Bass Player: Tom Fowler Born in Slat LAke City, Utah, in 1951, Tom Fowler has played with It’s A Beautiful Day, Frank Zappa, The Mothers OF Invention, Jean-uc Ponty, Ray Charles, Steve Hackett and many others. The transcription attached features his very measured part for the Jean-Luc Ponty tune ‘Aurora Pt. 1’ from the 1976…

Bass Player: Tony Reeves Very much an underrated player, Tony Reeves was the original bass player for UK Jazz Rock pioneers Colosseum and also the bass player on the first three Greenslade albums, ‘Greenslade’, ‘Spyglass Guest’ and ‘Bedside Manners Are Extra’. These three albums feature some exquisite playing and any of the three will provide…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin A lovely ballad from the 1997 Jeff Berlin album, ‘Taking Notes’, this is a full transcription of the tune ‘Sean En La Madrugada’ (Sean in the morning? We understand that Sean is one of Jeff’s children). The performance uses the entirity of the neck so is way up in the Gods…

Bass Player: Geddy Lee From the 1981 Rush album, ‘Moving Pictures’, this is full Geedy Lee bass part to the closing tune on the record, ‘Vital Signs’. This was the first sign of the 1980s ‘reggae’ period, where Rush, clearly influenced by the success of The Police, started experimenting with the faux-reggae grooves that would…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin From the 2009 Jeff Berlin album ‘In Harmony’s Way’, this is a great little tune called ‘Emeril Kicks It Up’. A shuffle tune with an edge. Jeff’s comopositions always go in interesting directions and, despite the simplicity of the groove, this one has a really engaging melodic themes. The ‘breakdown’ later…

Bass Player: Neil Murray Neil Murray is known primarily for his work with Rock bands and artists like Whitesnake, Gary Moore, Vow Wow, Cozy Powell and a host of others but his earliest recordings were with fusion groups like Gilgamesh and National Health. On an occasion when British fusion group Bruford were asked to performed…

Bass Player: Leland Sklar Session legend Leland ‘Lee’ Sklar has a CV to die for and which includes the likes of Jackson Browne, Carole King, Phil Collins and James Taylor. The transcription attached is a simple part but deep, nevertheless. From the 1977 Taylor album, ‘J.T.’, this is the bass part from probably Taylor’s biggest…

Bass Player: Jack Bruce The final transcription from the 1979 Cozy Powell album, ‘Over The Top’, this is Jack Bruce’s bass part from the tune ‘The Loner’, penned by pianist Max Middleton. Bruce plays some really interesting parts that show why he is the legend that he is and belongs in the pantheon of Rock…

Bass Player: Geddy Lee Another transcription from THE classic 1981 Rush album, ‘Moving Pictures’, this one features Geddy Lee’s bass parts for the tune ‘Red Barchetta’. Some interesting time sgnature changes that add to the tension in the tune. A great chart to read with some specific challenges and lots of examples of typical Lee…

Bass Player: Jack Bruce Another transcription from the 1979 Cozy Powell album ‘Over The Top’. The tune is called ‘Sweet Poison’ and features guitarist Clem Clempson and keyboard player Max Middleton alongide Bruce and Powell. Not a massively difficult read but some really interesting lines from one of the instrument’s leading Rock innovators. As well…