Bass Player: Anthony Jackson

In 1984, pianist Michel Camilo took part in his first recording as a leader with a band called French Toast which, alongside Camilo, included trumpter player, Lew Solof, French Horn player Peter Gordon, alto saxophonist Jerry Dodgion, drummers Steve Gadd and Dave Weckl (on separate tracks) and percussionists  Gordon Gottlieb, Sammy Figueroa. The recording marked the start of a 20-year relationship between Camilo and King of The Big Six, bassist Anthony Jackson. The arrangements are stunning but the rhythm section is out of this world. The attached transcription is the complete bass part for the tune ‘Butter: Tribute To Quentin Jackson’, a tune by saxophonist Dodgion. The part includes triplets written out as such (as opposed to the ‘swung eights’ approach that is normal for Jazz transcriptions) because Jackson sometimes plays the first and second triplet and not just the first and third. It takes some getting used to but, once you can feel it, it’s not so difficult. Unlike that two bar phrase near the end where Jackson plays whole notes, eighths, triplet eights and sixteenth notes in sequence, creating an accelerating effect that takes you the full range of the bass (no apologies for the ledger lines this time).