The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Fascinating interview with Ron Carter. Really interesting stories from someone who has played with the greats (but not Trane!), his influences (nobody!) and about recording jazz in the early 60s at a time when engineers were just figuring things out.


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  3. #2

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    I don't know who the greatest is but he came to mind instantly when I saw this question.

    I've always dug him, from the first time I heard him play on CTI records. We caught his trio at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood about 8 years ago. A pleasant surprise was when he played a solo version of "You Are My Sunshine".

  4. #3

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    He came to my mind as well, before I clicked on the link.

  5. #4

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    That was an excellent interview. We need more like that before these guys are gone.

  6. #5

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    Living? Certainly Ron Carter. Comes to mind. Victor Wooten comes to mind. Esperanza Spaulding. Tal Wilkenfield. Nathan east. Daryl brown. … a million others. Ok, 100.


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  7. #6

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    ^ With respect, I don't think ANY of those players you mentioned would be happy about being compared to Ron Carter, despite their obvious talents.

  8. #7
    I can recall seeing him only once. When I was living in NYC. Small club, probably less than 25 folks.

    Duet with Jim Hall.

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by dlew919
    Living? Certainly Ron Carter. Comes to mind. Victor Wooten comes to mind. Esperanza Spaulding. Tal Wilkenfield. Nathan east. Daryl brown. … a million others. Ok, 100.


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    Agree—there are still a few living legends around.

    I put my chips in for Stanley Clarke…great upright AND electric bassist. Funny that in interviews he said that even he was wowed by Jaco Pastorius.

    A couple of others come to mind: Steve Swallow, Dave Holland, Marcus Miller, John Patitucci, Jamaladeen Tacuma…

  10. #9

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    Ron Carter is a bass player with a unique musical culture.

  11. #10

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    Well, this is a jazz guitar forum, so the tendency would lean towards the jazz greats, as listed above. Personally, my first response would be Nathan East. But any argument over the GOAT will never be adequately settled.

    But here's my take on bass players in general: I think the two bass players who did more to move the bass out of the background and onto center stage as an equal part of the band were John Entwistle and Jack Cassidy.

    Pete Townshend said of Entwistle, that he was the actual "lead" guitar of the group, and that Pete's guitar playing was the beat-keeper, and Moon's drumming was just chaos (I'm paraphrasing because I can't find the quote). Entwistle was the only member of the Who who had actual musical training.

    Jack Cassidy provided the "bottom" for Jefferson Airplane (and later, Hot Tuna). To this day, one of my favorite songs of that era is the live rendition of "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" with Cassidy's bass just thundering through the driving song. Heck, I even bought myself a 20th Anniversary Jack Cassidy bass because he so impressed me!


  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by Just Fred
    Well, this is a jazz guitar forum, so the tendency would lean towards the jazz greats, as listed above. Personally, my first response would be Nathan East. But any argument over the GOAT will never be adequately settled.

    But here's my take on bass players in general: I think the two bass players who did more to move the bass out of the background and onto center stage as an equal part of the band were John Entwistle and Jack Cassidy.

    Pete Townshend said of Entwistle, that he was the actual "lead" guitar of the group, and that Pete's guitar playing was the beat-keeper, and Moon's drumming was just chaos (I'm paraphrasing because I can't find the quote). Entwistle was the only member of the Who who had actual musical training.

    Jack Cassidy provided the "bottom" for Jefferson Airplane (and later, Hot Tuna). To this day, one of my favorite songs of that era is the live rendition of "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" with Cassidy's bass just thundering through the driving song. Heck, I even bought myself a 20th Anniversary Jack Cassidy bass because he so impressed me!

    I put in an article on Jaco that some of the great innovators in solidbody bass were jazz guys playing rock - entwhistle, Bruce, Jamerson, Kaye. Not to diminish McCartney or Dunn. But it’s interesting.


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  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Just Fred
    Well, this is a jazz guitar forum, so the tendency would lean towards the jazz greats, as listed above. Personally, my first response would be Nathan East. But any argument over the GOAT will never be adequately settled.

    But here's my take on bass players in general: I think the two bass players who did more to move the bass out of the background and onto center stage as an equal part of the band were John Entwistle and Jack Cassidy.

    Pete Townshend said of Entwistle, that he was the actual "lead" guitar of the group, and that Pete's guitar playing was the beat-keeper, and Moon's drumming was just chaos (I'm paraphrasing because I can't find the quote). Entwistle was the only member of the Who who had actual musical training.

    Jack Cassidy provided the "bottom" for Jefferson Airplane (and later, Hot Tuna). To this day, one of my favorite songs of that era is the live rendition of "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" with Cassidy's bass just thundering through the driving song. Heck, I even bought myself a 20th Anniversary Jack Cassidy bass because he so impressed me!

    No disrespect to rock bassists whose job it was to play rock, but....

    Perhaps it should have been phrased “greatest bass player who played instrumental compositions involving more than 3-6 chords, and without a bass guitar and big ass amplifier”.

    In other words, a real bass.

  14. #13

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    "His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history." - Wikipedia.

    The greatest living repository of everything i hold near and dear. Most of the records that made me, and that I still listen to daily decades later.

    Thanks so much for posting this interview!

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Donplaysguitar
    No disrespect to rock bassists whose job it was to play rock, but....

    Perhaps it should have been phrased “greatest bass player who played instrumental compositions involving more than 3-6 chords, and without a bass guitar and big ass amplifier”.

    In other words, a real bass.
    **sigh*


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  16. #15

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    My vote would be Charles Mingus. For electric bass, James Jamerson.

    I guess I''m an outlier because these guys, for all their greatness, were very problematic individuals. Ron Carter, to his credit, plays great with anybody.

    Patrick

  17. #16

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    Phil Lesh. Plays bass like he invented it. I'm being only very slightly snarky with this. Shakedown Street, the Cornell 1977 performance of Dancing in the Streets, Cryptical Envelopment, Unbroken Chain to name a few. Brilliant, iconoclastic stuff.

    But there is no way to identify the "best" bass player or any other artist, just those we personally like. I particularly like Phil, Casady, Charlie Haden, Ron Carter, Steve Swallow, Berry Oakley, Ike Sturm... and quite a few more.

  18. #17

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    Interestingly NHOP not mentioned... seems a bit underrated. if anyone has doubts how great is he, just listen his duo records with Joe Pass. But there are many other records of him in other styles.

  19. #18

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    what about:

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by kris
    what about:
    You are late with a few minutes : j

  21. #20

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    Living? Tal Wilkenfeld came to mind first.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gabor
    Interestingly NHOP not mentioned... seems a bit underrated. if anyone has doubts how great is he, just listen his duo records with Joe Pass. But there are many other records of him in other styles.
    I couldn’t remember his name. And with mine I tried to stick with living players. The list is dead ones (which I do go into is long and proud)


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  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by kris
    what about:
    Yeah, NHOP - but not because he can shred! He probably scores very high in just about every category you care to name when looking to quantify a bass player's ability...

    Sure, probably not everyone's favourite, but seriously, who was "better" ?

  24. #23

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  25. #24

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    You have to give it to Ron really don’t you? But there some amazing players around… Christian McBride springs to mind.

  26. #25

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    Favourite electric jazz bassist atm would be Tim Lefebvre. But he has proper rock credentials too…