Bass Player: Anthony Jackson

Jackson is a massive legend on the bass scene and has played with pretty much everyone from Steely Dan to Paul Simon, Michel Camilo to Hiromi, Steve Kahn to Dave Valentin, Luther Vandross – the discography is incredible. Jackson was also a massive advocate for the six string Contrabass Guitar and promoted it’s use before most other players had even heard of the instrument (Jackson commissioned some of the earliest basses from Carl Thompson, Ken Smith and Vinnie Fodera).

One of his most important gigs in the 1970s was with guitarist Al Di Meola and, on this tune, he also got to play with another instrumental innovator, the legendary Les Paul. The tune is a massive cheese fest and is ‘Spanish Eyes’ from the 1980 Di Meola album, ‘Splendido Hotel’. The patterns are hard to read but, once you have it, it is essentially the same thing moving up a fourth and fifth.. Clever little bass part played with a pick, another trick that Jackson had up his sleeve in those days.