Bass Makes the Band

 Chris Squire of Yes

Over the years, I have listened to countless hours of music by various bands. Although I considered myself primarily a guitarist for most of that time, I still enjoyed playing the bass a lot. While reflecting on the bands I love the most, it occurred to me that the bass player played a prominent, if not dominant role in the band. 

Early on, I loved the band Chicago. Peter Cetera, the band's original bass player is primarily known as a singer, but he was an amazing bassist. When you listen to songs like "Make Me Smile," the bass part is intricate and it really drives the song. In the band's live Carnegie Hall album, there is a jam during one part of "It Better End Soon," where you get to hear Cetera stretch out and improvise. His tone and note choices are spot-on.

When I started collecting vinyl albums in the Seventies, during my high school years, the first disc I bought was Yes' Close to the Edge. Chris Squire's bass dominates that album. It's not just a supporting instrument. His tone and attack are distinctive. In the ensuing years, progressive rock became my favorite kind of music and I discovered bands with amazing bassists like Genesis, Gentle Giant, and Renaissance. When I'd listen to the albums, although I was captivated by the amazing guitar work, it was always the bass that seemed to rivet my attention.

I began playing in a high school jazz band as a guitarist, but then graduation took our bass player from us. I had to step up and fill that role because guitar is less essential to a jazz band than the bass. I spent weeks "woodshedding," learning how to read bass clef and practicing walking bass lines to get ready for the band's first concert. Over the next year or so, I listened widely to a lot of jazz bassists and found several that stood out to me. Among them, the two who really captivated me because of their distinctive tone and improvisational styles were Eberhard Weber and Miroslav Vitous. Whenever they were present on recordings, I immediately connected with those groups. I'm an odd one when it comes to Jaco Pastorius, who was arguable the most influential bassist of the Twentieth Century, but I preferred Weather Report with Miroslav on the bass instead. Jaco's prowess is undeniable, but he was less of an influence on me than others. 

As I have gotten older, I tend to not explore new music so much. I have a lifetime of old music that I enjoy. Career and family responsibilities take a lot of time that used to be spent listening for new music. The Covid pandemic forced me to slow down during the quarantine months and I discovered a new band, Khruangbin. The bass sound of that group just grabbed me and made me want to play bass again. I bought a new bass and an amp because of them. Their bassist plays that old-school, foam-under-the-bridge-with-flatwound-strings tone that I love. Again, what attracted me to the band was the sound of the bass. What is interesting is that, since I got back into playing bass again, my wife told me that she listens to the bass parts of songs on the radio more now; whereas, she hadn't paid much attention to them before.

What bands and bassists do you enjoy? Is the bass the first thing you notice when you hear a song? Leave a comment and share.