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Jerry Jemott article/ CD recommendations


ZZ Thorn

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I read that article in BP mag. I didn't realize he was such a well-respected bass player and even influenced Jaco. I wish they had transcribed something more interesting than that B.B. song they chose - The Thrill Is Gone - tho.

 

I LOVE his stuff on the Aretha Franklin Live at the Fillmore. That is some awesome bass and I've played along to it (sounding much, much worse of course) for years. I also love that King Curtis Live at the Fillmore that he's on too.

 

I'm getting those 2 B.B. King albums they discussed, but I was wondering if anyone can recommmend some albums where Jemott sounds good. I love his style and need to get more with albums with him.

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One CD I highly recommend to all bassists is Wilson Pickett's Greatest Hits. This compilation features Jerry on a few cuts including "Man And A Half" and "Hey Jude."

 

The other bassists on this disc are legends in their own right, including Duck Dunn, Tommy Cogbill and David Hood. It's really a textbook study in classic R&B grooves and I've learned a lot from it.

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Wow, I didn't know he was on all that Freddie King stuff. I have a great 2 disc compilation of Freddie that has a lot of this stuff - I'm gonna have to see which Gerry is on....

 

As you may guess, there is some great, grooving bass all over those cuts.

 

Thanks for the recommendations and keep 'em coming if you have any. I'd really recommend copping Aretha Live at the Fillmore West.

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I need to get some of this stuff. I'd especially enjoy the stuff by Freddie King, B. B. King, & Aretha Franklin, I think.

 

I was intrigued by this quote on his home page: "If you knock over this table, I'll continue the phrase it creates in my head. That's basically what I do on bass."

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Originally posted by John Wiitala:

I heard that there is a newly released box(ed )set of the combined King Curtis/Aretha at the Fillmore records with quite a bit of unreleased material.

You just blew my mind.

 

So I checked around the net, click on this link to a message board to learn about the album and get some reviews. Not available on Amazon, but you can order it - $90 I guess. 4 CDs tho, 61 tracks.

 

http://216.127.80.118/~admin27/adf/messages/2/34513.html?1115066433

 

One poster says there's a lot of repetition in songs, but I sure wouldn't mind hearing Gerry do a couple takes on "Love the One You're With" or hear Aretha sing "I Wanna Make It With You" a few times either.

 

EDIT: I checked again on Amazon and bought it for $70. Pricy, but I bet it'll be worth it.

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>>One poster says there's a lot of repetition in songs, but I sure wouldn't mind hearing Gerry do a couple takes on "Love the One You're With" or hear Aretha sing "I Wanna Make It With You" a few times either.<<

 

ZZ, I wouldn't mind, either. Would you give us a review when you get a chance? Thanks.

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  • 3 weeks later...

So I got the 4 CD set, been hearing it a lot. My main thoughts are: it's awesome, but it's not worth $70 due to repetition of the material. There's only a few different songs than can be found on the Aretha and King Curtis "Live at the Fillmore West" albums.

 

There's Aretha doing "Call Me," and some real nice versions of "You're All I Need To Get By," and an excellent rendition of George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" by Billy Preston, continuing the tradition of soul artists doing Beatle songs better than the Beatles. That's about it tho, so it's really 4 cds with the same setlist.

 

But song repetition aside, it's great to hear the subtle differences and nuances great musicians employ with every new performance. And what a band:

 

Aretha - the queen, every difference is a pleasure

King Curtis - powerhouse sax and his solos are great

Gerry Jemmott, Bernard Purdie, the Memphis Horns, Billy Preston, Pancho Morales on congas...I forget the guitarist, but what a band. All legends at what they do.

 

Some of these new songs are done at slightly slower tempos, but the most breakneck versions were included in the two already released albums.

 

I'm such a huge fan of the Aretha Fillmore album, so I'm happy with the 4 CD set, but if you have both the released Fillmore albums from Aretha and King Curtis it's not worth more than $50 to me, (But the Aretha Live at the Fillmore original album is worth $50 alone to me, so go figure.)certainly not worth $90.

 

Bottom line: if you get it, you definitely won't be disappointed. Gerry sounds great on all 4, but like the rest of the band, in my opinion, great performances were captured on those 2 already released cds. Still rocks tho.

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I had the very good fortune of studying with Jerry Jemmott when he lived in NYC ..Amsterdam Ave and 87th street. I had about a 6 month run with him..

I used to go the the Souler Energy shows at a club called Mikells on Columbus and 90 something street...I have a good bootleg from one of the shows I smuggled a walkman into ..Arlen Roth on guitar...

 

I learned some good stuff from him and he is a very nice guy and a good teacher...

I met him at the Bass Day event last year... it was great to see him..

www.danielprine.com

 

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>>Some of these new songs are done at slightly slower tempos<<

 

That alone may make it worth my getting this collection--many performers have a tendency to play their hits faster and faster in live shows; maybe they're tired of covering their own stuff and just want to get through it, I don't know, but I feel that more funk comes out when you get on the south side of "breakneck tempo."

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