Who could forget the ultra-catchy subhook under Silly Love Songs (1976)? It’s good enough not only to anchor the verses, but also choruses that would otherwise be about as melodically and lyrically powerful as boiled lintīy 1967’s Sgt. Early on, his bass lines were highly effective but fairly conventional, such as the energetic I Saw Her Standing There and All My Loving (1963). While Jamerson and Jaco were changing the electric bass in their own way, Paul McCartney was doing it with extreme visibility, front-and-center with the Beatles. Three decades after Jaco’s death at the hands of a South Florida bouncer, he’s still the gold standard for expressiveness and intonation on fretless bass, Jazz Bass back-pickup tone, and 16th-note stamina, but few can match his effortless blend of abundant technique and earthy groove. In his own work, the charismatic Philadelphia native fused seemingly disparate elements-big bands, Motown, the Caribbean/Latin flavors of his South Florida upbringing, the influences of jazz heroes like Charles Mingus and Paul Chambers, the funk of James Brown’s bassists, Western classical, the innovations of contemporaries like Jerry Jemmott, and Paul McCartney’s melodicism-into a hip, soulful, signature cocktail with more than a twist of rock & roll attitude. In his own work, the charismatic Philadelphia native fused seemingly disparate elements In seven years, between 19, Jaco’s staggering contributions to discs by Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, and Weather Report radically upended our expectations of electric bass, and he further cemented his legend on records by Herbie Hancock, Albert Mangelsdorff, Michel Colombier, Al Di Meola, and others. It's sobering to realize just how drastically Jaco Pastorius changed our world in the short time he was here. The true genius bassists are not the ones who play a million notes-it’s the ones whose bass lines are loved worldwide and remembered through history.” 2. Or as Stanley Clarke said in his March ’15 BP cover story, “Creating a great bass line is much harder to do than soloing. It also speaks to a collective bass player understanding that the instrument’s function is still about support.
That he tops our list adds to the irony of his dying in relative obscurity in 1983, at age 47, considering all of the accolades since then that have shined a light on his genius. That he tops our list adds to the irony of his dying in relative obscurity in 1983, at age 47, considering all of the accolades since then that have shined a light on his geniusĪs Funk Brother #1 in Motown’s 'Snake Pit,' Jamerson customized his approach to fit the style of each artist he cut with, including Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, the Four Tops, the Temptations, and the Jackson 5-resulting in such masterworks as Bernadette, I Was Made to Love Her, I’m Wondering, and What’s Going On. The most important and influential bass guitarist in the 66-year history of the Fender Precision he played, South Carolina-born, Detroit-raised James Jamerson wrote the bible on bass line construction and development, feel, syncopation, tone, touch, and phrasing, while raising the artistry of improvised bass playing in popular music to zenith levels. Just starting out? These are the best beginner bass guitars.Consider this gem from Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook, when writer Thomas Wictor asked him how he felt about being considered influential: “How are you supposed to feel about something like that? You’re an ‘innovative bassist who’s influenced hundreds of bass players,’ but when you’ve got a flat tire on your car or you’re trying to stop your baby from crying, that isn’t any use whatsoever, is it? It makes me embarrassed, mostly.” In the end, though, how much do these rankings matter? Not much. No single contributor would have arrived at this exact list, but we can (almost) all agree on the Top 10. Here at Bass Player, we’re quite a diverse lot, so a big part of the fun was engaging in passionate conversations about why a player should or shouldn’t be included, and deciding how high or low players should be ranked. Bradman, Jonathan Herrera, Karl Coryat, and Jon D’Auria former editors Jim Roberts, Richard Johnston, Bill Leigh, and Brian Fox and longtime contributors Ed Friedland, John Goldsby, Freddy Villano, and Rick Suchow.Īs in many situations, personal taste trumped Vulcan logic. With those parameters in place, we got down to making our picks, bringing in BP folks present and past: writers Chris Jisi, E.E.