Jay Anderson – Bass This looks a lot like the kind of head chart you would usually get on a gig. The bass part is repeated throughout with very little variation and there was not much with which to justify a ‘complete’ transcription.. This one is not too challenging to play once you get the…

Chris Squire – Bass One of my early heroes but I have never tried to play like him, even though I love the way his mind works. I am a big fan of Neo-Prog but the one thing about the genre that makes my s*** itch is the Squire soundalikes that infest the genre. Squire…

Steve Rodby – Bass I have loved this tune for so long that I was surprised that I had not done this transcription before. The tune is a collaboration between Pat Metheny and the groups then singer/multi-instrumentalist Pedro Anzar. The whole is so beautifully structured and the arrangement is absolutely inspired. Having listened to the…

Steve Rodby – Bass Potentially the most boring bass line in the history of modern music…. but it’s really not. It’s perfect. Rodby doing exactly what he does best. Not a note out of place, sitting perfectly in the arrangement/mix. One weird moment when he sounds like he is doing a double stop but I…

Jeff Berlin – Bass I started this one like a lamb to the slaughter – easy enough, I thought. And then, about two thirds of the way in, wham. Impossible to read and impossible to play (not really, but you get what I am saying). The tune ‘Melancho’ is the opening track from the 1987…

Jaco Pastorius – Bass I picked this album up during the Boer War, if I recall correctly, when I was a young man. It shows how much more Jaco was than a flash sideman with Weather Report. His vision was so profound and I often wonder, like Hendrix, Parker et al, what he would have…

Jaco Pastorius – Bass (and vocals) The Jaco Pastorius Big Band album, ‘Twins’ recorded in 1982 is one of those recordings where every second of the performance is bass heaven. It is a must listen recording for bass players and a wonderful introduction the Francis John Pastorius III, ‘the greatest bass player in the world’.…

Dave Holland – Bass This came up on my mp3 player whilst it was on shuffle and I thought…’ I wonder’? I thought I would give it a try. It is a complete solo performance by Holland, one of the few players who has the chops and ideas necessary to pull this kind of thing…

Janek Gwizdala – Bass Another from the Kazumi Watanabe back catalogue. Watanabe has a knack for choosing great rhythm sections and this one is no exception. JG and drummer Horacio Hernandez were the bass and drums behind the 2011 album, ‘Tricoroll’ which ash some great performances. The transcription is the complete bass part for the…

Jeff Berlin – Bass Another one from the Kazumi Watanabe album, ‘The Spice Of Life’ (1986). These records are great for transcribing as you can hear every note without much problem. This is a ‘rocker’ with the bass featuring as a melody instrument but is has some little traps that will catch you out if…