BassPlayer 2017-02

CS
100 GREATEST BASS PLAYERS
the finer points of creating musical
bass lines, incorporating dynamics,
and especially shaping tone.
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Beach Boys (Pet Sounds, “Good Vibrations”),
Quincy Jones (“Hickey Burr”),
Sonny & Cher (“The Beat Goes On”),
Mel Tormé (“Games People Play”),
and Joe Cocker (“Feeling Alright”).
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JIM CROCKETT
The Chicago native credits such mentors
as his brother Maurice, Charles
Stepney, and especially Chess session
bass ace (and later EWF trombonist)
Louis Satterfield—but Verdine is the
true shining star.
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global stage. Ensuing group such as
Mr. Big, Niacin, and Winery Dogs
have enabled Sheehan to remain
chart- and arena-relevant.
30
Israel “Cachao” Lopez
The father of Latin bass and king of
the tumbao, Cachao transformed
the Cuban traditional dance, danzon,
into mambo, and his seminal recordings
of jam sessions called descargas
changed popular Afro-Cuban music
and paved the way for generations
of artists to follow. As a classically
trained bassist who made his symphonic
debut at 13, Cachao developed
a hard-swinging style rife with inventive
figures that included hitting the
body of the bass, all to create rhythmic
counterpoint—the true mark of
great Latin bass playing.
25
Chris Squire
When Squire first hit the FM airwaves
with Yes, listeners weren’t even sure
they were hearing bass. His zingy,
aggressive riffs under songs such
as “Roundabout” (1971), played on
his Rickenbacker RM1999, made
for a completely new sound—especially
since he used both a pick and
roundwounds. Squire’s machinelike
precision, too, was a key part
of the band’s vibe. “He was thinking
outside the box,” says Yes guitarist
Steve Howe. “It was like he jumped
over the fence and saw it from the
other side.”
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George Porter Jr.
The Meters legend’s style, built alongside
Zigaboo Modeliste’s second-line
syncopations, has inspired generations
of funk fans to try mastering
gems like “Cissy Strut,” “Funkify Your
Life,” and “Africa.” Although he has
retired his main Fender Telecaster
and Precision axes, Porter and his
Lakland Bob Glaub are still on fire
with the Runnin’ Partners, the Funky
Meters, and several other bands, soulfully
epitomizing the New Orleans
bass sound.
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NEIL ZLOZOWER
Flea
Flea’s aggressive, slap-heavy style
with the Red Hot Chili Peppers lit
up the mid-’80s L.A. scene, exemplified
by their cover of Stevie Wonder’s
“Higher Ground” (1989). By ’91,
Flea had emerged with a refined style,
largely trading in his slapping for
muscular melodic statements, such
as the back-and-forth ostinato on
the hit “Give It Away.” Through the
’90s and beyond, Flea has remained
one of the most visible and admired
representatives of rock bass.
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Carol Kaye
The first lady of bass is a pioneering
legend both as a performer and
educator. A bebop guitarist, Kaye
picked up a Fender Precision at a
1963 Capitol session for an absent
bassist. Possessing a deft touch and
funky feel, she began a rapid rise as
a member of L.A.’s Wrecking Crew,
which recorded seminal sides with the
Verdine White
How do you anchor a band like Earth,
Wind & Fire? If you’re Verdine White,
you do it with bass lines as powerful
and memorable as the songs they support.
White’s running-start pickups
and pocket-widening post-one pops are
key components to the EWF sound.
Billy Sheehan
The prolific rock-bass virtuoso honed
his craft in the Buffalo bar trio Talas,
where he recreated on his fingerboard
many of the missing parts on cover
songs. Talas opened for Van Halen
in 1980, leading Sheehan to join
David Lee Roth’s band and advance
his groundbreaking techniques on a
Lee Sklar
Highlights from the bearded bass
master’s incredible L.A. session reign
from the late-’60s to still-going-strong:
His melody-first, singer/songwritertemplate
bass lines with James Taylor.
His remarkable first-take creativity
and extreme versatility, heard
on major road and record runs with
Phil Collins, Toto, Lyle Lovett, Billy
Cobham [Spectrum], and Carole King’s
28 bassplayer.com / february2017