jeremy c Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 I don't see any complicated signal path in that picture. I see a bass without any knobs or switches (or strap buttons), a volume pedal, an amp, and a speaker. There may be something on top of the amp. I also see someone with enormous ears, heart, feeling and skill. Buy the DVD of Calle 54...it's worth it just for the one song that Anthony Jackson plays with Michel Camilo and Horacio Hernandez. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnb Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Just got Calle 54 from the good folks at NETFLIX. The Camilo, El Negro, AJ performance - O U T S T A N D I N G ! ! ! Pick your poison, all 3 of 'em killed. El Negro still gets my vote for most terrifying drummer of all time. If I walked into a gig and he was on the bandstand, I would turn and leave. Really. I ain't got it like that. I should have ordered a 6 string. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Here's AJ with Steve Gadd, and Michel Petricciani doing "Take the A Train": Not many good shots of AJ's face, but some great clips of his hands. He takes an extended solo. Gadd also takes a monstrous solo. MP (rest his soul) is great as usual in his Yodalike splendor (that right hand work!!) "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 From what I have read, Anthony Jackson is an amazing bass player who has laid down some of my favorite bass tracks. I have also read that he has an ego the size of Alaska. That last doesn't affect his playing, but I wouldn't want to hang around with the guy. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Herrera Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 I didn't want to get involved in the personal aspects of this discussion, but as someone who actually has hung out with Anthony Jackson, I can't resist coming to his defense. He is a great guy who cares deeply about music and life. His seriousness about his craft may be off-putting to some, but the results are undeniable. I found him to be warm, smart, funny, and demanding, but reasonably so. I would hesitate to make conclusions about which bass players you would and wouldn't hang out with until you've had a chance to make your own conclusion. Many of the so-called "difficult" players I've met are anything but. Plus, giving up a chance to hang out with AJ...I don't know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 Well, you've met him and I've only read about him, so I'll defer to real experience. He may be the nicest guy in the world. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted August 16, 2006 Author Share Posted August 16, 2006 Aha! http://youtube.com/watch?v=1EcxC5AgnPU And an AJ gear update: http://www.meyersound.com/news/2006/anthony_jackson/ I'm finding it quite curious though that on the whole his playing doesn't really do it for me. There are a few aspects that I simply don't dig - I feel he spends too much time low down on the B string, I think his tone lacks punch being very open and uncompressed (partly due to pickup and hand placement), I don't like the permanent fresh string edge, he has a tendency towards too many hip notes and inversions which sometimes cloud the progression and the big thing for me is that I think he plays too straight. However that straightness turns into greatness on that Latin piece, and the solo he takes is like nothing I have ever heard before! So an amazing player but not quite my bag. Despite hearing him referred to as the next James Jamerson, I just don't think he's badass enough in both tone and groove. Of course how much of that is down to environment? A big part of AJ's session career was during the '80s and that fullrange tone and straight feel were very much the thang at the time. Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 That's the scene from Calle 54....so someone has posted copyrighted material on Youtube. Maybe you'll get into him at some point, Alex. He deserves a place in the gallery of greats just for "For the Love of Money". I don't understand what you don't like about his groove...I haven't heard him in any situation in which he wasn't driving the bus. And the reharmonizations are brilliant, imho. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky McDougall Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 On this video it really shows some unique right hand fingering. Not only is the thumb used constantly but at least three fingers, maybe four, I could not see that well. Anyway, he is a giant talent. Rocky "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnb Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Originally posted by C. Alexander Claber: Aha! I'm finding it quite curious though that on the whole his playing doesn't really do it for me. There are a few aspects that I simply don't dig - I feel he spends too much time low down on the B string, I think his tone lacks punch being very open and uncompressed (partly due to pickup and hand placement), I don't like the permanent fresh string edge, he has a tendency towards too many hip notes and inversions which sometimes cloud the progression and the big thing for me is that I think he plays too straight. However that straightness turns into greatness on that Latin piece, and the solo he takes is like nothing I have ever heard before! A big part of AJ's session career was during the '80s and that fullrange tone and straight feel were very much the thang at the time. Alex Very valid points, Alex. I have been listening to him since the late '70s, listening his tone evolve, his rhythms straighten and his soloing become more angular. While thousands of us grew up wanting to sound like him, he was letting us know that you should sound like yourself. And while he professes to be a Jamerson disciple, he sounds nothing like him tone or groove wise. His soloing is another deal altogether. There are quite a few of his solos that I absolutely do not care for - the solo from Calle 54 not include (that was burning). One of my favorite AJ basslines I listened to for over 10 years before I realized that he was actually soloing on the out chorus. I find his walking basslines pretentious and they sound as though he is intentionally not swinging. To me, is almost unforgivable - a real deal breaker. The bass solo on "Take the A Train" questionable, at best. In some of the circles I've traveled in, he would have been buying a few rounds after that gig. Apparently when you aim high, you sometimes fall short. I guess what I love the most is that he is not content to sound like he did 20 or 30 years ago, in what was very arguably his prime. He's had an impressive career making a living while making high art. Part of that art is pushing the envelope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted November 29, 2006 Author Share Posted November 29, 2006 Some great AJ info, including that BP interview: http://members.aol.com/jlsmith42/aj/aj.htm Been listening to 'Naughty' and I have to give him props for some inspired work on there. Off on a tangent to another Jamerson inspired player, Chuck Rainey on 'The Royal Scam' is just awesome - definitely up there with 'Aja'. Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZ Thorn Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Great link. His column "The New Dark Age" was really interesting. And thank God somebody of AJ's stature took Wynton Marsalis down a peg. Wynton does a lot of great stuff on behalf of jazz, it's not that he's a complete attention whore, but many times I've found him to be a smug bastard. And I'm not a fan of a lot of his stuff, either. http://www.myspace.com/themoustachioed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZ Thorn Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 This excerpt is from that AJ link; it's from bassist Basil Fearrington discussing the Standing in the Shadows of Motown book. "Anthony was the first person to be approached by Alan for the book. Anthony's initial impression from Alan was that the book was to include a "bass heroes" kind of tribute to James. You know, the names that roll off of everyone's lips when they think of "the cats." But when some of the names spilled off of Alan's tongue, AJ said, "now wait a minute. There are some guys here that can't spell Jamerson (in terms of knowing the style....Pattitucci, for example is a proven great bass player but if you listen to his track and listen to Jamerson's on the original, the notes are the only thing that's correct. Ditto for Marcus. He flat out told Alan, "Man, I can't play that shit, it's too personal)".... Maybe I'm misreading it, but I thought that was interesting. It's old news that jazz musicians, despite their often too-healthy egos, aren't so good than they can instantly be a whiz at any pop style, but Miller seems to make more forays into pop music than Pattituci, so I wouldn't think he'd have problems with Jamerson. From my memory of their recordings, I'd say Miller's was better than Pattituci's. Miller threw in only a few slaps, so they were tasteful, but Pattituci had a pure swing feel (I forget the tune) and it wasn't swung very well. Thoughts on the excerpt? http://www.myspace.com/themoustachioed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Thorne Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Originally posted by jeremyc: There is a film called Calle 54. It is a documentary about Latin music. There is a performance by Michel Camilo with Anthony Jackson on bass and Horacio Hernandez on drums in the film. It is worth the price of the dvd IMHO. You probably can rent this dvd at a good rental store as well. We moved this summer and I have been searching for my copy of "Calle 54" ever since. I'm suffering withdrawal - must...have...Afro-Cuban...jazz... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnb Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Originally posted by Chad: Originally posted by jeremyc: There is a film called Calle 54. It is a documentary about Latin music. There is a performance by Michel Camilo with Anthony Jackson on bass and Horacio Hernandez on drums in the film. It is worth the price of the dvd IMHO. You probably can rent this dvd at a good rental store as well. We moved this summer and I have been searching for my copy of "Calle 54" ever since. I'm suffering withdrawal - must...have...Afro-Cuban...jazz... http://www.netflix.com/MovieDisplay?trkid=73&movieid=60003752 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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