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Charles Mingus
Tough choice - there's so many great ones. But I'd have to say Tony Levin.
FWIW, the mandolinist in that Rowan-Rice clip (Sharon Gilchrist) is herself a powerful, driving bass player.
With out a doubt, it's Roy Husky, Jr.
Michael Paisley
Elsie Henry.
[She played at some of our local jams, but she died a couple of years back. I guess I'm waiting for a replacement to step up??]
James Jamerson of Motown
Mark Schatz
Many tremendously good bass players. Tom Gray, Todd Phillips, Sharon Gilchrist, Mark Schatz, Edgar Myer, Bill Amatneek, John Cowan (Yes I realize he plays electric bass) there are many others and I don't mean to exclude anyone!
Tom Gray,,& Jasper Lorentzen
https://www.youtube.com/live/NtSZNXjFvHs?si=kX-OTIccVIL7kNWf
Edited by - chuckv97 on 02/06/2025 09:50:54
RB3, good to see Roy Husky Jr mentioned here. I have sometimes listened to him playing and thought that he was hitting the perfect note at the perfect time with perfect tone like no one else I've ever heard. Not one bit flashy and so often overlooked; he is one of the finest musicians of any type that I have ever heard and should be a model for all bass players.
Fred Levine
My favorite bass player is any local guy or gal who owns a double bass, knows the chords to a lot of bluegrass songs or old time tunes, comes to the local jams, and can play the root and the fifth in time and with a big tone.
John Entwistle and Lemmy in the 1970s especially with Hawkwind.
quote:
Originally posted by eagleislandTough choice - there's so many great ones. But I'd have to say Tony Levin.
Surely, Tony has to be way up there, regardless of genre. King Crimson, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Laurie Anderson, Steve Gadd, John Lennon...
His innovative techniques...
Victor Wooten.
Jim Kerwin
Tends to be under the radar, but with tremendous and long experience. Has been David Grisman’s bass player for years.
Jeff Reynolds KVNF Radio Paonia CO. At one of the local jams I sit to the left of him and his stand up bass, even if I hit a wrong note I'm playing in time.
Leland Sklar, Ron Carter, Ray Brown.
banjo bill-e
Several years ago, a good friend hosted an after-party for some of the musicians who performed at the Tall Stacks riverboat festival in Cincinnati. The party consisted of one, continuous jam session. Some of the participants were John Hartford, Peter Rowan, Flaco Jimenez, and Buddy Griffin. Roy Husky was also at the party, but he had not brought his bass. Very late in the evening, a local player showed up with a bass, and Husky was prevailed upon to join the jam. With Husky added, the music was instantly taken up about three notches. I've never heard anything quite like it.
I am with you Wayne. I played on a session in the 80s with Roy Husky on bass. He was tremendous not to mention the bass he was playing was super strong. I think he said it was is dads bass
If I'd answered this question 30 years ago it would have been players like Jaco Pastorius or Stanley Clarke, virtuoso masters. These days my appreciation is more for the likes of Husky, Ray Brown, Jamerson, or David Hood from Muscles Shoals Sound. These players support and elevate everyone else in the band, which should be the main role of the bass player. Any bass solo past four bars is a waste! (and ditto on drum solos)
Hard to pick one,but I'll try.
John Cowan because of his association with the Newgrass Revival,his stellar singing and of course his great bass playing.
Edited by - steve davis on 02/10/2025 16:01:15
Jack Casady, Phil Lesh, Chris Hillman
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