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VOLUME 29, NUMBER 1

B A S S P L AY E R . C O M

D B

TECH

JANUARY 2018

LINK

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D E PA RT M E N T S

TABLE OF CONTENTS

T W

COMMUNITY Lowdown, Dig My Rig, the Real World, Court of Opinion NEW GEAR Aero, Mooer, Dr. No, Ashdown THE INQUIRER Comfort from the bass world THE INNOVATORS Tomm Stanley of Stoneﬁeld

SUZI QUATRO Still breaking ground TIM COMMERFORD Taking it higher with Prophets Of Rage

BP RECOMMENDS

BERGANTINO Forté head

GLENN HUGHES

BOOTSY COLLINS

No one is funkier, and no one works harder—touring, recording with top-tier guests, and mentoring up-and-coming artists. By E.E. Bradman

ELTON JOHN’S “CHAMELEON”

SOUNDROOM

How do you stay on top for four-plus decades? From Deep Purple to Black Country Communion, Hughes can tell you what it takes. By Freddy Villano

NEIL ZLOZOWER

Kenny Passarelli brings a fretless aesthetic and a conversatinal approach to this classic ballad from 1976.

EITAN MISKEVICH

BASS NOTES

40 TWA Dynamorph effect pedal 42 CLOUD MICROPHONES Cloudlifter Zi DI

Cover photo: Neil Zlozower BASS PLAYER (ISSN 1050-785X) is published 13 times a year, monthly plus a Holiday issue to follow the December issue, by NewBay Media LLC, 28 East 28th Street, 12th ﬂoor, New York, NY 10016. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY and at additional mailing ofﬁces. Canadian GST No. R13288078, Customer No. 2116057, Agreement No. 40011901. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BASS PLAYER, P.O. Box 2029 Langhorne, PA 19047-9957.

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WOODSHED

46 50 52

JAZZ CONCEPTS Lucky 7ths R&B GOLD “Vintage” sound! NEW! BERKLEE BASS BABYLON Approaches to teaching

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www.bassplayer.com Vol. 29, No. 1, January 2018 Editorial Director Michael Molenda, mmolenda@nbmedia.com Editor Chris Jisi, bpeditor@nbmedia.com Consulting Editor Karl Coryat Senior Contributing Editors E. E. Bradman, Jonathan Herrera Contributing Editors Ed Friedland, John Goldsby Web and Contributing Editor Jon D'Auria Staff Writer Jimmy Leslie Art Director Paul Haggard Production Manager Amy Santana ADVISORY BOARD Kenny Aaronson, Jeff Andrews, Steve Bailey, Jeff Berlin, Brian Bromberg, Ron Carter, Phil Chen, Stanley Clarke, Art Davis, Nathan East, Mark Egan, Andy Gonzalez, Barry Green, Stuart Hamm, David Hungate, Anthony Jackson, Darryl Jones, Dave LaRue, Will Lee, Michael Manring, Christian McBride, Marcus Miller, Pino Palladino, John Patitucci, Josh Paul, Dave Pomeroy, Chuck Rainey, Rufus Reid, Steve Rodby, Billy Sheehan, Lee Sklar, Steve Swallow, Gerald Veasley, Verdine White, Gary Willis, Doug Wimbish, Victor Wooten

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TECH

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LOWDOWN

CHRIS JISI

Berklee In The House ALTHOUGH BOSTON’S BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC OCCUPIES A PROMINENT SPACE IN my bass-saturated brain, thanks to the long list of bass alumni and faculty who have gone on to play and write on important records in all corners of music, I’ve only been to the school a handful of times, including for a week in the ’90s to do a BP story. But even being around for that limited time—getting to sit in on classes, private lessons, performances, and jams in the music rooms—gave me a terrific sense of the energy, community, and high-quality education available to students in what is the largest, most thriving bass department in the world. Add in my many conversations with the alumni and faculty, and I have a good inside-out view of this Beantown institution. So when Steve Bailey approached me about having a regular BP column that would feature lessons from the current faculty, I nodded yes faster than I could type the word back to him. There’s history here, as well: Steve’s predecessor, longtime Berklee Bass Department Chair Rich Appleman, wrote a music-theory column in BP’s early years, and Steve himself wrote a column from 1993–99. To launch the new column (see page 52), Steve’s idea was to ask everyone on the faculty to touch on a key aspect of their teaching style. Future columns will be focused on specific topics, with one or two instructors contributing. So if there are any areas you’d like to see covered, reach out (bpeditor@ nbmedia.com), and join me in welcoming the Berklee faculty to the pages of BP.

DIG MY RIG!

HERE’S ONE FOR ALL THE DOUBLERS! My smaller setup includes an unknown 2x10 cab that I picked up at a second-hand store. The cab, loaded with two SWR Workingman 10s, is powered by a Fender Rumble 500 head. The larger setup is a Greenboy Audio F212 2x12 powered by a Quilter Bass Block 800. My two uprights are a 1947 Kay M-1 (with a K&K BassMax pickup, Deuce Bass Co. Bridge, and Superior Bassworks Deluxe strings) and a King Doublebass Slap King (with Vic Victor pickups, Deuce Bass Co. bridge, and Pirastro Evah Pirazzi Slap strings). The electric bass is a Watson Guitars J-bass with mahogany body and bubinga top. I run my uprights through a phantom-powered Radial Engineering PZ-DI and a Behringer EQ700 EQ pedal (to match the impedance on the piezo pickup and better dial in a room). I run my electric through a SansAmp Bass Driver, Mooer Ensemble Queen Chorus, Mooer Bass Sweeper Envelope Filter, TC Electronic BodyRez Compressor, and a Nocturne BassBrain Pedal. Go ahead, throw it at me. I’m ready! — E R N E ST E S C AL E RA

Got a rig you think we’d dig? Send a photo and description to digmyrig@gmail.com.

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THE REAL WORLD

Linda Garber

Home base San Francisco, California Occupation College professor Gigs Nothin’ But Fun Basses Lakland Skyline Hollowbody 30 (main bass); e-size Fender Precision copy with ’78 Fender Musicmaster neck

Rig Fender Rumble 200; SWR Cube Effects SansAmp Bass Driver DI Strings, etc. Lakland ﬂatwounds, Elixir nickelwounds Heroes & inspiration Tina Weymouth, Carol Kaye, Kim Deal, Meshell Ndegeocello, Miiko Watanabe, Alison Palmer

Contact nuthinbutfun.com

Join D’Addario’s Players’ Circle for exclusive rewards, previews of new gear, invites to special events, and chances to win select prizes. Earn bonus points by sharing, posting, and spreading the word! playerscircle. daddario.com

How did you come to play bass?

What’s a lesson you’ve learned along the way?

What are your musical goals?

I was a casual banjo picker until my guitar-playing

If I’m not having fun, I’m doing it wrong.

To keep learning and improving.

brother needed a new bassist and taught me the ropes. That’s when I ﬁgured out that I belong on the low end.

COURT OF OPINION

Do you go to NAMM shows and check out the latest bass gear?

Meh. I did it once. The cacophony of the scene makes any serious

I love NAMM! The gear, the hang, the rock stars—it’s heaven!

research of the gear rather ludicrous. It’s mainly just show-offs

— J OH N O’B OY L E

showing off for other show-offs. —MARK STEARS

Sound is what fuels inspiration, and NAMM is where you ﬁnd the

Not especially for the new gear, but to meet our idols. I can’t wait to

source of the music that will come in the future. The music is in you,

go again! — C H RI S DU NKI NDONU TS

and at NAMM you ﬁnd what will make it come out. — RU I J ORGE

It would be a great thing to do, as I am a gear nut, but I lack any

I’m so broke I can’t pay attention, let alone afford to ﬂy out to

connection to obtain a pass, so it’s just a dream. —M I KE F E V

California. Maybe I could mail myself in a box or something. — GRE GORY S MART

Not many bass-gear reviews are written for extended-range bassists

Being an endorsing artist, I’m not there to meet artists—I’m there to

like me, so I have to spend lots of time and money to see what

represent companies and network with other industry peers.

works. NAMM can be overwhelming, but it is a good one-stop test

—ALEXANDER GARCIA

for nontraditional players. —GARRY TODD NAMM is extremely inspiring on so many levels, but since I lost my I prefer to experience the thrill of new gear myself, and I don’t feel I

connection to obtain a visitor badge, I have been unable to attend.

can rely on others who are paid to give positive gear reviews. I miss

— RI C ARDO RODRI GU E Z

the days when it was possible to read a negative product review. — J ON W I L LI S

It used to be something I lusted after, before I began really learning to play. Now I care much less about what instrument I have in my

I love meeting the luthiers and builders with their showpieces on display, but after a while, the gratuitous bass shredding is a little

hands and more about taking the sound out of any instrument to match the sound in my ears. — J OH N F. H E B E RT

much. —TO N Y BLACK

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Suzi Quatro Born Ready

BASSNOTES

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B BY JOE BOSSO

PHOTOGRAPH BY TINA K

MANY AMERICANS’ FIRST GLIMPSE OF SUZI QUATRO came in the late ’70s when she portrayed Leather Tuscadero, the wise-cracking, street-smart rocker (and sister of Fonzie’s girlfriend, Pinky Tuscadero) on the hit show Happy Days. But before she traded quips with the Fonz, Quatro already enjoyed an enviable career as a real-life and groundbreaking rock star in England. Wielding a bass guitar and leading an all-male backing band, the Detroit native stormed the U.K. charts with a string of stomping, glammy, proto-punk smash singles such as “48 Crash,” “Can the Can,” and “Devil Gate Drive.” Quatro’s early-’70s records didn’t make much of a dent in the States, but some people took notice: Tina Weymouth, who would later play bass in Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, learned to play by listening to Quatro’s records. Joan Jett fell under her spell, as did Kathy Valentine, who went on to play bass in the Go-Go’s. And another Midwest girl with dreams of rock stardom, Chrissie Hynde, saw Quatro’s career path as one she, too, could follow. “Chrissie was one of my biggest fans,” Quatro recalls. “She came to England and worked as a journalist. She sat on my floor and said, ‘I’m going to do what you’re doing.’ And I went, ‘Yeah, right.’” But then she played me a tape of her stuff, and I said, ‘Hey, cool. Go for it.’ A bit later, she had a #1 hit with ‘Brass in Pocket.’ I sent her a telegram: ‘I thought you were a dreamer. Now you’re a winner. Congratulations and much love.’ When they did a This Is Your Life show for me, Chrissie came on and thanked me for that.” Before Quatro set foot in England, however, she was already a seasoned performer. By age eight, she played drums and piano in her father’s jazz group. At 14, inspired by seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show, she announced to her dad her intention of starting a band with her sisters Patti and Arlene, and she asked him to get her a bass. With the gift of a 1957 Fender Precision and a Fender Bassman amp, Quatro, her sisters, and a couple of friends donned miniskirts and hit the Detroit clubs as the Pleasure Seekers. Throughout the mid-to-late ’60s, the poppy, garage-y girl group released several non-charting singles before morphing into another outfit, Cradle, which featured another Quatro sister, Nancy, who replaced Arlene. Although she professed to be a team player, Suzi’s skills as a musician and her undeniable star appeal made her something of a focal point in the band, and she soon caught the attention of two record impresarios, Elektra’s Jac Holzman and Mickie Most from the British label RAK Records, looking to sign her as a solo act. “Jac came to see us, and he offered me a contract. The next week, Mickie flew in

bassplayer.com / j a n u a r y 2 0 1 8

and offered me a solo deal, as well. There was one big difference between them, though: Jac said, ‘I’ll take you to New York and make you the next Janis Joplin.’ Mickie said, ‘I want to take you to England and turn you into the first Suzi Quatro.’ That was a no-brainer for me. I went with Mickie.” So many people cite you as a pioneering female bass player. When did you realize you were doing something a little different? That’s a hard question to answer. I’ve always been very selfaware, from day one, and especially when I was 14 and I started the first band. When I picked up the bass, I knew I was different. I didn’t know why, but I knew it. What I wanted to do— play bass and sing in a band—didn’t exist for girls. But I was just being me. I didn’t think I was opening doors for anyone. Your father got you your first bass. He sure did—a 1957 Fender Precision with a gold scratch plate, stripe up the back of the neck, and a sunburst finish. I went, “Okay, I have to master this.” I’ve still got it. It’s my favorite. John Entwistle once tried to buy it, when I was in the Pleasure Seekers. He came to Detroit with the Who, and he saw an 8x10 of my band in a local music shop. One day I got a call from him. He offered me $1,000, which was a lot of money back then. I don’t know why I said no, because I really could have used the money. I just liked that bass. How did you go about learning how to play? You played with your thumb at first, right? I played with my thumb because I didn’t know any better. I was never a pick girl—I still can’t play with one. Playing with my thumb felt natural to me, but eventually I got a huge blister and it started bleeding. Then a guy from another band came over to the house and saw what I was doing. “No, no, no,” he said. “This is how you do it.” And he showed me how to hook my finger on the pickguard and play with my fingers. After that, I was home free. I understand James Jamerson was an influence. Jamerson was my first guy. I took a lot from him. That’s how I grew up—I heard Motown on every corner. I still love that stuff; the bass and drums on those records have never been equaled. He left these big, open spaces. It always felt like the right approach with vocals. Did you play songs from the radio in the Pleasure Seekers? Sure—people wanted to hear what they knew. We were an all-girl band playing instruments, right on the cutting edge of

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The Best of Suzi Quatro: Legend [Chrysalis], Quatro, Scott & Powell [Rhino]

Basses 2012 Fender Jazz (blue), 2016 Fender Jazz (sunburst), 1957 Fender Precision Rig Two Orange AD200B MK3 200-watt heads, four Orange OBC410 4x10

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it. Dave started doing the beat, and Mike said, “We need something here,” so I came up with the bass riff and did my scream thing. You start playing a Gibson EB-2. Why? I went through a few different basses. I came to England with a Les Paul Professional Recording Bass, which weighed a ton. I can’t believe I carried that thing around London by myself. I went from that to a Gibson EB-O and an EB-2. The EB-2 had a great authentic bass sound in the studio, but it wasn’t so good live; semi-acoustic basses are hard to amplify onstage. After that, I tried a Gibson Ripper, and I played that for quite some time. I got the best out of that, and then I changed to a Gibson Grabber for a while. And then I tried a Status bass for about five years. I liked the graphite neck, but I didn’t like that it had no headstock. I always liked basses with big, heavy headstocks. In the late ’70s I started playing B.C. Riches. I had a Suzi Quatro model that I designed. And then I went back to Fender, which is what I’m using now. I like my Fender Jazz for my solos—the neck is a bit slimmer, so I can get fancy. But in the studio, I stick with the Precision. You can’t beat that bass. What amps were you using in the ’70s?

Effects Electro-Harmonix Switchblade+ (to give a clean signal to each head) Strings Rotosound Swing Bass (.040, .060, .080, .100)

• Watch live videos for Suzi Quatro’s “Can the Can” and QSP’s “If Only” and “I Walk on Gilded Splinters.” CONNECT

it all. We did a little of everything: a Motown set, a Sgt. Pepper set, a Top 40 set. As a bass player, that gave me a lot to work with. I really got my skills together in that band. Mickie Most assigned you the songwriting/producing team of Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. Did they ever give you instructions on your bass parts? Oh, my God, no. They wouldn’t be alive today had they done that [laughs]. I’ve never needed any kind of instruction. Mickie signed me as a singer–musician–songwriter, so he knew I could play. And Mike Chapman let me be who I was. He wrote three-minute singles tailored to my sound. Did you and drummer Dave Neal click quickly as a rhythm section? We clicked instantly. I’ve had a couple drummers since then, both great players, but Dave and I really connected. You can hear it on the records. The bass and drums sat together—we were the engine for those songs. “Can the Can” was built around a tribal rhythm of the bass and drums. That seemed to be a thing in Britain at the time, with acts like Slade and Gary Glitter. I guess so. I put an unusual little bass spin in there, kind of like in [the Who’s] “My Generation”: Mike brought in a rough demo of the song, and we all started to rehearse

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B I went with Acoustic for a while. Those amps were good because they had reflex [folded horn] speakers—you could actually get the bass out into the audience. Then I went to Orange, Ampeg, and Boogie, and now I’m back to Orange. The amps I have now are fantastic. But I’m not that particular about my bass sound; I’m not a gadgety person. I like a volume and a tone control. Two pickups, plain and simple. Let me feel the bass up my backside, and let it be clear enough to hear the notes in the audience. When did you start putting a bass solo into your shows? Right back in the late ’60s, and I did it throughout my hit period. Dave Neal and I worked it up. He kind of marked time, and I improvised it a bit. Then he left and I started working with another drummer; he asked me what I was doing with it, and I said, “I don’t know—it changes every night.” So that’s when we worked it up more, developed it into sections and orchestrated it a little. It’s become a different animal now. During your Happy Days years, you finally had a hit in the States with “Stumblin’ In.” I was having a great time doing my first acting job, and it was nice to have a big hit in America. I should have done a little more, but I had “If You Can’t Give Me Love,” which hit in England and was huge all over the world. I had my feet in two different camps with the acting and playing rock & roll; I did a lot more acting, but after a bit, I had to get back out there and rock again. You hinted at retirement a few years ago. I actually just announced my final Australian tour, and people thought

I was retiring. I’ve learned never to use the word “final.” You recently reissued four of your ’70s albums, along with a compilation album, Legend. It’s all remastered, and it sounds fantastic. For the compilation album, I put on the big hits and my favorite tracks from the albums. Anybody who wants to get an idea of what I did back then, here it is. And you’ve got two new bands. I’m really excited about these. I formed a new band with KT Tunstall, who’s always been a big fan. We got together and bang, bang, bang—we got along like a house on fire. We’re writing songs together, and it’s so cool. I knew I would love her. This whole thing was written in the stars. The other band is QSP—Quatro, Scott & Powell. That’s me, Andy Scott—he’s the original guitarist from the Sweet—and Don Powell, the original drummer from Slade. We made an album that was only released in Australia and Asia at first, but it did really well, so now it’s going to be released everywhere. So, no, I’m not retiring. Far from it. There’s still a lot left for me to do. BP

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PROPHETS OF RAGE

Prophets Of Rage,

Tim Commerford BY JON D’AURIA

Prophets Of Rage [2017,

Raging On

Concord]

PHOTOGR A PH BY EI TA N MI SKEVICH

Bass Ernie Ball Music Man HH and HS with Nord-

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What led Prophets Of Rage back into the studio for this album so soon after releasing your EP? During the tour we did right after our EP, we had so many soundchecks and so much down time on the road to jam and write together, it all started to really gel. B-Real was the one who said we needed to put out a full record when we got back. A couple months later, we were in the studio, and we just rode that wave of being a band. Three months later, we had the record mixed and ready to go. What was the studio process like? We recorded it the way we know how to record. Brad [Wilk, drums], Tom [Morello, guitars], and I know how Brendan works in the studio, so everything went smoothly and efficiently, and Chuck D and B-Real fit right in with that. Coming from the hip-hop world, they do things differently, so it was neat to figure out how to work and do it. We just got another message from B-Real saying we should make another record this winter. We’ll see. Was it a collaborative writing process? I brought in a ton of material, and so did Tom, and then we let the songs write themselves. Brad would bring in beats, too, or Chuck would have a vocal hook that would lead to something. There isn’t one primary

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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MIX TWO PARTS rap revolutionaries with three parts of the most politically driven, riot-instigating rock groups of the past three decades? The members of Prophets Of Rage will gladly answer that question with firm fist raised in the air. Tim Commerford and two other Rage Against The Machine members have united with Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Cypress Hill’s B-Real to form a supergroup fit to revolt against even the most formidable of political regimes. Just over a year after releasing their 2016 EP The Party’s Over, the rabble-rousers of revolt have returned with a self-titled debut album that contains enough rancor to spark a movement. On the bass front, Timmy C is holding it down like never before. After swapping Fenders for Sadowskys for Steinbergers and everything in between over the years, the 49-year-old is currently smitten with Music Man Stingrays. He buckled down with longtime producer Brendan O’Brien to make sure his recorded sound embodied all of the gritty qualities that he’s known for. Commerford also applied his marathon practice regimen from the past few years to his writing, and the results are funkmeets-metal-meets-punk riffs with a whole lot of swagger—a vibe that’s met and matched by his bandmates. And it just might ignite a revolution.

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songwriter; it’s been that way in every band I’ve been in, from Rage to Audioslave to this. The album is very politically charged, which has always been your M.O. Well, now it feels like it’s getting worse and worse every day. Look who’s president right now. Donald Trump being in office makes it easy to write songs—especially angry ones. We’re more than an anti-Trump band, but it’s outrageous what’s happening every day, and writing songs that have something to say about it isn’t a choice for us. It’s an obligation. All you have to do is open up your computer, grab a newspaper, or turn on a TV and there’s always something fucked up happening in the world. Being in a band that writes about politics is tough, but we’re used to it. If being in a band were like playing a videogame, we choose difficulty level: extreme. What was it like working with Brendan O’Brien this time around? Brendan always knows what I’m going after, but I wasn’t really happy with how my bass sounded on that first EP, and I knew I could have done better. I made that clear to him going into this record and let him know that I wanted to be psyched with my sound. I love how it came out on this record and how my tone sounds on all of the songs. What were you going for? I’m always going for the same thing, which requires a clean amp and an overdriven amp, but in this situation I had two overdriven amps that blend with my one clean amp. Right now my amps and basses are at an all-time high. Everything sounds so good, and my bass is so touch-sensitive. We did a little club run that made me re-think how I do things. I used to run just a clean tone when we first started out, but now I know that switching from clean to dirty channels makes the heavy parts feel so much bigger, because of the drastic contrast of the sounds. That’s a lifelong passion of mine. Experimenting with amplifiers and basses is just a part of me. My tone is always a work in progress, and the stage is my laboratory. “Unfuck the World” has a seriously grooving bass line in the verse.

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That was the first piece of music I came up with, and it came from a phone call I made to Chuck where I asked him to give me something to chew on—a vocal hook or a lyric or anything. He said, “How about unfuck the world?” And I loved that. That song is kind of a mixture of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Rage’s “Killing in the Name.” I jokingly called it “Killing Sandman” when we first started working on it. Your playing is heavy, but with a lot of funky undertones, like in “Take Me Higher.” Tom brought in that guitar part, and I tried to figure out something that worked with it. We’re always focused on locking in and playing riffs together, but for this album I was focused on not always doing it that way. It does a lot to the song to play something rhythmically different from what Tom is doing on guitar, and it can make the riff more funky and three-dimensional. Has that changed your outlook on your playing? For sure. Lately I’ve been focusing on what I call “the pulse.” I’ll never be Jaco Pastorius or Rocco Prestia or John Paul Jones or Louis Johnson, but they all have the pulse. Even if they’re playing a simple line, I know in their heads they’re hearing that 16th-note or maybe even a 32nd-note pulse that drives everything they’re playing throughout the entire piece. I’m trying to harness that pulse more, and I feel like that’s the key to how bass players should be playing, regardless of the song, the time signature, or the tempo. What have you been practicing? In the last couple months I haven’t done anything but play scales and modes and arpeggios. I’m trying to run all the modes, all the way up the neck and back down, and be comfortable with making the right movements from that. It might seem monotonous, but I do that for hours. So many riffs and song ideas come from that. You seem highly motivated to play right now. Dude, I am. It’s such an amazing thing that I’m almost 50 and I’m still able to get better on bass and learn new things about this instrument every day. I’m playing all the time—more than I’ve ever played in my life, and I love every minute of it. I love my tone, the parts I’m writing, and the people I’m playing with. My love for the bass just keeps growing. BP

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This star-studded outing by the Blues Brothers covers a broad spectrum of classic R&B, from guitar-greased blues to horn-driven funk, with such luminaries as band members Steve Cropper, John Tropea, and Lou Marini, and guests Dr. John, Eddie Floyd, Paul Shaffer, and Matt “Guitar” Murphy. It also serves as a eulogy to longtime Blues Brother Eric Udell, who died after falling on a New York City street. Udell’s wide pocket, versatility, and hook-up with big-eared drummer Lee Finkelstein stand out via his stuttering boogaloo on “Itch and Scratch,” his “Bootsy-fied” take on “Sex Machine,” his Duck Dunnlike pocket on “Blues in My Feet,” his funky eighth-notes on “You Left the Water Running,” and his Crescent City pulse on “Qualified.” Rest in peace, bass brother. — C H RI S J I S I BOBBY VEGA

MATTERS OF THE HEART [bobbyvega.com] Bobby Vega may be best known for his funky pick mastery and long resumé with artists such as Sly Stone, Etta James, and Tower Of Power, but on this 18-minute EP, he lays back and plays seven unaccompanied, evocative originals, all but one with his signature model Rebecki Halfling acoustic bass guitar. Thanks to great arrangements, gorgeous production, and Vega’s masterful use of chords, space, dynamics, and harmonics, Matters of the Heart is a tour de force solo bass performance that lingers in the memory long after the music has stopped. — E .E . B RADMAN

SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS SOUL OF A WOMAN [Daptone] As bassist and producer Gabe “Bosco Mann” Roth describes the Dap-Kings’ last sessions with Sharon Jones before she succumbed to cancer in late 2016: “The band was cresting. We hit the studio hot off the road, and you could feel it.” Roth himself is right in the pocket, as usual, whether he’s swinging hard on the opening cut “Matter of Time” (with the woody, direct-tothe-board tone of his distinctive early-’70s Carvin SB60) or laying back, Willie Weeks-style, on the orchestral ballad “These Tears (No Longer for You).” Big-hearted and bittersweet, Soul of a Woman is carried by the dauntless power Jones brings to her final performances, while Roth and his bandmates draw added sustenance from the sheer weight of the moment. —B I LL M U R PH Y ALBERTO RIGONI DUALITY [PRS Music UK] The sixth solo studio album by Alberto Rigoni is a seven-track instrumental amalgamation of prog, funk, and fusion that weaves together his many strengths as bassist, songwriter, and producer. From his mellow, atmospheric use of harmonics and fretless on “Afterneath” and the delicate, keyboard-driven smooth-jazz flavor “Song for My Soul” to his creeping, formidable intro bass line on “Obsessions,” it’s clear that Duality is intended to illuminate the many facets of Rigoni’s immense musicality. — F RE DDY V I L L ANO

JOE SATRIANI

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT MATTHEW LUX’S COMMUNICATION ARTS QUARTET CONTRA/FACT [Monofonus Press/ Astral Spirits] Matthew Lux has been referred to as “the Kevin Bacon of Chicago music,” having played bass with everyone from Isotope 217 (featuring members of Tortoise) to a slew of groups led by avant-jazz cornetist Rob Mazurek. Contra/Fact is his long-overdue first album as a leader, and like his wildly diverse credits, it isn’t easy to pin down. Lux is known for his distinctive use of Elrick basses as well as his love of low-end synthesis, and it all comes through, from the electric-Miles dub vibes of “C.G.L.W.” to the tranced-out acoustic bass and Middle Eastern rhythms of “Israels,” which conjures the hypnotic astral jazz excursions of giants like Ron Carter, Cecil McBee, and Charlie Haden. —BILL MURPHY

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[Sony/Legacy] If you remember the raw, raunchy sound of Chickenfoot—Satch’s team-up with the unlikely supergroup of Michael Anthony, Chad Smith, and ex-Halen screamer Sammy Hagar—then you have a taste for What Happens Next. Joined by Glenn Hughes, with Smith returning on drums, Satch gets down to brass-tacks power-trio rock, and Hughes sounds more than happy to sharpen the knives right along with him. From the head-stomping “Catbot” (with Hughes channeling Nick Oliveri-era Queens Of The Stone Age) to the loping “Righteous” (punctuated by Hughes’ tasty neck-walking and slapand-pop fills) and the aptly titled “Super Funky Badass,” it’s a clinic for how a veteran trio can rock as one. — B I LL M U R PH Y Continued

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ELEPHANT WRECKING BALL ENGAGE [Elephant Wreckords] Instrumental, trombone-led power trio Elephant Wrecking Ball melds several styles on Engage, including jazz, hip-hop, funk, and dub. One might think an ensemble of monophonic instrumentalists would lack harmonic content, but Dan Africano’s deft playing and creamy tone provides such strong counterpoint to Scott Flynn’s trombone that a chordal instrument isn’t missed one bit. Songs like “Suspension Bridge,” “Case in Point,” and “Chipmunk Crusher” benefit from such sparseness. Clearly, Africano’s Berklee-honed skill set emboldens the material, shaping the tunes’ harmonic structure and neutralizing the need for a guitar or piano. —FREDDY V I L L ANO LEE ANN WOMACK

THE LONELY, THE LONESOME & THE GONE [ATO] Country music’s outlaw renaissance gets an East Texas-style kick in the chops on Lee Ann Womack’s latest. It’s not just that she can wail like Dusty Springfield or Tammy Wynette, but with an insanely talented band behind her that includes session aces Glenn Worf and Jerry Roe on upright and tic-tac basses, Womack taps a seam that’s rich in soulful, psychedelic texture—whether it’s in the funky back-to-Stax sound of “He Called Me Baby” or the trippy barroom tearjerker “Hollywood,”

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with Worf recalling the ’60s Wrecking Crew touch of Carol Kaye. — B I L L MU R PH Y ALTER BRIDGE

LIVE AT THE O2 ARENA + RARITIES [Napalm] Live is dominated by the gritty, detuned bass and massive, earthshaking tone of Brian Marshall, who also has an uncanny knack for knowing when and how to elevate the material. Whether it’s doing tasty runs in the chorus of “Come to Life,” outlining the chord structure of the verses in “Ghost of Days Gone By,” or simply digging in to articulate the grooves of “Addicted to Pain,” Marshall seems to effortlessly tap into the essential components of stellar rock bass. — F RE D DY V I LLA N O BP

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AERO Instrument dBuz cable Tired of the buzz that happens when you lift your hands off the strings? Aero’s dBuz

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technology, incorporated into a standard instrument cable, is said to eliminate ground noise associated with bad bridge grounds, aluminum bridges, coated strings, acoustic instruments, upright bass, improper or over-shielded instruments, and ground loops. Street $50 Contact aeroinstrument.com

MOOER Tender Octaver mkII Mooer’s update of the Tender Octaver boasts a fat algorithm with a huge lower octave and upper-octave shimmer, a tight algorithm for a focused lower octave and sharper upper-octave bite, as well as a swell mode that leaves the dry signal untouched while adding volume swell to the harmony voices. Street $100 Contact mooeraudio.com

DR. NO Mini Turd Fuzz This limited-edition mini version of Dr. No’s Turd Fuzz retains the same circuit and custom-made foam turd knob while adding a fuzz volume to adjust the fuzz gain—and it comes with a silkscreened box, a cotton silkscreened-logo bag, and goodies like stickers and keychains. Street $210 Contact drno-effects.com

ASHDOWN OriginAL Valve Pre-DI pedal The headphone output on this bass DI— which is packed with tube overdrive from a 12AX7 preamp tube, XLR DI output, 5-band EQ, and unbalanced q" line out— makes it a great practice device, too. Street $350 Contact ashdownmusic.com

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TAKE ME BACK TO THE

BLACK COUNTRY Decades after Deep Purple, Glenn Hughes is hitting a new peak with Joe Satriani & Black Country Communion

GLENN HUGHES HAS BEEN ON AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER THESE PAST FEW YEARS. Early in 2014, his heartbreak over the premature demise of Black Country Communion, the supergroup featuring Hughes on bass and vocals, Joe Bonamassa on guitar, Jason Bonham on drums, and Derek Sherinian on keyboards, reverberated throughout the industry. The break-up was further exacerbated by his heart surgery to replace an aortic valve, the operation resulting in near-fatal complications. Miraculously, however, he was back only four months later with California Breed and its brilliant eponymous debut record. As with BCC, Hughes had high hopes for California Breed—but by the end of 2015, the band had run aground, and Hughes faced yet another health concern: dual knee-replacement surgery. The procedure postponed an eagerly anticipated, long-overdue U.S. solo tour—his first in nearly 40 years. But in early 2016, after literally getting back on his feet again, things were back on the up-and-up. Deep Purple’s Mk. II and Mk. III lineups, the latter of which he was a part, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That long-overdue accomplishment (Deep Purple had been eligible for 25 years and nominated two other times) was overshadowed by the death of his father only three days after the New York ceremony. But Hughes bounced back again, this time with Resonate, a bona-fide rock solo record—his first in eight years. He also got around to that U.S. tour, performing a set that included music from his storied past, including Trapeze, Deep Purple, Hughes/Thrall, and Black Country Communion. Unfortunately, a crisis again usurped good news. Black Country Communion announced that it would reunite to record a fourth record. No one seemed happier about the comeback than Hughes. The band was scheduled to be in the studio in Los Angeles from January 5–10, 2017, with producer Kevin Shirley, but Hughes’ mother fell ill. So, he left for England on January 4, causing him to miss almost the entire session. He eventually returned to L.A. with just two days to spare—just enough Continued time to cut his tracks and get BCCIV in the can. Sadly, his mom passed shortly thereafter, on February 1.

BY F R E D DY V I L L A N O P H OTO S B Y N E I L Z LOZOW E R

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GLENN HUGHES

Despite all these hurdles, Hughes isn’t feeling sorry for himself. He’s creating some of the most inspired music of his career, as Resonate, BCCIV, and the forthcoming Joe Satriani record, What Happens Next (reviewed on page 20) attest. “I’m not religious, but I am spiritual,” he says. “I’m just channeling all of that emotional energy.” Glenn Hughes was born in Cannock, England, on August 21, 1951. He originally started out playing guitar, but when his band Finders Keepers needed a bassist, he made the transition and ingested the contrasting styles of James Jamerson and Paul McCartney. Finders Keepers eventually morphed into the funkrock power-trio Trapeze, which released a slew of seminal records,

including Medusa and You Are the Music … We’re Just the Band. Trapeze captured an element of Hughes’ R&B influence, and the band achieved modest international success, often touring the States supporting acts like the Moody Blues. But Hughes was destined for more, and Deep Purple soon came knocking. In 1973, at the height of its popularity, Deep Purple made the unconventional move of parting with two key members, bassist Roger Glover and vocalist Ian Gillan. Hughes had been on Purple’s radar for quite some time. “They had me earmarked for a while and watched me for six months. They saw me play in Los Angeles at the Whiskey and at the Marquee in London. I had no idea they were looking at me as a potential bass player. They just

As “The Crow” Flies

though the drums are playing double-time. Hughes dives in with his trademark use of the

By Chris Jisi

blues scale, adding pull-offs, hammer-ons, a string bend, and slides as he goes. Among the

GLENN HUGHES’ STEP-OUT ON “THE

his ’62 Jazz Bass down to Eb, but it’s written

ear-grabbers are his bent Fn in bar 2, the chro-

Crow,” from Black Country Communion’s BCCIV,

here a half-step up from the track, in E, to

matic motion in bars 4 and 5 (dig bar 5’s non-

may have been producer Kevin Shirley’s au-

reﬂect the open strings in the tab. Breathe

bluesy Bb passing tone), and the syncopated

dio creation, but both the solo and Hughes’

and leave space on the beat four of bar 2,

phrase in bar 6. In addition to his signature

opening bass line capture key elements of his

and then get ready for the funky ﬁll at the

ﬁngerboard moves, what stands out about the

style. Example 1 contains the Joe Bonamassa-

end of bar 4.

Hughes bass approach is his R&B and funk-

doubled bass line, equal parts metal and

Example 2 shows the solo, written in

funk. Hughes played with a pick and tuned

half-time (and up a half-step, like Ex. 1), even

Driving rock

2 2 0

Driving rock = 90

0 2

2 0

EX. 2

2 2

2 0

2 2 0

6 7 7

57 8 9

797

9 87575

(9)(10) 9 7 7

57777

9 875

H H

16 14 14 14 14 15 16 16 16 16(15)14 12 13 14 9

7 5 7 19

7 9 7

sive, fearless, go-for-it gusto.

EX. 1

= 90

rooted pocket, his gnarly tone, and his aggres-

9 8 7

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9 8 7 5

7 5

5 7 7

5 7

8 9

7 9

9 7

7 9 7 9 7

9 7

9 7 5 7 5

kept showing up, as a lot of bands did in those days.” In addition to Hughes, Deep Purple Mk. III would ultimately include future Whitesnake singer David Coverdale, who was plucked from obscurity in place of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore’s first choice, the unobtainable Paul Rodgers (Free/Bad Company). Burn, released in February 1974, was the first record to feature this lineup. Its mix of bluesy swagger and prog-inspired, neo-classical rock became the only Deep Purple record besides 1972’s Machine Head to crack the Billboard Top Ten, thereby cementing the Mk. III lineup’s place among rock royalty. Stormbringer and the Blackmore-less Come Taste the Band followed, but Deep Purple was slowly imploding, and the group officially broke up in 1975. Hughes went on to release inspired solo work and a pairing with guitarist Pat Thrall, Hughes/Thrall, in 1982. In the ’80s he fronted Black Sabbath for a spell, which ended with his dismissal, but ultimately led to his sobriety. That was followed by a long string of mostly excellent solo records that flew completely under the commercial radar. Things changed rather suddenly in 2009, when Glenn teamed up with Bonamassa to form Black Country Communion, and he was subsequently catapulted back into the mainstream rock market. That leaves Hughes in what might be the most prolific moment of his career. His 2016 release, Resonate, features songs like the crushing, bass-driven “Flow,” “Steady,” and “How Long”—heavy, well-crafted gems highlighting his bass prowess. On BCCIV, he wrings every drop of emotion from his instrument with roaming, upper-register solos and signature left-hand trills on songs like “Collide” and “The Crow.” Joe Satriani’s What Happens Next is the first album he’s ever recorded that he did not sing on, and without his otherworldly vocals, the record reveals just how commanding he is on bass: Check out “Headrush” or “Super Funky Badass” for bass lines that are equal parts foundation and fireworks. He calls the record “powerful, epic, and soulful, with big grooves and insatiable guitar melodies.” After five decades in the biz, Glenn Hughes’ bass playing is as relevant and in-demand as ever. You played bass, but didn’t sing a lick, on What Happens Next. It was a complete blast playing in a trio with Joe and [Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer] Chad Smith. We recorded live, and it was a moment that will live with me forever—big love to Joe and Chad and all music lovers who dare to dream. Do you prefer recording live? When I left Purple in the mid ’70s and went back to doing other work, it was all about getting the drums right, and then building a bass track, and so on. I never liked it. When I started working with Chad [on 2005’s Soul Mover], he kindly insisted we record live, and together. We did the same in BCC and California Breed as well. You work a lot with Chad Smith. What is it about his drumming that moves you? Chad is like the new John Bonham. I’ve worked with some great drummers, like Ian Paice, Jason Bonham, Kenny Aronoff,

and Chad fits comfortably into that lineage. He’s been my right arm—I call him my wife. In addition to playing drums, he’s helped produce my records, and he’s a great writer. How does that compare to playing with Jason Bonham? There’s nothing like having a Bonham behind you. His dad played with Trapeze 15 times or so. Jason simply makes me a better bass player. He’s very musical, and he’s got a very good ear—great light and shade. He plays with a flair that comes from the wrists. It’s blissful for me as a bass player. John [Bonham] was a big part of the arrangements of those Led Zeppelin songs, and Jason is a big part of that process with BCC. On “Sway,” for example, it was his idea to use a drum groove like Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal.” How did BCC decide to reunite? I was in New York for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction with Deep Purple in 2016, and I got a call from Joe [Bonamassa] congratulating me. He asked if I wanted to have dinner when I got back to L.A. During dinner he asked me if I wanted to make another record, and of course I said, “Yes!” BCC doesn’t tour much. Are you okay with that? The thrill that keeps me going is the live sound. I love playing live. I’m a live bass player. What was the songwriting process like for BCCIV? Joe and I wrote the whole album at my house—just the two of us. It’s a band, but Joe and I came up with most of the material, because we didn’t have a lot of time to make this record. “Wanderlust” is a good example of us partnering on a song; Joe wrote the intro and I wrote the chorus. Do you write on bass? I write everything on guitar. But if I write a progression that has a lot on minor 9’s and major 7’s, I can automatically hear what I’m going to play on the bass. You seem to write a lot of songs around minor 9 chords. I like jazz chords in rock, and I use chords that are usually a no-no for most rock guys—a lot of triads and major 7ths. The minor 9 is a very sad yet sexy chord. Are you always writing? I probably write 100 songs a year. I do it because it makes me happy. I always say, “I sing and play freely. I get paid to travel” [laughs]. I am so grateful for what God has freely given to me— to give back is so important. Are Black Country Communion’s nods to Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple intentional? Absolutely. Look, we recorded live to tape just like we did with Purple in the ’70s. I am the ’70s. Why would I want to be something other than that? How did you end up with a bass solo in “The Crow”? It wasn’t supposed to be a bass solo; it’s just what I was playing. Kevin called one day and said, “Can I send you something?” And that was it. He just carved out the space around what I was Continued already doing.

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GLENN HUGHES

Black Country Communion (L–R): Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham, Derek Sherinian

There’s more distortion on your bass on this record. What were you going for with your tone? I was going after more of a Deep Purple vibe. I used a Black Cat Bass Octave Fuzz, and I have a big pile of Orange amps. It’s the greatest rig for me. It sounds like my Hiwatt rig from 1972. Every bass player has somebody they look to as the basis for their style. Who was yours? That’s Andy Fraser. I saw Free in 1969, and I was like, “Stop. What the hell is that? What are you doing?” But my very first influence was Paul McCartney. You can ask anybody in my age group from England, and they’ll acknowledge Paul—Magical Mystery Tour, Sgt. Pepper, that period. The bass lines on songs like “Fixing a Hole” were so amazing melodically. And then you throw in what was going on in San Francisco in ’68 with Larry Graham and Sly & the Family Stone. So, there’s the McCartney influence, a little Larry Graham, and Andy Fraser—that’s what you get with Glenn Hughes. I hear a Stevie Wonder influence as well. If you ask a white kid from Nebraska what he’s listening to today, it’s probably going to be hip-hop. For me it was originally the Beatles, but very quickly I jumped to Booker T. & the MG’s, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, and Stevie Wonder. I grew up listening to Detroit music, so I’ve got this rock voice that is timbred on American music. Because of that, I’d love to be remembered as someone who created his own style of bass playing and singing. You’ve always been a very free-form vocalist. There are five different Glenn Hughes voices: the rock voice, the soulful voice, the rock-turbo voice, the whisper voice, and the

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vibrato-melodic voice—and when you throw all five together, it’s very soulful and aggressive. If you had to analyze your playing style in BCC, what would you say about it? My style is ultimately about the notes I don’t play. It’s about laying down that nasty groove. I’m really going back to my youth, playing how I would have played in Trapeze and finding the holes in the grooves. The notes I don’t play are probably more important than the ones I do. It comes from my taste for James Jamerson and Carol Kaye. What basses do you record with? Bill Nash makes me the most amazing basses. If you know anything about the Black Country sound or the Black Country look, it’s Nash—and my ’62 Fender Jazz Bass, which still has the £250 price tag on it [laughs]. How’s your relationship with Deep Purple these days? Non-existent, but David Coverdale and I were always close— even more so today than ever before. You are often “blamed” with making Deep Purple funky. I didn’t make Deep Purple funky—the band was changing. David Bowie was staying with me in Beverly Hills for seven or eight months, and when you’ve got a guy like that living at your house, you’re going to change. I was in love with what he was doing on Young Americans [1975, RCA], so that was an enormous influence on me. You slapped on “Gettin’ Tighter” from Come Taste the Band, though. That’s funky. It’s the only song I ever really slapped on. I can slap, but for

INFO Joe Satriani, What Happens Next [2018, Sony Music]; Black Country

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Communion, BCCIV [2017, Mascot/J&R Adventures]; Glenn Hughes, Resonate [2016, Frontiers]

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er Precision, Nash PB57, Nash JB63 Rig Orange AD200B MK3 head, Orange OBC810 cab Picks Dean Markley .96 mm Effects Black Cat Bass Octave Fuzz

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me, what I have to do comes from playing with a pick and the trills with the left hand. Do you ever feel that your bass playing has been undermined by your singing? I don’t think so. Playing bass to me is as important as singing. People probably don’t realize that, because they generally know more about my voice than my bass—but if you know my bass playing, you know that I really enjoy playing bass. And playing bass allows me to breathe better when I’m singing. There’s nothing better than seeing a bass player sing great. There are only a few of us—Sting, Paul McCartney. It’s a great club to be in. It’s also a win-win situation when you get me in a band; I’m good at working out harmonies, and I love to sing with other singers, especially ones who push me. I love playing bass and singing. It’s the greatest thing. What keeps you inspired? It’s learning how to grow and learning who I am as a bass player, as well as a singer. That’s really important to me. BP

Check out Black Country Communion’s ofﬁcial videos for “Collide” and “The Last Song for My Resting Place.” bassplayer.com/january2018

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BOOTSY COLLINS

STILL STRETCHIN’

OUT WITH ITS ROBUST, RADIO-READY PRODUCTION and supremely thumpin’ bass tones, World Wide Funk is everything you’d expect a Bootsy Collins album to be. The low-end shenanigans roll deep, and the guest list is wide-ranging and distinguished: Stanley Clarke and Victor Wooten join upand-coming bass stars Alissia Benveniste and Manou Gallo on “Bass-Rigged-System,” and neo-soul smoothness and OG hip-hop royalty meet on “Hot Saucer,” featuring Musiq Soulchild and Big Daddy Kane. Other highlights include the Snoop Dogg-co-produced slow-jam “Hi-Heels,” the countrytinged blues of “Boomerang,” epic Bernie Worrell solos from beyond on “A Salute to Bernie,” and the blazing Buckethead and Chuck D contributions to “Illusions.” There are dancefloor killers and bedroom groovers, a

multigenerational cast of characters, as well as the vocalisms, double-entendres, and ear-tickling, envelope-enhanced street wisdom that have been his signature for four decades. In other words, it’s a Bootsy party, and it feels damn good. At a time when so many 20th-century music icons are walking offstage, a vibrant new album by 66-year-old William “Bootsy” Collins, the first in six years, is cause for joyful celebration—and a recap, perhaps, of his jawdropping legacy. This year is the 50th anniversary of his band the Pacemakers, who became the J.B.’s when James Brown drafted them to help lay the foundations of funk in 1969. Bootsy’s subsequent work with Parliament and Funkadelic (as well as Parlet, Brides Of Funkenstein, Eddie Hazel, Fred Wesley & the Horny Horns, Bernie Worrell,

By E. E. Bradman Photo by David Carlo

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BOOTSY

INFO Solo albums World Wide Funk [2017, Mascot]; Tha Funk Capital of the World [2011, Mascot]; Fresh Outta P University [1997, Private I]; Keepin’ dah Funk “Alive” 4: 1995 [1997, Rykodisc]; What’s Bootsy Doin’? [1988, Columbia]; The One Giveth, the Count Taketh Away [1982, Warner Bros.]; Bootsy? Player of the Year [1978, Warner Bros.]; Ahh …The Name Is Bootsy, Baby!

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[1977, Warner Bros.]; Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band [1976, Warner Bros.]. As Zillatron Lord of the Harvest [1994, Rykodisc]. With James Brown Sex Machine [1970, King]; Funk Power 1970: A Brand New Thang [1996, Polydor]; Love, Power, Peace: Live at the Olympia, Paris, 1971 [1992, Polydor]. With Parliament Motor Booty Affair [1978, Casablanca]; Live: P-Funk Earth Tour [1977, Casablanca]; Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome [1977, Casablanca]; The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein [1976, Casablanca]; Chocolate City [1975, Casablanca]; Mothership Connection [1975, Casablanca]; Up for the Down Stroke [1974, Casablanca]. With Funkadelic Uncle Jam Wants You [1979, Warner Bros.]; One Nation Under A Groove [1978, Warner Bros.]. With Axiom Funk Funkcronomicon [1995, Axiom]. With Hardware Third Eye Open [1994, Black Arc].

Basses Warwick Bootsy Collins Spacebasss, Warwick Bootsy Collins Inﬁnity Bass Strings DR Strings Bootzilla Bootsy Collinss signature Rigs Mesa Subway D-800 head, Ampeg B-18 combo, arwick Hughes & Kettner Bassbase 600 head, Wa Hellborg preamps, SWR Mo’Bass head, Me esa M9 Carbine head, Alembic F2-B preamps, Monster Pow wer PRO2500 power amp, SSI 1x12 cabs, Mesa Subway 1x x12 cabs, b Crown power amps, JBL 2x18 Sub-Cabs zer, Boss Digitall Effects dbx 120XP Subharmonic Synthesiz

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Delay DD-1, Boss BF-2 Flanger, Mesa Flux Drive, Even-tide H-9, Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, Electro-Harmonix HOG 2, DigiTech Bass Whammy, Stone Deaff Fig Fumb, Electro-Harmonix Bass Micro Synth, Darkgl glass Micro-Tubes, DigiTech Whammy, Electro-Harmon nix Metal Muff, ff DOD Thrash Master FX59, Pigtronix Mothe ership h 2 Envelope Synth, Panda Audio Future Imp pact, Darkglass Duality Dual Fuzz Engine, Chunk k Audio Octavius Squeezer, DOD Envelope Filter Fl F25, Mu-FX Tru-Tron 3X, Xotic Robotalk, M MuTron (Haz Labs reissue), Amp Tweaker Fatt Metal, Lovetone Ring Stinger Ring Modula-tor, Radial Fireﬂy Tube Direct Box, Korg Toneworks G5, Digitech XP300 Space Stattion, Eventide d Pitchfactor, DOD Bass Synth Wah, DOD Sy ynth Wah

George Clinton, and the P-Funk All Stars) is still the gold standard of organic Afrofuturist dancefloor magic; a 2016 tour celebrated 40 years of kick-ass solo albums that began with 1976’s Stretching Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band. In the ’80s and ’90s, Bootsy expanded his footprint, collaborating with a long list of characters that includes Bill Laswell, Buckethead, Deee-Lite, Fatboy Slim, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Manu Dibango, Keith Richards, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, and Paul Shaffer. To his fellow bassists, he’s a constant source of inspiration (witness Funk University, as well as his mentorship of Benveniste and Freekbass). He’s so thoroughly hard-wired into pop culture—from West Coast hip-hop and outthere bass effects to soundtracks (Superbad, Guardians of the Galaxy), sports (Monday Night Football), commercials (Motorola, Old Navy), television (Yo Gabba Gabba!, Everybody Hates Chris), and games (Grand Theft Auto)—that it’s safe to say Bootsy’s right up there with George Clinton as the pre-eminent elder statesman for the funk in the 21st century.

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You’ve been on the road since 2011. How’d you find time to do a new album? It was a blessing to just create and be in the studio, you know? It’s a whole different thing. Back in the day, we used to do it all together—you’re on the road, you get a few ideas, you jump in the studio. But now I feel like I need to do one at a time. It just seems to work better for me. World Wide Funk features a cross-section of hip-hop icons, bass heroes, and newcomers. That was the main focus, especially with the young musicians and artists. When I was coming up, there were clubs everywhere; playing live was the thing. No ada s yyoung players don’t have all those opportunities. So I want to help Nowadays, th them be b seen n and heard. If I can fit in there, cool; if not, I’m cool with that, too. It just feels l go ood to see other people light up and really be into what they’re doing. H d you find Alissia Benveniste and Manou Gallo? How d did I met Ali lissia at Berklee. We got a chance to vibe, and after I let her know I k g on a new album, we started sharing tracks, and then she came into was working th d I met Manou over the internet; we started talking about tracks and the studio. l playing togeether. She came in and stayed for two weeks, and not only was she rrecording d ome stuff on my album, I started recording on hers. so Y g t Alissia singing, too. You got I talked lk d her into it. She was trying to back out of it, but we hooked it up [l gh ] And d now she’s taking vocal lessons and getting it together. That’s what [laughs]. I llike k doing d now, coaching. The player in me is cool and everything, but I like beingg a coacch now, too. Wh What do you look for in young artists? kers are missing a lot of the organic, real stuff. Everything is kind of Hitmake m man-m made, and you don’t get that real gut-bucket stuff anymore. I want th the stuff that the hitmakers don’t want, that raw-dog stuff. Don’t get me wrongg: Everybody’s looking for a hit, but that’s not my main goal. I want tto highl g light others. You Y brought lots of guests to World Wide Funk. How’d you sort through t everything? I had to allow everyone to get it all out, but at the end of the day, I listened for what people would want to hear. Everyone should have their own sp th pace to shine; otherwise, they’re falling all over each other. Th That’s ’ p part of the production process?

BOOTSY

Yeah. We recorded so much stuff—I don’t know how many records we got after this one. There’s more to come. It’s awesome that Stanley and Victor are on the album, too. For me, it’s an honor to be able to reach out to these mugs, period. And they’re right on board. To have people surround you with love—“whatever you want to do, let’s do it”—Vic and Stanley have always been like that. You also feature hip-hop OGs like Big Daddy Kane and Doug E. Fresh. The hip-hop people I got on this record were important to hip-hop and for hip-hop, so to me, it only makes sense to have them involved. Each one of them has so much wisdom. I know what it was like for us, and I found out that it was pretty much the same for them—“funk” was a bad word, and when hip-hop came out, [radio stations] were like, “Oh no. We can’t play that!” Your solo work and P-Funk legacy are part of hip-hop’s DNA. I feel comfortable speaking about hip-hop and being around it because I’m a part of all of it. Funk is the essence of all that is. What’s the connection between funk and hip-hop? Hip-hop came from folks making something out of what they had, and what did they have? Records. We had instruments, they had records; different times, different era. But they made something out of nothing. That’s what funk is. What does being funky mean to you? Being funky is something that has to come up in you. There’s a certain amount of learning how to be funky, and that, to me, is not really funky. You got mugs running around playing this, that, and the other and trying to be funky, but can’t

nobody fake the funk like that and be really funky. The only way to be funky is, you have to know how to work with whatever you’ve got, and in the end it still comes up funky. Whatever you come out with, it comes up funky. You don’t really have to work at it; it’s in there. It can be in any style of music. You got funky jazz players, funky rock & roll players, funky country players. Who needs to learn to not “fake the funk”? We all can learn from that. We’re all guilty of faking the funk sometimes, but some of us are closer to bein’ on the one than others [laughs]. Players who have to work really hard and go without, those are the muthas that’s funky. When I grew up, the ones that were really hot, the really bad musicians, were the ones that didn’t make records. The cats I knew around the block, those mugs were fonk-kay! But they never made it. I consider myself blessed to come off the street knowing these bad mugs, yet somehow I got placed up in there some kind of way. And now you’re passing that blessing on to the next generation. That’s what it’s all about.

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What inspired you to get into effects? When I started out, I was searching for ways to not sound just like a bass player. When I hear an effect, it makes me play something different. It’s like certain women that touch you—you get a different feeling from different touches. Different sounds make you play different. I guess I was led by that, and it was always mysterious to me: “What does this sound like? What does that sound like?” And then I messed around and fell into that underwater bubble sound. I didn’t know that was going to be a signature sound that would be with me for years. I just knew I liked it. I was like, Wow! It was incredible. It was something I wasn’t hearing. Folks must have been knocked out! When I first brought it to the studio, the engineer was like, “Nah, you don’t need no pedal. Just do it like we’ve been doing it. Plug in and play.” Nobody was down with me when I did it. After the fact, of course, everybody thought of it. “Yeah, I bought Bootsy that pedal. Yeah, I bought him all that stuff, his glasses and those sound effects.” But the real deal is, didn’t nobody want to hear that stuff until it got recorded. And the collection just kept on growing. I kept adding pedals, the engineer stopped resisting me, and he started being like, “Whatever you got, bring it on!” We did that first thing, and next thing you know, they wanted me to hook everything up. One thing led to another, and eventually I had to get a pedalboard. Nobody else was using a pedalboard with bass back then. I just started hearing this stuff in my head, and I was like, how can I get this sound? I started looking around, going to music stores, and I was always looking and trying to find something that moved me. Whatever moved me some kind of way, it got out into the audience, and it started moving them, too. Once that started happening, everybody was like, “Yeah! That’s the sound!” What did you learn from that experience? It taught me a lot about how people react to your first thing. If they resist and you feel goodheart-heavy about it, go with it. I started building on it, and I’m still building on it. You’d be shocked at all the pedals that are hanging around, waiting to be used. On this album, I tried to give a little variety to my pedal thing, using old stuff and new stuff, too. W hat can you say about the album’s production? I record everything to tape, and then I have an engineer who helps me put it in Pro Tools, where I arrange, edit, and cut and paste. We mix in Pro

Tools, as well. It’s the old world of analog and the new world of digital. I used to have to sit at the mixing board, moving faders and poppin’ buttons, but now, as long as I get everything on tape that sounds good, all we gotta do is put it into Pro Tools and move it around. What’s your relationship to technology? I embrace it, but you can’t just throw everything else away. That’s what this record is about— embracing the old stuff, the analog stuff, and the digital. But it’s bigger than me and this album. I’m trying to figure out ways to resist [the current paradigm] in a way that’s non-threatening, that pushes the peace, the power, the love, all that. It’s gonna take a while. I might not get there, but I’ve gotta do my part. You did so much stretching out on the albums you made with Bill Laswell in the ’90s. I’ve always looked to the underground, people like Bill Laswell, who isn’t your “formula” cat. I like the experimental thing. People who are into that gravitate toward me, as well. When I see that and feel that around me, I try to encourage it, because we’re losing that creative edge. Do you think you’ll ever revisit the freaky flavors you conjured with Buckethead back in the day? Funny you should mention that. We’re working on it right now. We have about eight tracks so far, and I’m really getting into it. We’re going all the way out this time. I’ll be busy with promotion and stuff for this record, and then I’ll take a couple months to get into the thing with Buckethead. It’s gonna be outside on the out—it’s already headed in that direction. All I gotta do is put the envelope on it. It’ll hit the streets around May or June. I assume it’ll be different from World Wide Funk. I’ve gotta have different outlets. It’s like wearing clothes: I gotta be able to wear whatever I feel like wearing. People look at us and say, “Oh, yeah, that Bootsy and Buckethead … they’re crazy,” and that’s cool with me, as long as I can express myself. With all the stuff happening in the world today, how do you stay upbeat? You’ve gotta be able to laugh about it. This ain’t our world, man. We’re just passing through. But get all the information that you can, all the wisdom you can, and pass it on. If I don’t pass it on, ain’t nobody gon’ get it, because they ain’t teaching it. And that’s the truth. Thank you for being you! I came, they saw, we funked! BP

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Bergantino Forté B Y R O D C . T AY L O R

ABOUT A YEAR AGO, FELLOW WRITER AND ALLaround tech guru Jonathan Herrera put the feature-laden Bergantino B|AMP amp to the test, noting the benefits of its assortment of digital effects, tone options, and various cabinet profiles—all adjustable via a large LCD screen. The B|AMP earned a BP Editor’s Award, a testiment to its high quality and flexibility. At the end of his review, Jonathan noted, “Whether or not you make use of the B|AMP’s innovative features, the head’s versatility and superb tone make it one of the best amps on the market.” As the newest member of the Bergantino lineup, the Forté provides an amp for those players who fall into the “not” category of that “whether or not” equation.

K.I.S.S. I like my gear simple. Give me a bass with as few knobs as possible, and I’m good. In fact, I hardly ever touch the tone knobs on my basses, easily falling into the “set it and let it” category of players. I feel the same way about my amps: I prefer a few tone controls that require little or no adjustment between my basses, and

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if I can get by without thinking about anything but gain adjustments, I’m thrilled. And, I talk to a lot of players who feel the same way, especially here in Nashville. “Keep it simple, stupid” goes a long way when you play behind multiple artists, as many players here do. I tell my students that on a gig, they need to quickly dial in their amps and then focus on the tunes they’re playing. Tweak less, play more. That’s easier to do when you have high-quality, easy-to-adjust gear, like the Forté. The Forté is a more basic version of the previously reviewed B|AMP, at least in terms of features. In terms of power and tone, it’s identical—good news, because it’s far more affordable (about $300 less). Since Jonathan did such a thorough job in his review explaining the features, I won’t rehash most of that information here; rather, I’ll point to a few of the amp’s other attributes that set it apart in terms of practical use, including a few that might at first go unnoticed. The first thing I noticed when pulling the amp out of the box was its feet. Yup, feet. I’m referring to the often-anemic, cheap rubber pieces the size of a dime that outfit the bottom of

TONE PROFILE Tonewise, the amp kills. In fact, as I was writing this review, I realized I had not once touched the

SPECIFICATIONS Forté

BERGANTINO

tone knobs—the default profile is that good. When I took the setup to a theater gig where it was backlined for three different bassists, I noticed that none of us tweaked the amp’s tone. Everyone left it flat. Additionally, since the profile comes after the DI output, it doesn’t jack with the FOH mix, which may have contributed to the sound engineer coming up to me after soundcheck that same night and saying, “What kind of amp is that? It sounds awesome!” Such thoughtfulness of design doesn’t stop with the chassis, DSP tone, and outputs, though. From the dynamic response of the VRC (variable rate compressor), to the size of the master control knob (which can’t be confused with any others), to the way the ol indicator LED allows proper adjustment between the input gain and DSP section of the amp, designer and engineer Jim Bergantino demonstrates a thoughtfulness and design philosophy that explains his company’s success—something that became clear in a long phone chat I had with him about the amp. There’s nothing simple about how the Forté was designed and built. Like its predecessor, every aspect reflects purposefulness and careful attention to what works well on the stage for us bass players—and that’s what each of us wants from our amp companies, right? At $900, you’d be hardpressed to find a better buy for this level of quality, power, and tone. BP

Street $900 Pros Amazing tone proﬁle, simple interface, pairs well with any cabinet Cons None Bottom Line A well-priced, pro-level micro amp, with tons of power and thoughtful design features. Power rating 800 watts @ 2ȍ; 700 watts @ 4ȍ Preamp Solid-state DSP-based Power amp topology Class D Power supply Switchmode Input impedance 1Mȍ Outputs Two parallel Speakon jacks, q" effects send and return, XLR balanced line

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our amps. Not the Forté: Its feet are NBA-shoeendorsement worthy. Feet matter, especially for lightweight micro amps; ask players who have watched their amp slide around (or off) the top of their cabinet during a gig when just slightly pushed or pulled. I’ve seen this happen even by using a heavy power cable. The Forté’s large, heavy-duty (and proprietary) feet make that a non-issue. I toted the amp around with me to various gigs over the past month, and it never moved an inch—even when I tilted the cabinet back a few times. The heavier steel casing (vs. aluminum) aides in adding some heft to the amp, but at six pounds, the Forté is still plenty light enough to throw in your gig bag. The amp arrived with a Bergantino HDN410 cabinet, and having that on hand proved useful for comparing how well the amp paired with nonBergantino cabinets. The HDN410 costs $1,600—a big chunk of change, especially compared to the Forté’s price, and I wanted to know if the head delivered as well with cabinets that a player might already have on hand. It does, thanks to the carefully crafted generic profile programmed into the DSP. I ran the amp through Aguilar, Ampeg, and Epifani cabinets, and it performed well with each.

out, q" headphone Inputs q" instrument, r" aux Tone controls

BASS:

±10dB @ 63Hz; LO-MID:

±10dB @ 250Hz; HI-MID: ±10dB @ 1kHz; TREBLE:

±10dB @ 3.5kHz; BRIGHT switch:

+6dB @ 6.5kHz Effects Adjustable VRC (variable-ratio compressor) Weight 6 lbs Made in USA Contact bergantino.com

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NOT EVERY BASS PLAYER IS A SONIC adventurer. There’s something about our instrument’s culture that traditionally eschews anything other than solid, full-bodied, and supportive tone, and sound-mangling effects can disrupt the fulfillment of our basic duties. Thankfully, there’s no rule that says we must be functionaries, dutifully working in the trenches while our bandmates fancifully flit above our unyielding foundation. We don’t have to be craftsmen— we can be artists, too. Many of the most interesting players on the contemporary scene, from Thundercat to Victor Wooten to Juan Alderete, embrace the bass’ exciting sonic breadth, and we all admire their approach as much as we adore the role-defining contributions of icons like James Jamerson, Duck Dunn, and Joe Osborn. Beyond developing new techniques, the quickest route to a broader sonic palette is through effects. An intrepid bass player will likely first build up an arsenal of must-have stompboxes, like an octaver, a fuzz or distortion, a phaser or chorus, and a delay. Much can be accomplished with this fundamental array, especially when creatively used in combinations, but more ambitious effect-hounds inevitably seek everweirder sounds. The TWA DM-02 Dynamorph is an exemplary representative of these exotic breeds. There’s nothing that sounds quite like it, and that alone could be its biggest selling point. The Dynamorph is hard to categorize. It’s a distortion pedal at its core, but its innovative circuit and dynamic sensitivity make it unlike any other distortion on the market. The circuit’s basic topology involves a pair of high-gain preamps driving a string of full-wave rectifier diodes. As the diodes are hit with increasing amounts of gain, they clip the audio signal in unpredictable ways. The result of all the clipping is a host of

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new waveforms that further interact in erratic, sonically insane ways. In short, the bass signal is put through a high-speed blender, resulting in a sound that can be synth-y and sputtering, massive and industrial, and everything in between. The Dynamorph further ups the ante with the inclusion of its switchable morph function. With morph engaged, an envelope-detection circuit tracks input dynamics, tying them to the drive amount. The result is that the insanity’s severity becomes linked to how hard one plays. The sensitivity of the morph control is adjustable via the instar knob. This gets me to another point, although I’m not sure where I stand on the subject. The DM-02 offers a lot of parameter controls, including adjustable ratios of dry to wet signal, the envelope-detector speed, the gain amount driving the diodes, and a pair of preset EQ curves that tailor the output’s frequency response. This is all objectively cool to have on hand. My criticism-cum-plaudit is that each control is named with no regard whatsoever for what it does. For example, is just me or is it not obvious that the holometaboly knob works in conjunction with the ametaboly knob to govern the wet/dry mix? The reason I don’t know where to stand on the crazy naming conventions is that the pedal itself is so wacky that the naming somehow suits its aesthetic. That said, the bizarre names significantly steepened my learning curve. As a bass player who loves to mangle my sound in wild ways, I loved the DM-02 for its unique sonic signature. It surely won’t be for everyone, and it’s about as confusing a pedal to master as I’ve come across, but I think such confusion is itself exemplary of the kind of player it’s bound to please. Sometimes it’s better to just turn knobs and get weird. BP

SPECIFICATIONS Dynamorph DM-02 Street $300 Pros One-of-a-kind sonic mangler capable of a ludicrously broad array of synth-y, fuzzy, and overall weird tones; dynamic-

T WA

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sensitivity option adds a exciting dimension of interactivity Cons The most confusing parameter labels in the biz Bottom Line Anyone who likes to dramatically alter their sound would ﬁnd the Dynamorph an exciting playmate. Input q" Outputs q"

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Expression pedal q" for external control of drive amount Power 9 volts via external jack Made in U.S.A. Contact godlyke.com

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Cloud Microphones |

ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS ABOUT owning a studio is having access to a vast spectrum of interesting kit. There are big-ticket items like mixing consoles, mics, and outboard compressors, but legions of less-glamorous gadgets are required to make the recording process work. For a long while, one such gadget has been the Cloudlifter CL-1 from boutique mic builders Cloud Microphones. The dead-simple CL-1 does one thing exceptionally well: It uses phantom power to add up to 25dB of clean gain to a mic’s signal. Many iconic microphones, like the Shure SM-7B and most ribbon mics, sound great but have severely low output, requiring the connected mic preamp to provide 50dB or more of gain for a workable recording level. Unless you have exceptionally clean mic preamps with a ton of gain on tap, this huge boost substantially raises the signal chain’s noise floor. By transparently adding 25dB of gain to a quiet mic’s output, the Cloudlifter doesn’t push the preamp into its upper limits, resulting in a quieter and often more high-fidelity signal. The CL-1 is of limited use to us bass players—but now with the Zi, Cloud has introduced a clever product that’s a unique addition to our corner of the gear world. It offers the same functionality as the CL-1, but adds an instrument input and a cool dual-purpose variable-impedance/highpass filter knob to further tailor tone. The Zi is nicely constructed, with a ruggedfeeling steel case. All the components are topshelf, including the Neutrik combo jack and CineMag input transformer. The surface-mount

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PCB reveals the JFET circuitry that provides gain, and everything is orderly and well engineered. Boxes like this get thrown around a lot, and the Zi’s durable feel seems up to the task. While it may look the part, the Zi isn’t exactly a DI. Traditionally, a DI converts a bass’ high-impedance, instrument-level signal to a low-impedance, mic-level signal appropriate for recording. The Zi adds a bit of gain to an instrument-level signal, which is itself typically a bit higher than mic level. It’s no big deal in practice, as almost every preamp will deal with the slightly higher output, but it’s worth mentioning. More important versus traditional DIs, the Zi lacks a “through” output. The through jack on a DI allows a player to utilize the DI for feeding a PA or recording preamp while also providing signal to an amp. It’s a vital component of a DI, especially for live use. While the Zi is a bit left-of-center compared to most DIs, it also offers a few features that make it well worth attention. First, its variable impedance can alter the frequency response of a passive bass, adding a new dimension of tonesculpting to the typical signal chain. Also, its built-in variable highpass filter can clean up the muddy low end that can plague some instruments in a dense mix, and it’s easily switched off if you want to retain your full-range output. Most interestingly, since the Zi retains the cleangain feature that made the CL-1 an indispensable tool for recording engineers, any two-timing bass player/recording engineer would easily find a range of uses for it in their studio. BP

SPECIFICATIONS Cloudlifter Zi

CLOUD MICROPHONES

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Shelter From The Storm B Y J O N AT H A N H E R R E R A

GIVEN THE PECULIARITIES OF THE MAGAZINE and generally lament and celebrate our field in equal parts. production cycle, you’ll be reading this sometime in December This part of the experience is what left me most touched. Life or January—but I’m writing it fresh off Bass Player LIVE!, has been a little rough for me lately, and I found great comfort which was the first weekend of November. Forgive the tempoin the reminder that not only are we bass players bonded in our ral gap, but the experience catalyzed a lot of self-reflection, and shared passion, we also tend to extend our instrument’s supit’s in that mood that I write this month’s column. portive demands into the way we support each other. Finally, we For those who have never been to Bass Player LIVE!, all share the most important perk of all: the ability to express I’ll try to set the scene. First, it’s at S.I.R. in Hollywood, one ourselves, heal, and share love through music. of L.A.’s premier rehearsal and gear-rental facilities. It’s a In talking to my friends at the event, I felt the anxiety of our building steeped in music history, laden with the presence times in their own stories of the past year. We’re all affected difof countless icons that have walked its labyrinth of halls ferently, and we all have private struggles, but there’s no denyand rehearsal rooms. Then there’s the gear. It’s everywhere. ing that a confluence of long-simmering trends in society is There are windowed display cases filled with the most droolpushing us all into a state of insecurity regarding the future. worthy stuff on earth, and that’s not even counting the We live in strange times indeed, and wherever one falls on warehouse of road-cased equipment of every possible sort. the socioeconomic or political spectrum, we’re all enduring a In short, the building is an organism in symbiosis transitional moment in the world that is fundamentally with the music industry; walking in, one can’t altering our perspective, or at least undermining our help but feel they’re in a vortex of music and certainty about what comes next. all its incumbent requirements. It’s invigoThe point of this column is to hopefully serve rating and intimidating. as a reminder that our advantage in this conMore saliently, though, Bass Player LIVE! fused storm is twofold. First, we are members is about the people. There is no other gatherof one of the most tolerant, welcoming, and ing that so clearly demonstrates the special noble communities I know. Our solidarity as bond among bass players. Whether it’s the brothers and sisters in bass is not just comrapt enthusiasm attendees display during one forting, it’s there to be counted on in times of Bass Player Senior Contribof the many clinics, the giddy excitement at trouble. Reach out and lean into the commuuting Editor Jonathan playing some of the coolest gear around, the nity in any way you can; it rarely disappoints, Herrera is the magazine’s chance encounters with friends, or the opporand it’s a source of security when the world former Editor-in-Chief. An tunity to forge new friendships, the event has seems upside down. Second, don’t forget that accomplished player, Jonaa joyful spirit of connectivity. It’s a moment music is the best medicine. It’s easy to take than is now a full-time musiwhen each of us, long siloed in our corners of for granted, but sitting with our instrument cian and producer. His latest the bass world, gets to revel in our art and find and respecting its therapeutic power is not endeavor is Bay Area recordinspiration in our community. This doesn’t insignificant. Whether it’s coupled with the ing studio Airship Laboraapply just to the attendees, either. Those of broader social benefits of playing in a band, tories. Catch up with him at us privileged to count top professionals and or the more contemplative distraction of deep jonherrera.com and at the like among our friends and colleagues also practice, we are so lucky to have an outlet in airshiplaboratories.com. love the chance to catch up, share trade secrets, music. Use it. BP

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W JAZZ CONCEPTS

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7th Heaven

Mastering Arpeggios

John once com-

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bined a diminished

| J O H N G O L D S BY

chord with an augmented chord and came up with a demented chord. Check out his video lesson series The Upright Bass Handbook, at trueﬁre.com and johngoldsby.com. • James Jamerson knew his 7th-chord arpeggios! Watch “the Hook” in action as the master performs with Marvin Gaye. • Scott Whitley patiently explains and demonstrates

C ONNEC T

BY JOHN GOLDSBY

IN MY NOVEMBER ’17 WOODSHED, WE LOOKED AT SIMPLE TRIAD exercses. This month, let’s grab some 7th-chord arpeggios up and down the neck. There are five main 7th-chord types: major, minor, dominant, half-diminished, and diminished. We’ll explore four of these chord types this month, and we’ll save one for next month (I’ll reveal why in a minute). Before you pick up your bass, think about James Jamerson, who holds the title of #1 bassist of all time, as rated by the BP staff [The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time, February ’17]. Jamerson’s fluid use of arpeggios enhanced his incredible groove and bodacious tone. Listen to any Jamerson track, and you’ll probably hear arpeggios. You’ll find 7th-chord arpeggios in all styles of music, so mastering them will make you a better bassist. There are several ways to understand 7th-chord construction: stacked majorand minor-3rd intervals, scale degrees, or triads with an added 7th on top. Example 1 shows a C major 7 arpeggio (Cmaj7), followed by the notes arranged as a chord, plus the C major scale. The Cmaj7 chord is constructed with intervals of a major 3rd (marked “3” on the music, C to E), minor 3rd (“m3,” E to G), and major 3rd (G to B). Thinking in scale degrees, the C major scale generates the Cmaj7 chord from the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th—the notes C, E, G, B. The C7 chord in Ex. 2 is generated from the C dominant scale, also called the C Mixolydian mode. The intervallic construction is: 3 (C to E), m3 (E to G), and m3 (G to Bb). Notice that the difference between the Cmaj7 and the C7 is the 7th note of the scale. In the Cmaj7 chord, the 7th is B; in the C7 chord, the 7th is Bb. Example 3 gets dark. The minor-3rd interval between the root (C) and flatted 3rd (Eb) defines the C minor sound. The intervallic construction of the Cm7 chord is: m3 (C to Eb), 3 (Eb to G), and m3 (G to Bb). The scale in Ex. 3 is C natural minor (also called C Aeolian), but the Cm7 chord also occurs in C Dorian and C Phrygian modes. Even darker than minor, the diminished sound is the most mysterious-sounding of the five basic chords. Example 4 shows the Cdim7 arpeggio, Cdim7 chord, and the Db harmonic minor scale. Why Db harmonic minor? The chord built on the 7th degree of any harmonic minor scale is a diminished 7th. In this case, the note C is the 7th degree of the Db harmonic minor scale. The Cdim7 is built in 3rds from the root C, using the notes found in the Db harmonic minor scale: C, Eb, Gb, Bbb. The intervallic construction of the Cdim7 chord is all minor3rd intervals: m3 (C to Eb), m3 (Eb to Gb), and m3 (Gb to Bbb). Bbb is the enharmonic equivalent

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how to build various arpeggios on the bass. • Play chord games with the Teoria music trainer. bassplayer.com/ january2018

EX. 3

Cm7

EX. 4

Cdim7

Medium Motown groove

Bbmaj7

7 10

10 7

Eb7

Gb7

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Fmaj7

5 EX. 6

EX. 5

Cmaj7

Slow & precise

Db harmonic minor scale

Cdim7

C natural minor scale

Cm7

C dominant scale (Mixolydian mode)

EX. 2

of the note A. You might see either the note Bbb or the note A written in bass parts, depending on the key signature and the nerdiness factor of the person notating the chart. Now that we’ve slogged through the theory detailing 7th-chord construction, let’s work out on the bass. Example 5 moves major-7th chords through the circle of 4ths. Play the three chords shown here, and keep traveling around the circle to play all 12 major-7th chords. Shout out to James Jamerson! The chords in Ex. 6 move in intervals of minor 3rds: C7, Eb7, Gb7, A7. You should continue through all 12 keys by playing the same pattern over Bb7, Db7, E7, G7; and Ab7, B7, D7, F7. Example 7 outlines minor-7th chords moving down in half-steps. Play the four arpeggios shown here, and then continue the pattern down chromatically through all 12 keys. Note: You’ll have to jump up the octave when you reach the Ebm7 arpeggio. Example 8 demonstrates the magic of diminished chords. This exercise targets a minor-7th arpeggio, which is preceded

C major scale

Cmaj7

EX. 1

2 4

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by a diminished-7th arpeggio. Think of the pattern in two-bar groupings: Bdim7 to Cm7, Edim7 to Fm7, Adim7 to Bbm7. Once you get these six bars down, move the pattern around the circle and play all other combinations of diminished to minor chords: Ddim7 to Ebm7, Gdim7 to Abm7, Cdim7 to Dbm7, Fdim7 to Gbm7, A#dim7 to Bm7, D#dim7 to Em7, G#dim7 to Am7, C#dim7 to Dm7, and F#dim7 to Gm7.

WOODSHED

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Medium slow

Cm7

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Bbm7

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Am7

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Medium slow

Bm7

We’ve heard how minor chords sound dark, and diminished7th chords sound even darker. Next month, we’ll ponder the inbetweenness and functionality of the half-diminished chord (e.g., Cm7b5). Half-diminished chords sound minor-ish, but not really diminished. Also called minor 7 flat 5, the half-diminished chord is often misunderstood, and deserves special consideration in the next Woodshed. BP

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“The Sound,” Or How I Ditched My High End & Learned To Love It! BY ED FRIEDLAND

AS A BASSIST, YOU CAN PLAY THE RIGHT NOTES, HIT THE is a screenshot of the waveform produced by my upright bass—there is a groove, know every possible version of a song—even wear a hat and sunlarge initial spike, which tapers down relatively fast. In contrast, the waveglasses—but if you don’t get “the sound,” the music doesn’t fully happen. form produced by my electric bass (Fig. 2) shows that the initial attack is While this is true in any musical situation, the bass tone of the R&B Gold not as big as the upright’s, and the waveform holds a more consistent volume timeframe (1940–75-ish) has been practically eradicated by years of product level from beginning to end. development and innovation, so achieving that tone can be a bit mysterious. Listening to older music, you’ll notice that bass notes were shorter. For Virtually every advance in bass-gear technology has replaced the instruupright players, this was largely a result of playing pizzicato with gut strings ment’s dark, indistinct thump with full-range clarity. As players pushed the and high action to achieve volume. The string’s material and tension proboundaries of what a bass could do, gear designers met and fueled that chalduced a strong attack and fundamental, but the notes did not sustain well. As lenge, creating many of the advances we now take for granted: steel strings, steel strings took over, the envelope of upright notes began to change. String advanced pickups, and hi-fi amplifiers for upright bass; roundwound strings, heights also lowered, which decreased the attack and lengthened the decay. active electronics, exotic woods, and sophisticated hardware for electric bass; As a result, pickups and amps became more of a necessity to compete in the and full-range speaker systems and Class D amplification to make it all loud. rhythm section. Players like Ron Carter began to emphasize the growl and Like many contemporary players, my tone ideals were bassists who stood length of each note instead of the thump, and this opened up an entirely difout in the mix, such as Stanley Clarke, Larry Graham, Jaco, Marcus Miller, ferent (and distinctly modern) approach to the instrument that has inspired John Entwistle, and Jack Casady. The equipment I chose was designed with several generations of players. But when you hear Lloyd Trotman’s introducmodern sensibilities in mind: clarity, full-spectrum tone, even response, tion on “Stand By Me,” or James Jamerson’s upright on Marvin Gaye’s “Once and flexibility. While I appreciate the advances our instrument has experiUpon a Time,” or Bob Moore’s playing on any record he’s ever done—that is enced, and I enjoy playing in contemporary styles, over the past ten years “the sound” I’m talking about. my personal preferences have shifted toward a more vintage aesthetic. My For the past few years, I’ve been touring and recording with the Mavericks, gigs have been predominantly based in the Americana/roots/country realm, a band with musical influences as far-flung as traditional country, Cuban son, where a fat, dark, punchy tone is the standard, and there are no bass solos. ska, Tex-Mex, and swing, with a big dollop of classic R&B on top. My priGetting “the sound” can be as simple as using vintage gear—but outside of mary instrument for the gig is upright bass, although for a handful of songs a controlled environment like a recording studio, it can be a challenge to get I switch to a Fender Precision. As the gig’s tone palette is decidedly vintage, modern performance standards out of such gear. While heretical to the vinit’s been my quest to reliably produce “the sound” really freakin’ loud! While tage purist mindset, it’s possible to produce “the sound” even with modern the thought of miking an old Ampeg B-15 is quaint, my stage volume needs equipment, if you understand its nature. to be loud enough to give the lead singer a solid backstop, and Words like full, fat, thick, round, warm, and punchy are keep me out of his wedge monitors. Feedback is the first issue used to describe “the sound,” as opposed to the modern tone to deal with—standing in front of a roaring 2x15 cab is quite INFO palette that can be called bright, clear, full-range, and crisp. a trick for an upright bassist. While upright players combat However, “the sound” is not just a product of timbre; it also feedback by putting foam under the tailpiece or inside the bass, Ed Friedland of involves the note’s envelope. ADSR is an acronym used in taping up the ƒ-holes, or taking even more extreme measures, Tucson, Arizona, is music synthesis to describe the attack, decay, sustain, and I found a different solution. My Chadwick Folding Bass came currently touring release of a note. We bass players are concerned mostly with with a removable internal brace to protect the top from being with Grammy the attack and decay, and if we look at “the sound” in these crushed during travel, and I found that playing with the brace Award winners the terms, we see it has a strong attack and a quick decay. Figure 1 installed effectively removes 90 percent of my acoustic volume Mavericks. ED FR IE DL AND

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crams the fingers together, mashes down on the string with the pads, and uses a solid monkey-grip on the neck. It’s “wrong,” but it shortens the decay times, emphasizes the attack, and adds a ton of low-end thump. The crudeness of the technique creates the desired sound and articulation; call it “harnessed slop.” The right hand also plays a large role in the shape of the note: The classic “hook” technique gives a firm bump up front, but it can cause more string excursion, which means longer decay. A more classical pluck that pulls the string away from the neck can produce a decent attack with a short decay, and using one or two plucking fingers, and varying one’s hand placement, can open up a good dynamic range. Plucking with the pads of the index and middle fingers together gives a strong meaty bump with medium decay— and in combination with the thumper left-hand technique, it gives you a lot to work with. Getting the right envelope is the first step, but then we have to make it loud. My rig, although thoroughly modern in design, is a critical link in bringing this texture to life at high stage volume. While it’s a modern Class D design, the Genzler Magellan 800’s beefy power plant and semi-parametric midrange can just as easily make my three-way Greenboy Audio cabinet sound like an old bass rig without a tweeter: super loud, without feedback, and with improved definition. My Barbera Transducers piezo pickup is full-range, with even response and tons of gain. To shape all that sonic information into “the sound,” I cut the mids deeply in the 800Hz–1.5kHz range. A slight bass boost helps make it plump, and because the strings are fairly dark, I leave the treble flat. Even with the feedback resistance of the muted Chadwick, a highpass filter rolling off everything under 80Hz is necessary to keep howling at bay. This modern setup allows me to convey the upright-bass version of “the sound” at stadium-rock levels. But first you have to know what “the sound” is, and understand what produces it. If you can’t replicate those conditions, figure out another way to produce the same result. Next time, we’ll talk about “the sound” as it relates to electric bass—but until then, keep digging for R&B Gold. It’s everywhere! BP

EX. 2

EX. 1

and therefore my feedback problem—although it does add sustain, much like a center block does in a semi-hollow instrument. The next step is getting the proper attack and decay. My first inclination was to use gut strings, as they naturally have the thumpy attack and rapid decay, but after one year on the road, I gave up on them. Constantly changing climates, rainy outdoor festivals, and the many hours needed prior to a show to let the strings settle in became problematic. Synthetic-core strings can exhibit gut-like qualities, but I found they still took too long to stretch out, as I have to assemble the Chadwick for each gig. Steel-core strings settle in quickly, as the material is less pliable, but pizzicatooriented string sets tend to growl and sustain rather than thump. It occurred to me to use strings designed for arco playing, as they typically have an underwrap of silk to calm down the high-frequency transients and sustain. A set of light-gauge D’Addario Heliocore Orchestral strings put me on the right path. Due to marathon sets lasting up to three hours, I keep my action relatively low, which unfortunately decreases attack and lengthens the decay. To balance these tendencies, I use a variety of hand techniques to get “the sound” in different registers and dynamic levels. When photos of me on my new gig first started circulating, a thread on talkbass.com lit up about my atrocious left-hand technique. People were surprised to see me grabbing the neck like a baseball bat—something I’ve told all of my students not to do. This primitive technique is dead wrong by “legit” standards, but it’s the way most “bass thumpers” approach the instrument. In the world of upright bass, you have classically trained players, jazz players with various levels of training, and “thumpers.” Thumpers just pick up the darn thing and start playing. They didn’t take lessons; they just thump away until they get something going. In educated circles, there is a tendency to scoff at this approach, but the reality is many of the greatest records ever made had a thumper on bass. In early jazz, bluegrass, country, blues, and other “rustic” genres, the bass playing was often crude, but effective. If you’re playing this music, perfect classical technique is not going to get “the sound.” Instead of cleanly pressing the string to the fingerboard with the tip of the finger for optimum clarity and intonation, the thumper

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BERKLEE BASS BABYLON

The Many Facets Of Teaching BY STEVE BAILEY

IN ITS DAY, BABYLON WAS THE LARGEST CITY IN THE WORLD— melody is key to developing meaningful bass-line counterpoint as well as and in this day, the Berklee Bass Department is the largest bass department in improvisational phrasing. the world. In many ways the department, both students and faculty, is like a Steve Bailey Technical foundation. Like a skyscraper’s foundation, one’s city: it’s multicultural, stylistically diverse, vibrant, progressive, and not afraid technical foundation is critical to support virtuosity, consistency, and musiof change. Collectively, our faculty have made thousands of records, written cality. Bass is physical; good form and strength are key to good time, tone, hundreds of books, toured the world, won Grammys, and influenced several technique, and expression! generations of bassists. What better way to share this with the world than Whit Browne The first items on my study list are sound/tone and beat/ to partner with the most venerated purveyor of all things bass, Bass Player rhythm. A legendary musician once said, “They hear ya before they hear ya!” A magazine? BP’s history of providing quality instructional content makes for big, fat bass tone and a deep, groovin’ beat will bring you to the attention of all. an ideal educational partnership. Dave Buda Simplicity. Part of effective teaching is the ability to make the In the Berklee Bass Department, our teaching methods, complicated seem simple. We discover together how you learn, pedagogical philosophies, and stylistic approaches may vary, and then we proceed to break down new material in ways that but our endgame is always the same: We do absolutely everysuit your learning style. INFO thing we can to prepare our students for what awaits them in Dave Clark Practice habits. Choose tempos supporting their careers, regardless of where they will live or what kind musical success and technical ease. Face the unmastered with Steve Bailey is the of music they will play. courage. Savor repetition. Employ panoramic awareness, creChairman of the Our first column features a sample of some of our teachative problem-solving, and self-reliance. Bass Department ing’s approaches and focuses. While it may seem like a long list, Bruce Gertz Practice. A disciplined routine is key to sucat Berklee College of Music and the it’s only a fraction of where we are coming from—and where cess. My students combine warmups, scales, arpeggios, readgrandmaster of the you could be going. In future columns, we will drill down into ing, listening to and emulating the masters, and improvising fretless 6-string as some of these concepts, feature some faculty members, and in various contexts. a veteran sideman, provide insight into the serious musical foundations we build, Lincoln Goines Stylistic diversity. Keep your ears and author, educator, and the fun our team has doing so. spirit open to all kinds of music. At some point, especially as and solo artist. In For a deeper look at our program, faculty, and philosophy, a bassist, you will find a use for it. addition to touring go to berklee.edu/bass. Susan Hagen Classical repertoire. Studying the masterwith Victor Wooten works is a path to technical and musical mastery, while solidin Bass Extremes, Name one important concept and focus of your teaching. ifying pitch makes for a better bassist, regardless of style. he is at work on his Tom Appleman Learning repertoire. Learning a song’s Fernando Huergo Musical flexibility. It is very important next solo record. STE V E BA IL EY

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for the working musician to adapt to many different situations. Studying myriad styles and repertoires, and listening to music with an open mind, are a path to this flexibility. John Lockwood Listening. That’s the key ingredient that allows us to connect and communicate in every musical setting. Chris Loftlin Practice habits. Focused listening, disciplined practice, and concentrated effort are habits that will foster the skills and confidence necessary to succeed musically and academically. Ed Lucie Application of theory. It’s not enough to have a theoretical knowledge of harmony—one must be able to apply it to building bass lines and improvising. David Marvuglio Pick technique. Facility with a pick adds another dimension to your playing. More attack, clarity, punch, and grind—and driving eighthnotes—are some of its virtues. Danny Morris Transcription and analysis of current bass lines. This process leads to discovery, mirroring what many students will encounter after they graduate. John Patitucci Rhythm is the most powerful tool we use in communicating musical ideas. Time feel, bass lines, compositional and harmonic movement, accents, articulations, inflections, and more—they all rely on rhythm as the primary mode of communication! Mike Pope Phrasing and the use of space between ideas frames them so they’re more clearly defined and communicated. Our natural speaking skills provide a springboard for understanding that in a musical context. Joe Santerre Teamwork and cooperation. In addition to learning and

navigating the fingerboard and applying harmonic and rhythmic knowledge, it is imperative to impress upon students the importance of being a team player. Sandro Scoccia Sound and tone. I have students focus on exploring tone, manipulating it, and eventually finding a sound that they love. Great tone inspires more practice, playing, and confidence. Oscar Stagnaro Rhythmic awareness. Regardless of style, it is imperative that a bass player have an understanding of basic percussion and drumset rhythms, as this will enhance bass line creation. Anthony Vitti Consistency—the ability to evenly maintain and control note length, time, swing, volume, and sound from the beginning to the end of a song. Gary Willis Command of technology. I try to enable students to teach themselves by getting a handle on their practice environment and leveraging that for the best results. Victor Wooten Expressing your greatness. Like your fingerprint, there’s a musical part of you that is unique. The key to clearly and easily expressing it lies beyond the 12 notes. BP

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Elton John’s “Chameleon” Kenny Passarelli’s Complete Bass Line BY CHRIS JISI

THINK SIR ELTON JOHN FROM THE BOTTOM UP AND IT’S impossible not to summon the late Dee Murray, whose R&B-rooted melodic might powered a dozen John discs. But another highly original bass philosopher, for whom melody and R&B was king, also left his mark on the Rocket Man’s recordings. Kenny Passarelli cut Rock of the Westies [1975, Mercury] and Blue Moves [1976, MCA] with John, appearing on such hits as “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” and “Island Girl.” The full scope of Passarelli’s plucking prowess can be found on “Chameleon,” from Blue Moves. The song title perfectly sums up Passarelli’s Zelig-like career, as well, so let’s first follow that path and return to the “Chameleon” session with some proper perspective. Born in Denver, Colorado, in 1949, Passarelli studied classical trumpet from ages seven to 15, before being bitten by the Beatles bug. When no one wanted to play bass in a neighborhood band, Kenny strapped on a Mosrite. He felt a kinship to the trumpet, given his right-hand dexterity and experience playing single lines as opposed to chords. “Unlike playing legit trumpet, the bass let me swing,” he notes, “and I quickly figured out I could have the best of both worlds dealing with melody and rhythm.” Feasting on the bass lines of Chas Chandler, Paul McCartney, James Jamerson, and Jack Bruce, Passarelli—by then on a Gibson EB-3—earned a local reputation. This led a friend at a music store to recommend him to Stephen Stills, who had moved to the mountains nearby, in early 1969. After jamming with Stills, he was offered the CSNY gig, with a date at Woodstock looming (although Neil Young had simultaneously hired Motown bassist Greg Reeves), but he fell ill and was unable to travel.

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A call from childhood friend and guitarist Tommy Bolin brought Passarelli to New York City in a band with Bolin, Eddie Gomez on upright, Jan Hammer, Alphonse Mouzon, and Jeremy Steig, to open for Tony Williams Lifetime. While there, he connected with John Hammond Jr. and spent the next year touring with Hammond, playing the blues and learning the true foundational role of the bass from legendary New Orleans drummer Charles Otis. It was Bolin who provided Passarelli’s biggest break, recommending him to ex-James Gang guitarist Joe Walsh, who had moved to Boulder and was looking for a bassist, in 1972. Walsh dubbed his new band Barnstorm, and when Fender sent him an array of guitars to try out, he handed Passarelli a fretless Precision. With his melodic background and love of the signature upright growl of bassists like Ron Carter, Ray Brown, and Miroslav Vitous, Passarelli made the instrument his trademark, using it on Walsh’s albums and sides with Dan Fogelberg, Michael Stanley, and Hall & Oates. When Barnstorm disbanded, Passarelli joined Stephen Stills’ band, Manassas, and again came close to getting the CSNY gig, only to lose out to Tim Drummond.

While on tour with Barnstorm drummer Joe Vitale in 1975, Passarelli got a call from Walsh telling him he had recommended him to Elton John, who was forming a new band. He flew to Paris, settled into John’s famed Honky Château to rehearse for a summer tour, and watched John write Rock of the Westies (on which Kenny played a Hofner Beatle Bass). By the time Blue Moves was underway, quite a lot was going on behind the scenes. Tired from years of extensive touring and having problems with his manager and his lyricist Bernie Taupin, John was about to take a break from performing. This is reflected in the double-album’s darker tone (yet

John maintains it’s one of his favorites). On the bright side, the new band—with Passarelli, longtime guitarists Davey Johnstone and Caleb Quaye, drummer Roger Pope, percussionist Ray Cooper, and keyboardist James Newton Howard—was on fire. So, for Blue Moves, the band convinced producer Gus Dudgeon to move away from overdubbing to cut the songs live as a unit, resulting in spontaneous magic moments throughout. Which brings us back to the “Chameleon” session at Toronto’s Eastern Sound, where Blue Moves was rehearsed and recorded over a month in March 1976. John originally wrote the song for the Beach Boys, who passed on it (although Beach Boy Bruce Johnston and Toni Tennille provide background vocals). Passarelli recalls he had the changes memorized, and that he, Pope, Quay, Cooper (on vibes), and John on piano and scratch vocal cut the track live, using the first take. Although isolated via headphones, he stood next to the piano, where

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LEARN PLAY

TECH

10 Other Great Kenny Passarelli Tracks 1 Joe Walsh, “Days Gone By” [The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get, 1973]

FACE

2 Joe Walsh, “Book Ends” [The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get, 1973] 3 Michael Stanley, “Let’s Get the Show on the Road” [Friends & Legends, 1973] 4 Rick Derringer, “Uncomplicated Man” [All American Boy, 1973 5 Dan Fogelberg, “Part of the Plan” [Souvenirs, 1974]

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6 Elton John, “Feed Me” [Blue Moves, 1976] 7 Hall & Oates, “I Don’t Want to Lose You” [Along the Red Ledge, 1978] 8 Hall & Oates, “Sara Smile” [Livetime, 1978]

TRANSCRIPTION

9 Joe Walsh, “Life of Illusion” [There Goes the Neighborhood, 1981] 10 Joe Walsh, “Funk 50” [Analog Man, 2012]

he could watch John’s left hand, and he plucked his new fretted Alembic Series I short-scale bass with Rotosound roundwounds, recorded both direct and through a miked Ampeg B-15. “Elton would never tell me what to play; he let me add my voice to the song. If he really wanted something different, he would tell Davey, and Davey would let the rest of us know.” The song has an interesting form, with an eight-bar verse, a seven-bar pre-chorus, a 14-bar chorus (12 bars the second time), and an outro. John begins the track on piano for a four-bar intro and then sings the verse and pre-chorus, with Passarelli and his rhythmsection-mates entering at the fourth measure of the pre-chorus (letter B), and continuing through the first chorus (C). The band quickly establishes several key components, including the underlying 16th-note pulse and John’s use of non-root tones. Kenny offers, “The 16th-note feel probably came from having Ray Cooper in the band, augmenting our rhythms. Elton’s use of non-root tones fascinated me from my first rehearsal. I wasn’t very familiar with his music or Dee’s brilliant playing coming in, but I quickly gained massive respect for both, even as I found my own way through the songs.” Also apparent is Passarelli’s fretless influence, as in bars 19

“Chameleon”

and 20—even though he played his fretted Alembic on the album— and his use of chromatic passing and leading notes, as in bars 22 and 23. “I still retained a fretless approach on fretted, especially as it pertained to what I called ‘controlled frequencies’—knowing how wide or short to make the notes. The chromaticism came from my melodic trumpet background and my love of Jamerson and jazz bass. My concept going in was to add an American R&B flavor to the song, and fortunately Roger Pope was a funky foil.” Letters D, E, and F repeat the first verse, pre-chorus, and chorus, with Passarelli subtly developing his part, as he continues to play in the holes between the vocals. “I approach bass playing as a conversation, understanding the storyline, what’s being sung, what’s being played by the other instruments, and then conversing with everyone.” For the outro, at G, John and band kick it up a notch via a heavy, gospel-tinged backbeat, with Passarelli in particular stretching out. “We went to another place, and Elton allowed me to express myself,” he says. Using drop-downs, climb-ups, syncopations, and melodic motifs, Passarelli keeps spinning out new ideas as he bounces between C and Bb7. Among the coolest are the four-string drop in bar 65, the use of the 9th (D) in bars 71 and 75 and the final three measures, and the 10th (E) in bar 77. After giving up the touring life in the ’80s, Passarelli wrote, recorded, and sang on a new age Spanish-language album with David Foster, and he produced and played bass on discs by Cat Stevens and blues guitarists Otis Taylor, Eddie Turner, and David Jacobs-Strain. In August 2017, Joe Walsh and Barnstorm (with Passarelli on his fretless Pat Wilkins P-style bass, pictured on page 57) performed at their induction into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, leading a delighted Walsh to commit to future live dates. As for his revisit of “Chameleon,” Passarelli advises, “There are a lot of notes on the page, so get comfortable with the bass line to the point that it doesn’t sound busy, but more a part of the conversation. Laying it back in the pocket will help with that. As Charles Otis told me, bass is the basement of the house, so bring the foundation first.” BP

Transcription by Chris Jisi

Med. rock ballad = 62

Intro

A/G

D/A

3 3 3

3 3

5 5

Chameleon Words and Music by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Copyright (c) 1976 HST PUBLISHING LTD. and ROUGE BOOZE, INC. Copyright Renewed All Rights for HST PUBLISHING LTD. in the United States and Canada Administered by UNIVERSAL - SONGS OF POLYGRAM INTERNATIONAL, INC. All Rights for ROUGE BOOZE, INC. in the United States and Canada Administered by UNIVERSAL - POLYGRAM INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING, INC. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.

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F#/A#

D7sus

7 6

3 3

G/D

Bm/F#

6 7 8

0 4

7 4

5 2

3 4 5

9 5 6 7

2 2

3 4 5

3 5

7 7 6 5

G/B

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Am7

0 2 2

2 3

3 5

5 5 5 5

7 3

G/D

4 0

3 5

G/D

3 3 3 3

Bm/F#

5 5

D/F#

5 5 5 7

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A/E

3 5

5 4

3 4 3

F/G

C/G G

2 3 4

F/G

7 5

G/D

D7sus

6 7

D/C

3 4

6 6

3 3

3 5

G/D

3 4

G/B

Am7

3 4

G/B

2 3

Am7

5 5 6

7 5

5 4

3 3 2

3 4

5 5 5

5 5 4 3 2

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2 0

A/G

D/A

3 4

4 5 5 5

F/G

5 5

6 6

3 4

D/C

D7sus

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F#7/A#

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1 1

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0 1 1

0 0 1 3

1 2

(5)

0 0 1 1 2 3 3

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5 7 7 5

Bb7

1 2 3

0 1 2

0 0

0 1 1 3 1 3 3

3 3

1 1

1 2

0 1 2

0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 3

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H H

0 1 2 3

3 2 3 2 3

0 3 2 3 0 5 4 3 2

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3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 5

0 1 2 3

Bb7

7 5

3 2 3

5 5

3 0

0 0 1 3

Bb7

0 1

0 1 1 1 3

5 7

Bb7

2 3 2 3 3 2

0 0 1 1 0 2 0

2 3 2 3 2 3

9 7 5

1 3

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0 1 2 4

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SHOWCASE

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D By Jim Roberts

Stoneﬁeld’s Tomm Stanley

Jim Roberts was the founding editor of BASS PLAYER and also served as the magazine’s publisher and group publisher. He is the author of How the Fender Bass Changed the World and American Basses: An Illustrated History & Player’s Guide (both published by Backbeat Books/Hal Leonard).

LOCATING YOUR BASS COMPANY “in the middle of nowhere,” as Tomm Stanley puts it, might not be the best idea. Then again, it could provide the perfect setting for an operation founded by a luthier determined to make “the bass you’ve always wanted.” Stonefield basses are built in Christchurch, New Zealand, more than 6,000 miles across the Pacific from California. Tomm, who grew up in Florida, was introduced to the city when he was working for the U.S. Antarctic program. “It was the last stop before you hit the ice,” he says. Tomm was a supervisor in logistics and materials supply, and during his second contract, he was responsible for the teams supplying building materials to research sites, which gave him access to the McMurdo Station woodworking shop. A bassist since age 19, he thought it would be fun to build an instrument there. “I took apart my bass and looked at how it was done. I came to the realization that about 90 percent

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of it was just fine woodworking.” So, in 1993, Tomm put his woodworking skills to work and built a bass. And then he built another one. “The second one was usable,” he says, “and that was the moment when I thought, It would be really cool to do this.” Although he stopped traveling to Antarctica, Tomm’s work as a management contractor in the motor industries kept him busy, with assignments all over the world. In 2009, after returning from Dubai, he decided to get serious about building basses. “I didn’t want to make what everybody else makes, so I wrote out a list of all the things I wanted on a bass.” At the top of that list was balance. Tomm admired what Ned Steinberger and Philip Kubicki had accomplished by moving the tuners to the body, but he had his own ideas about how to do that. Several years of experiments with tailpiece tuning led to the Tomm Stanley Tuning System. He also wanted a floating wooden bridge and wooden nut. “That was influenced by playing archtop guitars and listening to cellos and violins,” he explains. “Wooden bridges are tonally superior to brass bridges, and wooden nuts complement that beautifully.” Tomm also wanted passive electronics with a midrange control. Once again, experimentation led to a unique design: a 6-way switch with a push/pull, creating an 11-position notch filter. In a June 2017 BP review of a Stonefield 5-string, Jonathan Herrera noted that the circuit takes some getting used to, but ultimately has “an immediacy, speed, and dare-I-say organic quality that’s a joy of its own.”

For bassists accustomed to alder, ash, and maple, the woods that Tomm uses can be puzzling. He admits that it took time to learn about them, but says that some woods indigenous to New Zealand and the South Pacific are “just spectacular” for instrument building. “The timber I use for body cores comes from Fiji and is kind of a secret weapon. It’s very hard yet quite lightweight, and it has a beautiful ring tone.” Tomm also praises Solomon Islands ebony as a fingerboard material, saying it’s “dense and heavy and pretty, and amazingly stable.” Stonefield basses are available as M Series instruments, with the full complement of features and hand-rubbed oil finishes, and C Series instruments, with streamlined electronics and lacquer finishes. Coming up are F Series basses, slated for introduction at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show; they incorporate many of the Stonefield design elements into lower-priced instruments. They will be built by an Indian contractor based in Chennai under Tomm’s supervision. “I’m hoping that people will connect with the F Series and get comfortable with the shape of the instrument and other Stonefield features,” Tomm says. “And then they’ll want to step up.” Tomm is also putting his passive electronics into a footpedal, again hoping to expand his visibility by providing another entry point to Stonefield gear. “I can’t stop,” he says with a laugh. “The whole market is anywhere but where I am, in New Zealand, so I’ve got to keep going.” For more about Stonefield basses, go to stonefieldmusic.com. BP