Who's afraid of Fusion?

[Dave W]

...  I rarely listen to "bass player music" anymore - unless the music is just good holistically. 

I've never listened to "bass player music." To me, it's all about liking songs. If I like the music, a good bassline is a bonus, whether it's busy or sparse.

[hollowbody]

Here's an example of a bunch of fusion-branded virtuosos who can groove together, and make some cool music (IMO, of course):


Dats wha I likey 

Moog face!!  I love it!
 

[Blazer]

Fusion bassplayers in general are very open about who was an inspiration and why. A few years ago Bassplayer magazine had an interview with Jack Bruce where he recalled Jamming with Jaco Pastorious who cited Jack Bruce as a primary influence to play Lead bass. According to Jack Bruce Pastorious dared him to play free jazz and the most obscure songs by bassplayers like Charlie Haden, Jaco who was not aware of Jack Bruce's past as a member of the Graham Bond organisation, Brittain's main electric Jazz band of the early sixties was kinda annoyed/ impressed that Bruce not only could match him on that but also play rings around him when it came to some work.

Bruce said in that interview that Jaco remarked that he (Jaco himself) still had a lot to learn if he were ever to succeed the master.

Marcus Miller cited Jermaine Jackson as a key influence. As both the reason why he plays a Fender Jazz bass and in the way Jackson played, it was only a couple of years later that Miller learned that Jackson's basslines were actually played by Motown bassplayers James Jamerson and Carol Kaye. To his credit though, Jackson DID play those basslines live.

[Dave W]

Marcus Miller cited Jermaine Jackson as a key influence. As both the reason why he plays a Fender Jazz bass and in the way Jackson played, it was only a couple of years later that Miller learned that Jackson's basslines were actually played by Motown bassplayers James Jamerson and Carol Kaye. To his credit though, Jackson DID play those basslines live.

Say what? Most of the Jackson Five basslines were played by Wilton Felder, and Jermaine played a Gibson EB-3 onstage, at least in the early days.

[Blazer]

Say what? Most of the Jackson Five basslines were played by Wilton Felder, and Jermaine played a Gibson EB-3 onstage, at least in the early days.

I was quoting what Miller said in his interview, he apparently didn't know as much as I know who really played on those records but in the very early years "the I want you back" and "ABC" era, it's not too unrealistic to think that the legendary Funk Brothers played on those recordings.

And as for Jermaine Jackson playing Fender jazz Basses...

Well...

A mimed version which shows his Jazz bass and...

...a live version which shows his ability to play Bass.

He used a Red Jazz bass and a custom silver sparkle Jazz in the later part of the J5 career.

[uwe]

Fusion has its place and some of Stanley Clarke's bass playing (not the slapping orgies) can trigger emotions with me. Why anyone should not be able to post here advocating his love for fusion is beyond me. I bought the new Vooten, Clarke, Miller triple bass CD (haven't listened to it yet) just out of curiosity. I'm sure it will contain widdly-widdly stuff, but there will also be moments that make me listen up and maybe I'll even swipe a lick or two!

I can't listen to fusion hours on end, but I can't listen to The Ramones hours on end either. The "too free form" criticism is largely unwarranted, unless we're talking Bitches Brew. If anything, most seventies fusion (Weather Report, Return to Forever), especially with the funk factor, was rather rigid in its arrangements and hardly improvisational at all. Very disciplined and concentrated music. Much of Zappa's music was fusion and except for the master's guitar solos there was zilch improvisation. To say it is not played with emotion, is a clichee. Jeff Beck has been more a fusion than a rock guitarist for three decades now, is his playing unemotional? 

Uwe

[Dave W]

Why anyone should not be able to post here advocating his love for fusion is beyond me.

Who said otherwise?

If this had been an "I love fusion" thread instead of a "who's afraid of fusion" challenge based on comments in another thread, there probably wouldn't have been any negative comments.

Now I'm going to go listen to some old time hillbilly music, followed by some old time honky tonk music. Who's afraid of that?     

[Freuds_Cat]

Jeff Beck has been more a fusion than a rock guitarist for three decades now,

Not sure I would consider 3 albums from the 70's out of ....erm, whatever number he is up to now, (a lot anyway) as being Beck playing fusion for 30 years.  Each of the subsequent albums have been pretty fusion free to my ears. I mean some were almost Hair metal (Flash) others were Beckised Rockabilly (Crazy Legs ) then ther later stuff is more Chemical Bros in its sound than fusion.

I reckon thats a bit of a long bow to draw there Uwe.

Sorry I know I'm being a pedantic recalcitrant. Cant help myself.