BassPlayer 2017-02

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100 GREATEST BASS PLAYERS
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PAULJACKSONBASS.COM
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Donald “Duck” Dunn
With a penchant for finding the perfect
pocket, Duck was to Memphis
soul what Jamerson was to Motown.
As a member of Stax Records’ house
band, Booker T. & the M.G.’s (inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1992), Dunn influenced a generation
of deep groovers with his tight,
economical P-Bass lines, playing on
eternal soul classics like “In the Midnight
Hour,” “Soul Man,” and “Dock
of the Bay.”
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Abraham Laboriel
Among the second wave of L.A. session
bassists, none was more original
and innovative than Mexico City-born
Laboriel, whose radical fingerstyle,
slap, and two-handed techniques found
their way into mainstream film and
TV scores, and landmark recordings
by Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie,
Quincy Jones, Clint Black, Andráe
Crouch, George Benson, Paul Simon,
and Donald Fagen.
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Paul Jackson
On Headhunters classics like “Chameleon”
and “Actual Proof,” Jackson
made famous the sound of rhythmically
sophisticated, rubbery lines that
incorporated harmonics, soulful double-stops,
and string bends—essential
additions to any hip bassist’s skill
set. His dirty tone, courtesy of Fender
Telecaster and maple-board Precision
Basses, has stood the test of time.
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Berry Oakley
In his all-too-brief 24 years, the
Allman Brothers legend set the template
for Southern rock and jam-band
bass with a pick and the “Tractor,” a
’62 Fender Jazz with an added Guild
Starfire pickup. Oakley’s style was
contrapuntal and probing, especially
during solos, when he would engage
Allman guitarists by gradually moving
up the fingerboard. Listen to Live at
Fillmore East (1971).
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PAVEL KORBUT
Charlie Haden
Charlie Haden (1937–2014) told his
story with few notes. He rose to stardom
in 1959 with the Ornette Coleman
Quartet. In ’69, Haden founded
the Liberation Music Orchestra and
expanded his vision as a composer
and bandleader. From 1986 on, he
worked with Quartet West. Haden’s
earthy, beautifully austere style was
rooted in the folk music of his youth.
Joe Osborn
Bass was felt more than heard in pop
when Osborn—with a 1960 Fender
Jazz Bass and pick in hand—innovated
a melodic, legato style filled
with trademark slides and upperregister
phrases as a member of
L.A.’s Wrecking Crew. His canvases
include #1 hits by Ricky Nelson, the
Fifth Dimension, the Mamas & the
Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, and the
Carpenters (whom he discovered).
Geezer Butler
Black Sabbath literally invented
heavy metal in 1970, and Geezer Butler’s
adventurous, unbound playing
style remains the perfect foil to Tony
Iommi’s monolithic guitar riffs. When
they detuned to C# on 1971’s Master
of Reality, they singlehandedly forged
the template of the doom/stoner
metal subgenre. Career highlights
include Black Sabbath, Paranoid, and
Heaven and Hell.
Eddie Gomez
Eddie Gomez joined the Bill Evans
Trio in 1966 and took jazz bass technique
to a new level, expanding on
Scott LaFaro’s style. Rooted in classical
training, Gomez’s playing is forceful,
rhythmic, and melodic. After leaving
the Evans trio in 1977, Gomez worked
with Steps Ahead, Chick Corea, and
his own trios.
32 bassplayer.com / february2017