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Bassist

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"Bass player" redirects here. For other uses, see Bass player (disambiguation).
File:Jaco pastorius 87.jpg

Jaco Pastorius (1951–1987) was an influential American jazz bassist, composer and big band leader. He is best known for his work with Weather Report from 1976 to 1981, as well as work with artists including Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny, and his own solo projects.[1]

A bassist, or bass player, is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments. Since the 1960s, the electric bass has been the standard bass instrument for funk,[2] R&B, soul music, rock and roll, reggae, jazz fusion, heavy metal, country and pop music. The double bass is the standard bass instrument for classical music, bluegrass, rockabilly, and most genres of jazz. Low brass instruments such as the tuba or sousaphone are the standard bass instrument in Dixieland and New Orleans-style jazz bands.

Despite the associations of different bass instruments with certain genres, there are exceptions. Some 1990s and 2000s rock and pop bands use a double bass, such as both Andrew Jackson Jihad, Barenaked Ladies; Indie band The Decemberists; and punk rock, psychobilly[3] groups such as The Living End, Nekromantix, The Horrorpops, and Tiger Army. Some fusion jazz groups use a lightweight, stripped-down electric upright bass rather than a double bass. Some composers of modern art music use the electric bass in a chamber music setting. Some jazz big bands use electric bass. Some funk, R&B and jazz, fusion groups use synth bass or keyboard bass rather than electric bass. Bootsy Collins and Stevie Wonder used synth bass. Some Dixieland bands use double bass or electric bass instead of a tuba. In some jazz groups and jam bands, the basslines are played by a Hammond organ player, who uses the bass pedal keyboard or the lower manual for the low notes.

Electric bass players[]

See also: List of bass guitarists and List of female bass guitarists
File:Vintage Geddy Lee with Quiver.jpg

Geddy Lee

File:Bass player queen.jpg

John Deacon in 1979

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Flea

File:Lemmy Kilmister Motorhead in NYC by John Gullo.jpg

Lemmy in 2011

File:Pino Presti live.jpg

Pino Presti in 1978

Electric bassists play the bass guitar. In most rock, pop, metal and country genres, the bass line outlines the harmony of the music being performed, while simultaneously indicating the rhythmic pulse. In addition, there are many different standard bass line types for different genres and types of song (e.g. blues ballad, fast swing, etc.). Bass lines often emphasize the root note, with a secondary role for the third, and fifth of each chord being used in a given song. In addition, pedal tones (repeated or sustained single notes), ostinatos, and bass riffs are also used as bass lines. While most electric bass players rarely play chords (three or more notes all sounded at the same time), chords are used in some styles, especially funk, R&B, soul music, jazz, Latin and heavy metal music.

A shortlist of some of the notable bassists includes:

Double bass players[]

Classical double bass players[]

For a long list, see the List of contemporary classical double bass players.

A shortlist of notable double bass players includes:

  • Johannes Matthias Sperger (1750–1812) bassist, composer
  • Domenico Dragonetti (1763–1845) bassist, composer, conductor
  • Giovanni Bottesini (1821–1889) bassist, composer, conductor
  • Franz Simandl (1840–1912) bassist, composer, pedagogue
  • Edouard Nanny (1872–1943) bassist, composer, pedagogue
  • Serge Koussevitzky (1874–1951) bassist, conductor, composer
  • Gary Karr (1941–present)
  • Edgar Meyer (1960–present)

Jazz double-bass players[]

File:Eddie1.png

Eddie Gómez

For a long list, see the List of jazz bassists, which includes both double bass and electric bass players.

A shortlist of notable jazz bassists includes:

  • Arild Andersen
  • Jimmy Blanton
  • Ray Brown
  • Ron Carter
  • Paul Chambers
  • Palle Danielsson
  • Richard Davis
  • Scott La Faro
  • Renaud Garcia-Fons
  • Jimmy Garrison
  • Terje Gewelt
  • Eddie Gómez
  • Charlie Haden
  • Milt Hinton
  • Dave Holland
  • Marc Johnson
  • Sam Jones
  • Per Mathisen
  • Charles Mingus
  • Red Mitchell
  • George Mraz
  • Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
  • Billy Peterson
  • Terry Plumeri
  • Esperanza Spalding
  • Ole Morten Vågan
  • Ellen Andrea Wang

Popular music double bass players[]

For a longer list, see the List of double bassists in popular music, which includes blues, folk, country, etc.

A shortlist of the notable bassists in these genres includes:

  • Barry Bales
  • Herbie Flowers
  • Willie Dixon
  • Danny Thompson

See also[]

  • List of double bassists in popular music

Template:Bass (sound)

References[]

  1. ↑ http://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/blog/jaco-pastorius-is-the-most-important-musician-youve-never-heard-of
  2. ↑ http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/20342-on-bass-what-the-funk
  3. ↑ http://www.artofslapbass.com/artofslapbass/index.php?...3[dead link]
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