How Low Can You Go?

Of all the existing musical instruments, the bass (be it the large double bass or the bass guitar) is probably the most underrated. After all, its role is to lay the foundation of songs, given that its register falls at the lower end of the scale.

Some might think that there’s not much to being a bass player, yet without a bass line in the mix, many songs would sound bland. Music is not always about the melodies or the harmonies. Sometimes, what tickles the musical bone in a person is the song’s groove, its rhythm – an aspect of music that the bass is often responsible for.

There are some instances when the bassist shines over all the other musicians in the band. Some have such immense talent that they are revered as one the greatest bassists of all time. Here’s a list of ten of these musicians.

10. Bootsy Collins

Starting off as one of the bassists of James Brown and George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins played and performed with such flare, he’s considered one of the leading personalities in funk. Always dressed in outrageously-colored clothes, he wields an outrageously-shaped bass guitar he fondly calls “Bootzilla.”

Heavily employing the so-called slap technique, Collins is known for his distinct watery bass sound. He achieves this mainly through a set of effects pedals called envelope filters. The effects serve to punctuate his rhythmic attack to the bass, since every click and hiss of the guitar is heard.

9. Les Claypool

Frontman of the eccentric alternative-rock-funk band Primus, Les Claypool is also a talented composer, lyricist, and overall musical aficionado. Claypool’s fusion of tapping, slapping and thunder-finger picking has made him one of the most respected bassists in recent history.

His influence over the bass and pretty much the entire musical community stems from his eccentric personality. Known to sing with a distinct timbre, Claypool often goes wild on stage, much to the amusement of the audience. Interestingly enough, he maintains the fluidity of his playing while thrashing and jumping around.

8. Stanley Clarke

When he broke through into the jazz scene sometime in the 1970s, Stanley Clarke was only a teenager who just graduated from the Philadelphia Academy of Music. Regardless of his age, Clarke infused his bass playing with the wisdom of veteran musicians such as Charles Mingus and Scott LaFaro.

Many jazz greats took notice of Clarke’s melodic approach to the bass. These included Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Chick Corea, Stan Getz and Gil Evans.

After doing the rounds in the jazz scene, Clarke joined Chick Corea to form the seminal jazz fusion band, Return to Forever. With RTF, Clarke recorded eight albums, won a few awards here and there, and solidified his space as one of the greatest bassists of all time.

7. Geddy Lee

Pioneering a genre that would be later known as “progressive rock” or “prog,” Geddy Lee influenced such heavy metal bassists as Cliff Burton of Metallica and John Myung of Dream Theater. As the lead vocalist and keyboardist of the Canadian band Rush, Lee crafted intricate bass lines that drew influences from many different genres.

Geddy Lee was inducted into Bass Hall Of Fame for “Guitar Player Magazine,” and was named best rock bassist on several occasions.

6. Louis Johnson and Larry Graham

When people think of funk, they often have a specific bass sound in mind – one that is littered with thuds and pops. Since funk is about groove and rhythm, a percussive bass line fits perfectly in the genre.

The thudding and popping is often achieved by hitting the bass strings and snapping them. In the lingo of bass players, this technique is often called the slap-pop technique, in which instead of plucking the strings, a bassist hits around the area where the neck meets with body with the fat part of the thumb.

Bass greats Louis Johnson and Larry Graham are often credited as the fathers of this technique. Although Louis Johnson wowed crowds while on tour with the band Brother’s Johnson, Larry Graham got the funky groove on first with Sly and Family Stone, and later with his own Graham Central Station.

5. Rocco Prestia

With the funk scene dominated by slap and popping bassists, Francis “Rocco” Prestia got people moving without even slapping or popping his bass strings. Bassist to horn-based funk/soul band Tower of Power, Prestia achieved his percussive sound mostly by muting the strings with his fretting hand.

Since he plucked the strings, Prestia was still able to craft funky bass lines without significantly sacrificing the low-end sound of the bass.

4. Sting

Not many know him as Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, but the name “Sting” has made him an important figure in recent music history. As the main songwriter, vocalist and bassist for the Police, Sting may not have crafted the most mind-blowing bass lines, but his subdued yet functional approach to bass playing has created a lot of really good pop songs.

Upon embarking on a solo career, Sting still brought with him his knack for simple yet melodic bass lines to further strengthen his influence over the musical community.

3. Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney is highly-respected, not just as the bassist to the seminal Beatles, but also as an all-around musician. Again, not one for virtuoso playing, Paul McCartney can be credited with providing the basis for many of notions about today’s melodic bass lines.

Listed in the “Guinness Book of World Records” as the most successful composer of all time, McCartney received over 60 gold discs, as his song “Yesterday” is considered the most covered song in recent history.

2. Charles Mingus

Often referred to as the “Angry Man of Jazz,” Charles Mingus can be considered one of the greatest jazz composers of all time. Though he was a skilled cellist and pianist, he often stood as a bandleader with double bass duties. He was known to be very specific about what he wanted to hear from his band mates, yet he was also keen on letting them improvise as a group.

When it came to his bass-playing, he was as erudite as he was with his compositions. His solos often twisted and turned so much, audiences really had to focus just to be able to enjoy the show.

1. Jaco Pastorius

Of all the bassists that have come and go, Jaco Pastorius is probably the only person who can be considered the true superstar bassist. Growing up in a musical family, Pastorius started off as a drummer. A football injury, however, would have his wrist in need of corrective surgery due to a build-up of calcium.

Fortunately, the band that he was in at the time lost its bassist. Pastorius decided to fill in the position, and the rest is, as they say, history. Later on, Pastorius found himself left with a jazz bass after his double bass crumbled in the humidity of Florida. He decided to take away the frets, effectively creating probably the most popular bass guitar in the world.

His guitar became instrumental for crafting his signature sound that many described as a distinct howl. In many of Pastorius’ compositions, this sound would be far up in the mix, elevating the concept of a bassist as a rhythm section mainstay to a full-fledged solo artist.

Not So Low (Key) after All

Bassists may sometimes take on very low-key roles in bands, but their contribution to the music is significant. Sometimes, though, bassists endowed with immense talent step away from their low profiles and take center stage.

 

One of the genres of music where the bass figures so prominently is Jazz. And it has lent its deep, rich tones to the songs of the Top Ten Jazz Artists of All Time.