s quick transformations of groove and style from the front of the stage.
Meanwhile, All-Star Jam musical director Steve Bailey was equally busy backstage, convincing Levin and Sklar to play on tunes they had originally recorded, chosen in their honor. Nearing midnight on a full day of bass, the faithful crowd hung in, and was rightfully rewarded. First up was Levin, Chapman Stick in hand, to start the island groove of Paul Simon’s “Late in the Evening,” with drummer Joel Taylor. Bailey cued in the remaining bass chorale of Jonas Hellborg, Gerald Veasley, Janek Gwizdala, Stu Hamm, and Dave Pomeroy (on electric upright), who showed not only their solo chops but also their musical intuition, harmonizing Bailey’s melody, grabbing chords, and even issuing the track’s horn parts.
The finale belonged to Sklar, who (on Stu Hamm’s Fender) started his famous bass line from Billy Cobham’s “Spectrum.” Bailey, with melody at the ready, nodded in Chuck Rainey, Andrew Gouché, Dave Ellefson, and Doug Wimbish, who got stage help from impromptu tech Ndegeocello. Again, a searing solo round included supporting chords and counter melodies, cued bridges, and finally a unison of the repeated closing riff, over which drummer Taylor finally got to stretch. When the lights came on, everyone on hand looked a bit wearier, but groovier, having just witnessed the hippest bass show of the year.
—CHRIS JISI
The Clinics
Lee Sklar
Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Lee Sklar launched the main-room clinic schedule Saturday morning with a relaxed, humor-filled interview that covered his incredible 40-year career. Among the more fascinating admissions from a man who has recorded over 36,000 songs is that Sklar never listens to a song before a session, even if the artist sends it and asks him to. “I prefer the freshness of hearing the song at the date; I’m a stream-of-consciousness player, and generally my best performance is going to be my first or second take.” He conceded that working for so many top singer/songwriters over the years has led him to “look for the song” in every piece of music he has to create a bass line for, no matter what the style. Also illuminating was that if he were forced to choose sessions or tours, this studio master would pick the road and live playing every time. Lee, whose appearance came between tours with Lyle Lovett’s Large Band and Toto, allowed that his focus is always forward, to the next gig, and that’s what keeps him as busy as ever. “To paraphrase Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes,” he laughed, “They’re going to have to pry the bass out of my cold dead fingers!”
Tony Levin
Unlike his fellow Lifetime Award winner, Lee Sklar, Tony Levin chose to do a playing clinic in which he demonstrated his fretted Ernie Ball 4-string (showing his latest technique, which combines thumb-plucked palm-muting and index-fingernail harmonics), his 5-string NS Design electric upright (both plucked and bowed), his Chapman Stick, some of his effects, and even his notorious “funk fingers”—modified drumstick finger extensions inspired by his work on the Peter Gabriel classic “Big Time.” Requested reflections on some of his other key sessions ranged from how intense Paul Simon was—sitting in front of each rhythm section member and singing suggested parts—to John Lennon’s simple request: “They tell me you’re good; just don’t play too many notes.” Tony acknowledged how fortunate he has been in his career, both artistically and economically, but he said what motivates him is the same thing that drove him to want to play at age ten: “It’s fun!” Last, he reminded the gathered low-end legion not to get down about being passed up for or losing a gig, pointing out that it happens to all musicians constantly, even at the highest levels. “Just be yourself,” he offered. “The phone will ring again.”
Jimmy Earl
The unsung L.A. veteran and Jimmy Kimmel Live bassist impressed the room with his ultra-hip funk-jazz grooves under pre-recorded tracks provided by fusion keyboard king Scott Kinsey. In between, Earl shared his knowledge of (and setup tips for) his beloved Fender Jazz Basses, offered insight on playing in a TV band, and related stories and musical concepts from recordings and tours with Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, Robben Ford, and the Crusaders. While soloing with a track, he demonstrated a simple but effective solo tip from Corea: “Instead of playing long streams of notes, Chick would advise us to break them up into phrases by laying out for a measure and picking up again on beat two of the next measure.” For Earl, preparedness is key: “We have only about six seconds on air in each segment. I try to make sure it’s settled from the very beginning—usually we get only a one-beat cue. If I’m not on from the start, it’ll sound all messed up.”
James Genus
New York’s supreme doubler and Saturday Night Live bassist, James Genus had a lot of practical advice for attendees, including this nugget on the politics of subbing: “I don’t really have a first-call sub. Sometimes I recommend people, but a lot of the time I leave it up to someone else in the band. If I recommend someone they have to do a good job. If they don’t, it reflects badly on me. One way to avoid that situation is to leave it up to the music director or another bandmember. That way, you’re not involved.”
Gerald Veasley
It was clear that Gerald Veasley is as savvy an educator as he is a player: His clear insights were a big crowd-pleaser. One interesting point was his concept of the importance of a “25th hour.” “So many of us go to great lengths to do things we don’t want to do. How many times have we woken up at 3:30 am to catch a plane for our job to get to a meeting that we weren’t even interested in? How about showing up at Home Depot at dawn for a household project that we’d rather not do? The idea that time is hard to get is an illusion. We just need to give as much attention to the things we love as we do the things other people tell us to do. I think of this time as the 25th hour. For me, I make an appointment with myself in the morning. It’s quiet, the phones aren’t ringing, I’m not sending stupid e-mails back and forth, and nobody knows I’m up. I just sit there with the bass and nobody expects anything from me. That time is for me alone.”
Veasley also fielded questions on practice methods. To him, it’s all about practicing toward a specific goal: “What kind of player do you intend to be? It wouldn’t make sense for me to learn a bass concerto if all I wanted to do was be in a rock band. There’s nothing wrong with learning as much as possible, but with the limited time we have, we should consider our goals and stay focused toward achieving them. For me early on, that meant learning melodies, since that was a weak part of my playing. I found my tools, like the Real Book and studying singers, and applied myself to that goal. It was great for me.”
Wojtek Pilichowski
While Polish slap virtuoso Wojtek Pilichowski had a difficult time communicating in English (although the interpreter certainly helped), he spoke fluently in the universal language of funk, putting on a phenomenal display of serious thumb chops.
Andrew Gouché
Gospel great and current Chaka Khan music director Andrew Gouché spread the word about his bass life with much candor in his well-received clinic. Following riveting play-alongs with two Chaka tracks, Gouché told it like it is on such topics as hating a gig but needing the money, tolerating poor bandmates and leaders, the perceived and real limitations of church musicians, and how not everyone is going to like your playing. Andrew, who got a laugh when he admitted that he tunes his basses down a whole-step because his main influence—gospel bass giant Joel Smith—tunes his down a half-step, then played along with a pair of gospel tracks. The latter, which he also discussed, was in the “shout” style, but it was the devoted crowd who was yelling as he unleashed killer fills and unison riffs (see Ex. 1) over the rapid-fire, swinging backbeat tempo. In summing up the unexpected but fortunate directions his career has taken, Gouché reminded, “Follow your heart and you’ll never go wrong.”
Matthew Garrison
Forward-thinking Matt Garrison opened with a solo performance aided by computer grooves and floor effects. He then mixed detail (the layout of his bass and his right-hand technique) with concept (studying with Dave Holland and touring with Herbie Hancock) in his usual humorous, anecdotal style. Matt may have his flashy sonics together, but he stressed that his firm foundation in fingerboard harmony is what every player needs. First, he broke down the essential scales and modes he works on. Next, he demonstrated how he applies this musically, playing along with his reharmonizations of “Giant Steps,” in which he replaced the original major chords first with minor-major 7’s, and then with major 7#5 chords.
Oskar Cartaya
Wowing a packed room with his Latin-inspired grooves, Oskar Cartaya helped explain Latin music’s essence to a captivated crowd. Oskar’s longtime percussionist, Tony Cintron, was on hand to help break it down.
Stanley Clarke & Oskar Cartaya
Clarke and Cartaya warmed up the Sunday morning crowd with a jazzy bossa nova (joined by Tony Cintron on drums), before diving into a group discussion on how to create a standard method book for the electric bass guitar, similar to Simandl’s for upright. Stanley and Oskar restated the reasons for their mission before taking questions and comments from a standing-room-only crowd that included Steve Bailey (who offered his input), Chuck Rainey, Tony Levin, and other clinicians. Out of the many audience thoughts and ideas came a simple yet brilliant suggestion: Start a website where bassists worldwide can share ideas and keep tabs on the book’s progress—something the pair vowed to do. Stay tuned.
Dave Pomeroy
With his years of stage and studio experience, Nashville bass ambassador Dave Pomeroy is a mine of helpful advice for working bassists. In his workshop, Dave discussed such real-world topics as awareness of tone and dynamic control, and he shared how focusing on key frequencies (around 1kHz) can make or break a solid recorded bass. After illuminating and ruminating on the Nashville number system of notation, Pomeroy invited fretless bass ace Tony Franklin up for a sweet two-bass taste of Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful.”
Stuart Hamm
Opening with a poignant reworking of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Stuart Hamm treated attendees to a humorous autobiography of musical vignettes recalling his meandering career path. Stuart revealed some of his methods for arranging music for solo bass, emphasizing the importance of telling a story with each piece, and how practicing “stupid slow” improves your finger strength.
Jonas Hellborg
“There is depth and refinement in all music,” said Jonas Hellborg, whose electrifying workshop with vocalist Mahesh Vinayakram had attendees straining their brains to comprehend the rhythmic and melodic intricacies of South Indian carnatic classical music. “Music is a human expression, and human beings are no more advanced in Tibet than they are in Boise, Idaho. But for me, carnatic music has been the most interesting to explore, because some of the richest treasures of rhythmic teaching come from there.”
After demonstrating some of the complex rhythmic cycles utilized in carnatic music (nine-and-a-half beats, anyone?), Jonas delved into the topic of harmony. “In harmony, there is really only one force: tension and release,” said Hellborg, who discussed adapting a traditional Western harmonic approach to work with carnatic music, a drone-based tradition normally devoid of polyphonic harmony. The key, said Jonas, lies in understanding intervals and their dynamic relationship with a stable tonic.
Gary Willis
“Nine times out of ten, bassists play with more pressure than they really need,” offered efficiency king Gary Willis in his workshop. “When you play, practice straddling that point where the string begins to buzz,” he said regarding fretting-hand technique. “Your notes will sound bigger if you play softer. If you play hard, you excite the string initially, but then it dies down more quickly. Turn up your amplifier and play softer, and the speaker will react as if you’re playing with more energy. And when I play faster, I play softer.” Playing along with looped grooves from his laptop, Willis emphasized the connection between groove and imagination: “The definition of a groove is that it repeats; the fun is in taking those repeated parts and changing them subtly. And when you create grooves that are improvisational, you build your vocabulary. You’ve got to keep your vocabulary full so you have more options when you play. Spend half your practice time with just a groove and your imagination.”
Steve Bailey
In addition to playing a few songs from his solo album So Low … Solo (which made its debut at BPL), educator and fretless 6-string player Steve Bailey spoke about his music-making concept, “The Five T’s.” He illustrated each “T” with musical examples and plenty of humor.
Time
“I wish I’d had a teacher when I first began playing bass who was adamant about developing great time. You have to make developing clean, solid time a priority by deciding, ‘Is this lick more important than the groove?’”
Tone
“This may be metaphysical, but a large part of your tone comes from the energy you put into your fingers. If you press down hard on the string using your fingertips, you’ll get a different sound than you would if you used just enough pressure to make good contact between your finger, the string, and the fingerboard. It can be subtle, but there is a difference in the roundness of your tone.”
Technique
“Technique is closely tied with your tone because good, efficient technique will help give you good tone. Having efficient technique allows us to play in more fields.”
Taste
“Taste is subjective. You have to calibrate yourself to the music, because what works in avant-garde jazz might not work in country blues. It’s not the bass, it’s how you play it.”
Tune
“Nobody plays fretless bass in tune 100 percent of the time. Playing fretless bass is about controlling your intonation, and its ‘out of tuneness’ is part of what’s cool about playing fretless. The way we get in tune is what makes it beautiful.”
Steve summarized the “Five T’s” by saying, “After focusing on each ‘T’ and adding it to your playing, you might not hear the difference each makes, but it does make a difference in your playing and tone.” While he takes playing bass seriously, he clearly doesn’t take himself too seriously, adding, “Of course, the last rule is ‘Do whatever you gotta do to make the music come out.’”
Jimmy Haslip
When practicing, you’re best off staying slow and steady, according to Jimmy Haslip. “It’s not a race. Slow down!”
John “JD” DeServio
Working his way into his current gig with rock & roll madman Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society, JD spent time in the woodshed and at Berklee College of Music. While he admitted that he doesn’t practice these days, DeServio stressed the importance of learning, regardless of the kind of music you play. “Practicing scales and modes to a metronome really helped me learn the instrument, and being able to read and write helps me communicate with other musicians, even ones who can’t read. I used to have my students go over modes and scales so they’d know which chord tones are working and what the music is going to sound like before they get there. It’s much easier to play once you learn, because there’s no guessing what notes you can hit.”
Doug Wimbish
Doug’s “Bass in Your Face” clinic focused on his concepts of extreme solo bass playing. Speaking more through his bass than the mic, Doug coaxed a staggering diversity of sonic colors from his bass, amp, and train of pedals.
Bakithi Kumalo
With the incredible drumming of fellow South African Anton Fig supporting him, Bakithi Kumalo soaked the audience in his imitable style, first heard on Paul Simon’s Graceland album.