_Sweet Willie_ Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Dig it. I went for another dose of the Wayne Krantz trio this evening at the 55 Bar. Anthony Jackson was not in the bass chair. It was more than ably filled by James Genus, also with a Fodera in his hands (although only 5 strings). This was my first experience hearing James play live. He was outstanding. Really outstanding. Slightly different flava to the tunes that I'd already heard Wayne do twice w/ AJ. His playing is more subtle than AJ's. It's a different sonic landscape when he's doin' bass duties. With AJ and Krantz, I felt like AJ was out there with Krantz, up front. With Genus I felt like he was drawing a picture for Wayne to fill w/ color. I'm not sure quite how to describe it. He wasn't in the background; he just created a different kind of interaction between bass and guitar in this trio. Really, really cool. Really. Cool. Peace. --s-dub spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc_dup1 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I've never seen James play electric bass but have seen him play upright a few times. Truly an awesome player. He has everything - chops, sensitivity, time, feel, imagination, sound. Genius is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnb Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I recently spent a month on a gig with a pianist who went to high school and college with JG. Sounds like James started out with a lot of talent and worked twice as hard as everyone else. I love stories like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted December 17, 2004 Author Share Posted December 17, 2004 tnb bore witness second-hand: Sounds like James started out with a lot of talent and worked twice as hard as everyone else. It made me really happy to read that. Keystroked by bc: ...sensitivity... ...feel... ...imagination... These things certainly stood out for me last night. Particularly the first. Sensitivity to what was happening musically was evident in James' playing. Wonderful stuff. I heartily concur with Mr. Loy's sentiment -- it really is worth the time and cover charge ($15, includes two beverages) to catch Wayne Krantz with whomever is accompanying him. Peace. --s-dub spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc_dup1 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I saw Wayne at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in 2003. It was a collaboration with the British jazz band Partisans. Unfortunately it wasn't ideal circumstances - it was about the 15th concert I'd seen in 4 days, including a lot of very demanding music, and fatigue was starting to set in. But he was obviously a thoughtful, inventive player. I'd love to see him play with guys of the calibre of JG, who was at the festival with Uri Caine but didn't play in Wayne's band. I've seen James several times with Dave Douglas's band, playing with astonishing musicians like Dave, Uri, Chris Potter and Clarence Penn. He can easily hold his own in that kind of company, he is just so aware of what is going on around him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc_dup1 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 This thread has got me digging out Dave Douglas's "Strange Liberation" album for another blast of JG. With the very great Bill Frisell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I saw James Genus play several years ago with "The Return of the Brecker Brothers". Dennis Chambers was playing drums. Not only did Mr. Genus play the difficult music with impeccable taste, tone, and time (the all-important 3 T's), but he and Mr. Chambers were making little inside musical jokes with each other. These jokes were things like little extra fills which the other person would mimic, little unison figures which were improvised on the spot....all done completely in the context of the music without interfering with the arrangements. I was awestruck. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 Bump o' luv for Genus. Anyone else have info to share about JG? Thanks for the Genus-Cobham tale, J. Peace. --sweets spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWBass Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Very good bassist! I have quite a lot of cd's with him playing on quite a variety of artists tunes. If you ever get to see the Casino Lights '99 dvd, he's playing with the Bob James Trio and he's playing a funky slick bassline on upright! The cat is good. He's also from my area [Hampton] in Virginia. www.myspace.com/thefunkfather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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