BassPlayer 2017-02

CS
100 GREATEST BASS PLAYERS
recent reunion with Taylor. And the
“producer switch,” a dummy toggle
on his bass that speaks for itself.
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34
36
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Will Lee
The quintessential Gotham bassist
since 1971, Lee redefined support
bass with a new level of stylistic versatility
via his ability to shade the
pocket in myriad ways and move
seamlessly from finger-plucking to
slapping, which he introduced to
the studio scene. “Uncle Will” has
played and recorded with everyone,
invented late-night TV bass and the
term “subhook,” sings his butt off,
and is eternally hip.
33
Oscar Pettiford
Just as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie
created bebop language on
their instruments, Oscar Pettiford
(1922–1960) defined bebop on bass.
He had a sleek walking style, precise
in melodic choices and steady
in tempo, with brilliant and complex
solo lines. Pettiford penned several
must-know bass standards, including
“Tricotism,” “Bohemia After Dark,”
and “Blues in the Closet.”
35
Tony Levin
Whether he’s playing lines on a Chapman
Stick, a tiny Guild Ashbory, or
a 3-string bass, Levin’s innovations
with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel
have resulted in sounds never heard
before. Perfect example: his strap-on
wooden extensions called “funk fingers,”
which evolved from drummer
Jerry Marotta banging on Levin’s
strings for Gabriel’s smash hit “Big
Time” (1986). And, he’s played with
a ton of other artists.
37
Louis Johnson
A songwriter, session wiz, and funk
bass-hero, “Thunder Thumbs” was an
intense master whose earthy, sophisticated
grooves changed history, most
famously with the Brothers Johnson
and on Michael Jackson’s Thriller
(still the best-selling album ever).
His grooves, played on P-Basses, Gibsons,
Alembics, Trekers, and Music
Man basses, left an imprint on pop
culture that will never die.
39
Les Claypool
No ’90s alt-rocker reimagined the
bass more than Claypool with Primus,
and on a fretless 6-string, no less.
On “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver”
(1991), Les slaps, taps, and tritones
his Carl Thompson bass to produce
a frenetic whack-fest with a strong,
slightly swinging 16th-note groove.
Claypool got players asking, What
on earth is he doing? And how can
I do it, too?
Aston “Family Man”
Barrett
What would reggae be without Bob
Marley, and what would Marley’s
music be without Family Man’s infectious,
rock-solid bass melodies, most
often played on Jazz Basses with flats?
“I’ve played before Bob, with Bob,
and after Bob, and along the way, I
created a whole new concept of bass
playing,” he said in 2007. “That’s just
my thing. That’s my destiny.”
Jimmie Blanton
Without Blanton (1918–1942) there
would be no Ray Brown, Oscar Pettiford,
Ron Carter, or Dave Holland.
The granddaddy of modern jazz bassists,
Blanton played with the Duke
Ellington Orchestra from ’39–’41. His
features with Ellington on big band
tunes like “Jack the Bear,” “Ko-Ko,”
and “Sepia Panorama” brought the
bass to the forefront of jazz.
Nathan East
Cracking the L.A. session scene in
1980, East has enjoyed a storybook
career, thanks to his melodic grooves
and innate musicality. Key associations
include Eric Clapton, Quincy
Jones, Phil Collins, Kenny Loggins,
Whitney Houston, David Foster,
and Daft Punk. East’s 26 years in
Fourplay developed his singing and
writing chops, leading to his acclaimed
2014 solo debut.
30 bassplayer.com / february2017