Bass Player: Chip Jackson

Chip Jackson is not a household name in the worlkd of bass but he has a CV that includes stints with pianist Billy Taylor and drummer Elvin Jones. ALso on his CV is a single album and tour with guitarist Al DiMeola. DiMeola is renowned for his fiery guitar playing and furious lines on both electric and acoustic guitars but, on the 1985 album ‘Soaring Through A Dream’, DiMeola took a more measured approach using a guitar synthesiser to create a more melodic landscape. Jackson’s bass playing is perfect for the soundscape created and sits beautifully in the mix in a way that makes the album one of the strongest of DiMeola’s back catalogue.

The track ‘July’ is the ‘hit single’ from the album as it is a short, up-beat and catchy tune with some interesting rhythmic tricks. The repeating 3×4:4 bars/1×2:4 bar pattern creates an interesting feel which creates a nice tension against the apparently straight drum beat. An interesting read because of the counting necessary and some great compositional quirks throughout.