Bass Player: Jeff Berlin The tune ‘The Abingdon Chasp’ sounds like a dedication to some relic in a Tolkien novel or another horcrux onto which Voldermort can attatch another piece of himnself. In fact, it is a play in the tern Abingdon Chaps’, the collective for Holdsworth’s drinking buddies. The tune is one of the…

Bass Player: Jimmy ‘Flim’ Johnson Jimmy ‘Flim’ Johnson first came to the world’s attention as one third of the WAyne Johnson Trio (no relation). Johnson has since featured with his own band, Flim And The BBs, as well as fulfilling sideman duties with the likes of James Taylor, Steve Gadd and a host of others.…

Bass Player: Geddy Lee ‘Fly By Night’ was the first Rush album to feature the ‘new boy’, drummer Neil Peart, who also wrote the lyrics for most of the Rush songs recorded over the next 40 years. The transcription comprises the full performance of the tune ‘Anthem’, another transcription made possivle through the magic of…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin Something a little less frantic from Bruford and Jeff Berlin, ‘The Sahara Of Snow’ is a two part composition from the second Bruford album, ‘One Of A Kind’. An opening riff based tune sees Berlin bubbling away in 7:4 (or would that be better written 7:8?). Another tough chart to read…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin The opening track from the first Bruford LP ‘Feels Good To Me’ telegraphed the drummer’s intensions. This was not going to be a rehash of Prog Rock clliches, mellotrons and concept albums. Bill was serious. The tune in question, ‘Beelzebub’, opens with a unison vibes/bass/piano fill and drops immediately into some…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin Another beautiful Bruford ballad, this time from the thrid album ‘Gradually Going Tornado’. The tune ‘Palewell Park’ is a bass feature for Jeff Berlin and shows his incredible technique. The chart is pretty much impossible to read cold but there is plenty to be gained by spending some time on it.…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin Title track from the Bruford LP ‘Feels Good To Me’. This was Bruford’s first solo LP and, alongside Bruford and Berlin, the recording features guitarist Allan Holdsworth, keyboard player Dave Stewart (egg, National Health, Hatfield & The North), trumpet/flugelhorn player Kenny Wheeler and singer Annette Peacock. This track is about as…

Bass Player: Jeff Berlin ‘Either End Of August’ from the Bruford album ‘Feels Good To Me’. An exquisite ballad in 5:4 marked by a lovely fretless melody (is it fretless; we all know Jeff doesn’t do fretless but he doesn’t do slapping either and we all love ‘5G’), Dave Stewart’s delicate synth and Kenny Wheeler’s…

Bass Player: Jon Poole Another tune from the Lifesigns ‘Live In London’ CD/DVD. The tune is called ‘Voice In My Head’. Regrettably, the Live In London version is not available on YouTube. This is a live version.

Bass Player: Geddy Lee One of the most famous tunes from the Rush canon, ‘YYZ’ appeared on the classic Rush album ‘Moving Pictures’. An instrumental, the tune presents some fairly intense moments from all three musicians but when Lee’s bass is featured in brief, one bar breaks, we see a little bit of bass heaven.…