Bass Player: Lincoln Goines

A major figure of the New York City Jazz/Latin/studio scene since the early 1980s, Goines’ career includes performance credits as sideman to: Sonny Rollins, Michael Brecker, Mike Stern, Dave Valentin, Carly Simon, Bob Berg, Jeff Golub, Bob Mintzer, Dizzy Gillespite, Wayen Krantz – this goes on.

He is also a highly respected educator and author, having written “Funkifying The Clave: Afro-Cuban Grooves for Bass and Drums” with drummer Robby Ameen which was published by Alfred Publishing in 1996.^[1]

He relocated from the west coast to New York City in 1977 where he studied Latin music with bassists Joe Santiago and Andy Gonzalez, and the rhythms of Brazil with his frequent bandmate, the Brazilian master percussionist Portinho.

The transcription included here is essentially a head chart from the title tune of the Mike Stern album, ‘Play’. The chart has not got a lot of notes in it but it is challenging because the notes appear every three beats on a 4:4 groove meaning the notes are all in the ‘wrong’ place. The tune is a minor Blues with a slightly more sophisticated head and features a link ‘shout chorus’ between Stern’s solo and that of his guest on the track, John Scofield. Great fun to play once you find the concept.