The best bassist in the entire history of the world

[dragonfyr]

Sorry,

I'm not alone in my disdaine(sp?) for Entwistle. Hardly the first to explore the finer points, I'd argue that Jaco Pastorius did that, maybe even John Mills. If we want to explore Bass players who write and sing I'll take the late James Dewer of Stone The Crows and Robin Trower, he wrote circles around Bruce IMO.

I love Theme from an Imaginary Western, we opened for Leslie in 74? At the Chicago Amphitheater.

Better that Closer to the Edge? Hardly

I guess we'll agree to disagree. just know one thing......I'm right and you're wrong nah, nah[]

Hmmmmm! I must admit to being a bit, no, 'allot' confused here![]

Wow! Disdain for Entwistle???

I am not sure of the source of your personal hangup here!

But, please! Have a seat and try to relax! ...and we will try to get you some help! ...It will be OK![]

And Jaco was the first to explore 'the finer points' of the bass? Jaco didn't even come onto the scene until the '70s!??

That wasn't even the claim to fame for Entwistle! I am not sure what the issue is here between you and Entwistle, but I will let you deal with it, it doesn't change what Entwistle did for almost 10 years before Jaco even entered the music scene!

And what Jaco did and what Entwistle did - I'm not sure how you even compare them as they don't compete in the same areas at all! And I wouldn't even attempt to debate between the two. It would be a silly topic. It's like arguing monster trucks versus GTP/CanAm sports cars![]

And I'm glad that you seem to desire to take all of the fringe issues and elements mentioned as esoteric asides and somehow try to substitute them to prove some other point. Bass players who are vocalists?? Yeah, Stone the Crows did put on an electrifying stage show[] Literally! (A tragedy, that!) They were literally one of the first acts I did a show with in '70.

And if you are debating songwriting bass players? How about some minor fellow by the name of Brian Wilson? But that wasn't a desire of mine either...

I am not sure of the reason for the outburst, nor your issues with Entwistle! []

Maybe its because Anderson's vocals drive me up the wall...who knows (but I wasn't alone!) - and all because I dared to mention Jack Bruce? I guess I touched a nerve![]

If you want to try to make a point based on something I qualified as an exception, be my guest! That is why I dis-qualified the mention of Bruce as an exception from the start!!!!

And if anyone else wants to use some other criteria for judging someone, that's fine. But as long as you do you are talking apples and oranges! At that point it ceases to make sense to try to debate across categories!!!

For all I care one can judge folks based on how they look in spandex and glitter, but that does not change the evaluation of players based upon the impact they had on innovation in bass playing.

And if you simply like 'fun' and 'proficient' bass players, dare I say there are pages worth of them! And arguing about any of them is ludicrous, as we will have just reduced the evaluation to purely subjective terms, and I am not interested in an argument over which flavor of ice cream is best! Enjoy!

And for all the amazing and innovative bass players that exist and have existed, my personal favorite as both a player and a person (and yes, Victor and others are dear friends!) is still Jack Casady! And may I suggest that anyone, whether you are a guitarist or a bass player, if you are serious, please check out the master's classes at Jorma's Fur Peace Ranch in Pomeroy, OH.

PS - The one notable exception that is so apparent in his absence is the mention by anyone regarding James Jamerson! As the father of the Motown bass lines, it would seem far more would be showing their reverence to his contribution then to Chris Squire! Although I will credit Squire with managing to wrestle that damned Rickenbacker! ...Perhaps the best looking and most awkward monstrosity to ever be manufactured! And how else could you play that disaster then with a pick![][]

So there!! Nah, nah, nah![]

...Right back atcha![][][]

Have fun!!!!!

[][][][]

PS. If you like Dewar and his work with Trower, the remastered and expanded offerings including Bridge of Sighs, etc. are well worth while!

[TEXASRONANDTRISH]

Sorry,

I'm not alone in my disdaine(sp?) for Entwistle. Hardly the first to explore the finer points, I'd argue that Jaco Pastorius did that, maybe even John Mills. If we want to explore Bass players who write and sing I'll take the late James Dewer of Stone The Crows and Robin Trower, he wrote circles around Bruce IMO.

I love Theme from an Imaginary Western, we opened for Leslie in 74? At the Chicago Amphitheater.

Better that Closer to the Edge? Hardly

I guess we'll agree to disagree. just know one thing......I'm right and you're wrong nah, nah[]

Hmmmmm! I must admit to being a bit, no, 'allot' confused here![]

Wow! Disdain for Entwistle???

I am not sure of the source of your personal hangup here!

But, please! Have a seat and try to relax! ...and we will try to get you some help! ...It will be OK![]

And Jaco was the first to explore 'the finer points' of the bass? Jaco didn't even come onto the scene until the '70s!??

That wasn't even the claim to fame for Entwistle! I am not sure what the issue is here between you and Entwistle, but I will let you deal with it, it doesn't change what Entwistle did for almost 10 years before Jaco even entered the music scene!

And what Jaco did and what Entwistle did - I'm not sure how you even compare them as they don't compete in the same areas at all! And I wouldn't even attempt to debate between the two. It would be a silly topic. It's like arguing monster trucks versus GTP/CanAm sports cars![]

And I'm glad that you seem to desire to take all of the fringe issues and elements mentioned as esoteric asides and somehow try to substitute them to prove some other point. Bass players who are vocalists?? Yeah, Stone the Crows did put on an electrifying stage show[] Literally! (A tragedy, that!) They were literally one of the first acts I did a show with in '70.

And if you are debating songwriting bass players? How about some minor fellow by the name of Brian Wilson? But that wasn't a desire of mine either...

I am not sure of the reason for the outburst, nor your issues with Entwistle! []

Maybe its because Anderson's vocals drive me up the wall...who knows (but I wasn't alone!) - and all because I dared to mention Jack Bruce? I guess I touched a nerve![]

If you want to try to make a point based on something I qualified as an exception, be my guest! That is why I dis-qualified the mention of Bruce as an exception from the start!!!!

And if anyone else wants to use some other criteria for judging someone, that's fine. But as long as you do you are talking apples and oranges! At that point it ceases to make sense to try to debate across categories!!!

For all I care one can judge folks based on how they look in spandex and glitter, but that does not change the evaluation of players based upon the impact they had on innovation in bass playing.

And if you simply like 'fun' and 'proficient' bass players, dare I say there are pages worth of them! And arguing about any of them is ludicrous, as we will have just reduced the evaluation to purely subjective terms, and I am not interested in an argument over which flavor of ice cream is best! Enjoy!

And for all the amazing and innovative bass players that exist and have existed, my personal favorite as both a player and a person (and yes, Victor and others are dear friends!) is still Jack Casady! And may I suggest that anyone, whether you are a guitarist or a bass player, if you are serious, please check out the master's classes at Jorma's Fur Peace Ranch in Pomeroy, OH.

PS - The one notable exception that is so apparent in his absence is the mention by anyone regarding James Jamerson! As the father of the Motown bass lines, it would seem far more would be showing their reverence to his contribution then to Chris Squire! Although I will credit Squire with managing to wrestle that damned Rickenbacker! ...Perhaps the best looking and most awkward monstrosity to ever be manufactured! And how else could you play that disaster then with a pick![][]

So there!! Nah, nah, nah![]

...Right back atcha![][][]

Have fun!!!!!

[][][][]

PS. If you like Dewar and his work with Trower, the remastered and expanded offerings including Bridge of Sighs, etc. are well worth while!

Ah, we're having fun now.[]

I compared Jaco to the Ox because before the 70's Entwistle did nothing to further the bass as an instrument, not that he ever did but he did improve in the 70's. Different styles to be sure but YOU brought others into the mix so I thought I might as well.

I don't get how you can't appreciate Squire-*** for tat there.

You got into the whole innovation thing again, and again, thats not what the originator of the topic asked. Although Ox did NOTHING innovative, as I see it.[]

As for the Trower remasters, got em all. Actually I'm a Trower nut. I have over 100 boots of his. James Dewer is Kinda my musical hero, his voice, oh that voice.Nice tight playing as well. I met Bill Lordon on tour once and we hit it off. I have demos of Trower along with Him, Dewer and Lordon jamming in Robins apartment. GREAT stuff. Sat in on a recording session for Long Misty days, literally sat, No I did not play, nor was I asked[] I have demos from that session with alternate takes.

Flame Away

Ron

[theryugobuddy]

oh yeah, whats AMG?

Allmusicguide which is www.allmusic.com---

I seem to look at it more than once a day--

God--what a database--

[TEXASRONANDTRISH]

WOW nice website, check out www.progarchives.com sometime. Great prog site.

Ron

[dragonfyr]

[

I don't get how you can't appreciate Squire-*** for tat there.

You got into the whole innovation thing again, and again, thats not what the originator of the topic asked.

Yep, I chose to define my choices based upon a qualifying factor. As just saying 'best' _____ is meaningless without some criterion!

So maybe we should be evaluating them based on the best crocheting bassist, or best handwriting![]

You are of course free to use any criteria you chose, but if you are going to debate my choices, at least evaluate them according to the criteria I chose, otherwise its rather meaningless![]

Yes, Squire is talented, especially to put up with Anderson (for as long as that lasted!). I guess my real objection to them was the pomposity of so much of it ( esp. Wakeman and Anderson!), not the playing abilities. Besides the folks from Uriah Heep were much more sociable and even their over the top music was more approachable and fun then Yes' pomposity!! Plus, unlike the others, Yes suffered from a 'head up their posterior' sense of arrogance![]

And Chris Michie came over to Tull just after the Broken Barricades stuff he engineered with Procol Harum and Trower's subsequent departure. And I must admit to always delighting in the opportunities to see Procol Harem. And Robin is always amazing in all of his incarnations, and Isadore and Dewar were a superb compliment to him! Ironic that he can't get a recording contract while the plethora of boy bands, hip hop and the bare midriff trash are flourishing! (oops! did I show a bit of a bias!?[])

And while rambling, another quality pairing was that of Dick Wagner (gtr) and Prakesh John after working with both LReed and Alice Cooper. Quite a presence...

And that is not to dismiss the original Alice Cooper Band, one heck of a tight live outfit (despite the personal excesses!).

So yes, there are plenty of quality and fun bass players. So many that the 'best' attribute becomes rather meaningless if we simply make it a subjective quality. But hey, does any of this really matter?[]

[theryugobuddy]

WOW nice website, check out www.progarchives.com sometime. Great prog site.

Ron

Thanks Tron---I'll be looking at this...

I've also downloaded and very much enjoy IQ "Dark Matter" and Flower Kings"Space Explorer" based on your previous posts--

And--hey guys--the title of this thread was meant as fun tongue in cheek, after seeing how nuts everyone went on that drummers thread in 2-Channel--but hey --have at it!!

[Allan Songer]

Those are electric guitars those cats are playing--four strings, sure--but electric guitars.

THIS is a bass:

[rockbobmel]

Hmmm, What about Billy Sheehan? or John Myung? Truely world class.

Anyone heard of Peter (Mars) Cowling? Don't forget Allen Woody......I really like Mike Inez's playing and style.

Kudos to Chris Squire. I learned all of the Yes songs in the 70's. Big inspiration for me. Big Fan........

[jacksonbart]

Nathan East

[j-malotky]

My vote would be for Tony Levin.

JM

[colterphoto1]

My votes concur with many here:

Fish, (Chris Squire)

Tony Levin

Ox (Entwisle)- funny how they like animal names...

Jaco

Wooten

Paul McC.

JPJones of Zep (not flamboyant, but great orchestrator, keyboardist, multi talent)

Michael

[BobbyT]

Rob Trujillo

[mark1101]

I see not too many Dead Heads in the house. How about Phil Lesh? Haven't seen him mentioned unless I missed it. Just about 40 years with the Dead. He's had some practice.

[grog]

I am going to vote for a bass player everyone has heard but may not know him by name.

If you love Roxy Music and thrill at the great performance of their "Live At The Apollo" then you have heard his great bass.

Still, Roxy Music includes some of the greatest musicians in the world bar non!

So you like Roxy Music or never heard of them.

Well this bass player has played with just about everyone else.

Here is a list of some he has performed and/or recorded with:

Marc Anthony

Patti Austin

Elmer Bernstein

Bono

Boys II Men

James Brown

Rosanne Cash

Ed Choi

Eric Clapton

Marc Cohn

Shawn Colvin

DJ Kay Slay

Dr. John

Stephen Endelman

Eurythmics

Donald Fagen

Bryan Ferry

George Fenton

Robben Ford

Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama

Aretha Franklin

Levon Helm

Thelma Houston

Enrique Iglesias

Institutional Radio Choir

Jewel

Billy Joel

Elton John

Lucy Kaplansky

Jennifer Kimball

Carole King

Diana King

Patty Larkin

Cyndi Lauper

Jennifer Lopez

Lyle Lovett

Tania Maria

George Michael

Bette Midler

Ennio Morricone

J.J. Milteau

Bob Mintzer Big Band

Aaron Neville

New York Voices

Luciano Pavarotti

Rachel Portman

Kim Richey

Linda Ronstadt

Roxy Music

Jon Secada

Jane Siberry

Carly Simon

Phoebe Snow

Spice Girls

Sting

Marc Suozzo

James Taylor

Caetano Veloso

Suzanne Vega

Vanessa Williams

Yellowjackets

Ok..... I will tell you now!!!

It's Zev Katz

http://www.manzanera.com/RoxyArchive/RoxyMusicTour2001/zevkatzbiog.htm

Zev Katz is a New Yorker and a bass player of vast experience. He's

been playing bass with some of the world's finest musicians for 32

years. His credits are a 'Who's who' of the finest singers, songwriters

and composers of the past thirty years. The list is impressive: Aretha

Franklin, James Taylor, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Donald Fagen, Dr

John, Suzanne Vega, Ennio Morricone, Elmer Bernstein and, of course,

Bryan Ferry and now Roxy Music.

Zev and his family have been living in Battersea, South London while he works the UK side of the Atlantic.

His precise, fluent and yet under-stated style meshes superbly with the

driving drumming of TGPT and the subtle percussion of Julia Thornton.

Every night on the tour, his flawless playing has helped propel the

band forward to new musical heights, his playing the heartbeat of a

great band.

Greg

[garymd]

I see not too many Dead Heads in the house. How about Phil Lesh? Haven't seen him mentioned unless I missed it. Just about 40 years with the Dead. He's had some practice.

You stole my thunder Mark.

Perhaps the most overlooked and underrated bassist in rock. Classically trained, he only picked up the bass because they needed a bass player. He quickly became brilliant on the 6-string bass and still blows me away every time I see him play. Some of those old live versions of "The Other One" or "Viola Lee Blues" are just amazing.[]

[dblue]

Wow, lots of responses.

I forgot about Levin in my mention of Trey Gunn...having seen them both play many times, I'd have to give the nod to Gunn....

And yeah, forgot to mention the man who inspired me to play bass in the first place...Mr. Cliff Burton...RIP.

[Audible Nectar]

"I see not too many Dead Heads in the house. How about Phil Lesh? Haven't seen him mentioned unless I missed it. Just about 40 years with the Dead. He's had some practice. "

I tried posting about Mr. Lesh middle of last week - but the forum wasn't allowing posts, so that post never got made.

I have always been impressed by him, but never fully appreciated his skills until after Jerry died. Seeing Phil in the post-Jerry incarnations of GD themed bands proved to me just how good Phil Lesh is. Phil Lesh was serious "glue" for the Grateful Dead.....he really kept that spaceship navigating in new and innovative directions, and was a master of his instrument.

It's also nice to see Jack Casady get mention here. Going off topic, this would also be a good time to mention Mr. Jorma Kaukonen, one of my all time favorite guitar players. There's an old saying amonst fans - if you don't know Jorma, You don't know Jack"! These two ARE Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship, IMO. No other band should be allowed to be called such without Jorma and Jack.

[jheis]

Don't know about the "entire history of the world part," but as

for current players, I'd vote for Ray Brown or Christian McBride.

Oops - Just learned that Ray Brown passed about 3 years ago - thought he was still with us.

James

[sunburnwilly]

Any Les Claypool fans out there ?

[IndyKlipschFan]

How about Danny Boneduce? I think he rocked pretty good with The Partidge Family!

Best..depends on your style.. Bassist for Bella Fleck.... is outstanding...