Why James Genus Works Every Night

An only child born in Hampton, Virginia on January 20, 1966, Genus was first inspired by the energy of early-’70s R&B radio. He started on guitar at age six, but he didn’t find his calling until he heard the sound of Larry Graham’s bass on record seven years later. Moving quickly from a Sears bass to a Precision, James joined a local band, played trombone in school, and benefited from the musical talent in the neighborhood, which included the Wooten Brothers. He began working the local dinner-theater circuit, getting his reading together just in time for the fusion influences of Stanley Clarke and Jaco. Genus got accepted to Virginia Commonwealth University, only to be told the school offered no degrees in electric bass. Instead, he majored in upright, hitting the Simandl book and digging into the classic jazz anchored by Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, and Scott LaFaro. Ellis Marsalis became an artist-in-residence in Genus’s senior year, and the pianist took James under his wing, teaching him privately and hiring him professionally.

Meanwhile, James maintained his versatile ways, playing in a country band at Busch Gardens and jamming with Victor Wooten, Oteil Burbridge, and Keith Horne, and drummers Carter Beauford, Billy Drummond, and Clarence Penn, who all lived and worked nearby. Before long, Marsalis advised James to move to New York City, which he did in 1987, registering in audio engineering school as a backup. Plan B was not necessary, as Genus was soon thumping his upright with everyone from “young lion” acts like OTB to drum legend Roy Haynes. At the same time he hit the R&B/pop circuit with his electric, laying it down for folks like Cissy Houston. Word of the new young doubler in town spread quickly to artists such as Horace Silver, Bob Berg, the Brecker Brothers, and Bob James.

What kind of calls do you get, and how do you choose projects?

It varies from hip-hop writing and recording sessions to R&B, pop, and film dates to jazz recordings, clubs, and tours—and it remains split right down the middle between upright and electric calls. Because I have Saturday Night Live 20 weeks a year, my work is more local now, although in the summer I’m mostly gone. I’d say my home/road split is 70/30. I like all kinds of music and I love playing bass, so I’m open to everything. My barometer is that the music should be interesting and trying to go somewhere, as opposed to being cheesy or corny or formulaic. If I don’t know the artist, I’ll ask them to send me an mp3 to check out. I hate labels, but I would say I’m a jazz musician at heart, and that’s what I’m most known for.

How do you typically come up with bass lines on both instruments?

My first impulse is to think rhythmically—get with the drummer and create a groove that feels good. Then I’ll think about making it interesting harmonically, and supporting everyone else without getting in the way. In pop and hip-hop these days, less is more; it’s about getting the most impact out of the fewest notes. With singer/songwriters I look at the song as a story and I think compositionally. In jazz I usually get the music in advance, and I make sure to play the written parts as the composer intended, while getting an idea of what the music is about for the improvised parts. Generally, on the electric side, if there were any particular players’ approach in the back of my mind, it would be Anthony Jackson’s and Marcus Miller’s. On the upright, I always have Dave Holland somewhere in mind.

Let’s talk about some of your long-running gigs: What do you like about playing with trumpeter Dave Douglas, and what’s the role of the bass in his sextet?

I met Dave soon after I got to New York, and a few years later he called me to record his album In Our Lifetime. We just had an immediate connection. I liked his original approach to writing and playing, particularly at a time that was dominated by the more traditional “young lions.” His music requires a very high level of group improvisation. His tunes consist of a framework, with maybe a melody and an accompanying bass line as the tonal center, but the harmony and the rest of the parts are open to interpretation from the musicians. So it really calls on all of your knowledge and experience to create and fill in the blanks. It’s not all straightahead walking, either; there are written figures with space in-between, so even though the time is constant, it can sound abstract. The overall result is that every time we play, it’s different. You can come up with the best ideas you ever played for a particular piece one night, but the nature of the music is you can’t go back and repeat them the next night.

How about the trio with guitarist Oz Noy?

That’s an interesting contrast to Dave’s gig. For me, it’s a different approach to improvised bass lines—another way to try to master what to do and what not to do within the parameters of a given situation. The role of the bass in Oz’s band is mainly groove and support, in more of a rock/funk/R&B vein. But there are long, repetitive vamps where the goal is to create new musical ideas while pushing it along. I’ll listen to Oz’s guitar and figure out what he needs, and I’ll follow him; other times I’ll suggest a new direction and we’ll go that way. It’s the same interaction with [drummers] Anton Fig or Keith Carlock. I find a lot of what I do is try to add intensity harmonically, maybe via a pedal tone or by going to the b5. Other than that, Chris Botti’s band is fun; he built it in the image of Sting’s Dream of the Blue Turtles band [bassist Daryl Jones, drummer Omar Hakim, keyboardist Kenny Kirkland, and saxophonist Branford Marsalis], with players who are equally at home in pop or jazz. Probably the outlet that affords me the greatest creative opportunity, with regard to contributing compositions and soloing extensively on both instruments, is the Makoto Ozone Trio [with Clarence Penn], but we play mostly in Japan.

How did you become a member of the Saturday Night Live house band?

Toward the end of the 2000 season, Tom Barney left to do Steely Dan, and [bandleader] Lenny Pickett called because someone had recommended me. I don’t know who, but since then, numerous players in the band have taken credit. [Laughs.] Lenny selects all the music—there’s a large book with hundreds of tunes—and the concept is classic soul and R&B, from tunes like “Tighten Up” [Archie Bell & the Drells] to Tower Of Power and Stevie Wonder, plus some originals in that vein. Throughout the season we change them up or add new arrangements. The TV audience doesn’t really get to hear us much, aside from pre-recorded sketch music, but we play through the commercials and for 30 minutes before the show starts. It sort of combines the pressure of the studio, with quick jumps and cuts needed to be done flawlessly, and the energy of playing for a live crowd. Gear-wise, there’s only room for me to sit down with my Fodera 5. I plug into my Ampeg B-15, and I use one or two in-ear monitors. Plus, I’m on a Euphonic Audio Rumble Seat, so I can feel the bass and the kick drum.

You’ve worked with some true masters. Can you recount any key lessons you’ve learned?

I’ve been fortunate to work with giants like the Brecker Brothers, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea, and I’ve gained so much from those experiences. But probably the greatest learning period for me was my earliest “big name” gig, with Horace Silver. His bass lines tended to be ostinatos in one position, so that was the first time I learned about endurance! And the importance of the groove was imparted to me in a big way. A lot of the basics about playing and performing came from working with Horace.

What lies ahead for you, and what advice can you offer to bassists looking to make a career in New York?

In addition to maintaining my current session and touring pace, I’d like to eventually do a solo project—a CD that features my playing and writing, but not a flashy bass-hero disc. I’d also drop everything to do a major-artist world tour; I’d like to experience that just once.

As for advice on this town, be open to every kind of music; nowadays that’s really the only way to work steadily. Learn how to play a lot of different styles. You don’t necessarily need to double, but know how the upright sounds and feels in different genres so you can fill those roles. And being able to read is a great asset; I run into it all the time. Practicing and listening to master a style or concept can seem endless, but I can tell you from experience: One day something clicks and a door opens in your mind, and then you’ve got it down.