The best bass guitar in the world. Best Bass

An article was published on our website not so long ago " 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". At the same time, bass players, whose contribution to the success of rock music can hardly be overestimated, were undeservedly deprived of attention. It seems that the magazine also agrees with these Rolling stone, which conducted a poll among its readers in 2011 to determine the best bassists of all time. True, unlike the guitarists, they only had enough "gunpowder" for the top 10. According to the results of the survey, they got the following top ten of the best:

1. The first place, quite deservedly, is taken by (John Entwistle)- bass guitarist of the legendary British rock band The Who. In addition to being a member of The Who, John Entwistle, also known by the nickname " Oh"(bull), also released several solo albums. One of them called" My generation"is an example of what is probably the most famous bass solo in rock history.

2. In second place was (Flea) from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Flea became widely known among musicians and the public due to his unconventional bass playing style - fast, aggressive, and at the same time quite melodic. He is also considered a recognized master slap(use of "slaps" during the game). In a similar survey conducted by the British channel BBC in 2010, Flea took first place.

3. Honorary third place goes to a veteran and a living legend, the owner of an incredible number of awards and achievements Sir Paul McCartney And (Paul McCartney). It makes no sense to talk about one of the members of the legendary Liverpool Four. As they say, no comment.

4 "Wooden" medal received Geddy Lee from the Canadian rock band Rush. Thanks to his technical and masterful playing, unique style of playing the bass guitar, he had a significant impact on rock music. In addition, Geddy Lee is known for his unique tenor voice. In general, a very extraordinary and versatile musician. Video

5. Top five closes Les Claypool- bass guitarist, lead vocalist, best known for his participation in an alternative rock band Primus. Famous special style bass playing, including elements of a heavy funk. Les is one of the best slap bass players in the world.

American bass player. Legend of its time. Inventor of his own style of playing the bass guitar. Any self-respecting bass player films Wooten or at least watches his master classes and lectures. He does not hide anything, good-naturedly talks about his playing technique, and still no one has surpassed him yet. In 2011 the magazine Rolling stone recognized Wooten as one of the best bass players of all time in a poll.

Victor Wooten records solo albums, and also participates in world famous groups such as Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and bass group SMV. If you haven't listened to these bands, be sure to check them out. In addition to the amazing music, the following is noteworthy about them: despite the fact that Victor Wooten is an incredible soloist, in the group Bela Fleck he plays the accompaniment without interfering with the soloist of the founder of the group. A striking example a conscious musician with a subtle sense of taste.

Flea is the musician's nickname (flea). Flea is probably the most famous bassist in the world. All bassists around the world are crazy about Flea, or rather, for his unique playing technique. He plays fast, but at the same time extremely melodic. Flea is also a virtuoso in the part of the Blind. His main field of activity is to be an integral part of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The rest of the time he manages to work in such teams as Jane's Addiction, Alanis Morissette, Axis of Justice, The Mars Volta, Atoms for Peace.

By the way, Flea has an incredible funny video master class where he talks about how he plays the bass. Be sure to check it out.

Marcus Miller

Jazz bass player. He has worked with almost all the great musicians such as Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, David Sanborn and Luther Vandross.

How the composer wrote the famous "tutu" for Miles Davis. By the way, it was this composition that determined the further fate of Davis.

Luther Vandross, rhythm and blues legend, has collaborated with Marcus for many years. During this time, many hits written by Miller have accumulated, such as Till My Baby Comes Home, It's Over Now, Any Love, I'm Only Human etc.

Watch any live performance of Marcus Miller, he will not leave you indifferent.

Jaco Pastorius)

The greatest bass player of all time. Experimenter. With his experiments, he incredibly expanded the possibilities of the bass guitar. He was the first to play on high frets, not only melodies, but also intervals and chords. It was a breakthrough of that time. Also, Pastorius paid a lot of attention to strokes and where his hand was when playing sound. I mixed my right hand into different sounds in different situations.

How a real star died tragically.

He had a unique, inner sense of rhythm.

In memory of him Markul Miller And Miles Davis wrote a composition "Mr. pastorius."

John Patitucci)

American jazz bassist and double bassist, of Italian descent. There are 12 albums on his shield. Worked with the most famous musicians of his time, such as Roger Waters, BB King, Bonnie Wright, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Grusin, Natalie Cole, Bon Jovi, Queen Latifah, Sting and Carly Simone.

Award Winner Grammy.

Great technical musician. Patitucci has excellent master classes. Be sure to look.

New names:

Esperanza Spalding)

Jazz singer, double bass player, bass player, multi-instrumentalist and just a beauty!

What does she do on stage?

Grammy winner 2011.

Polyrhythm is her forte. A new word in craftsmanship.

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Avishai Cohen)

Israeli jazz double bassist, bassist, arranger and singer.

He owes his career to the famous pianist Chick Corea, who noticed the talent of the young Cohen and took him to his team. After almost 10 years of successful work, Cohen left Chick Corea and began solo career.

Energetic handsome won the hearts of millions. Gentle and poignant songs will etch into your memory for a long time and touch your very heart.

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Every bass player (or bassist in common) has thought more than once about which instrument is better, i.e. which best bass guitar exists now in the music market. No matter how hard you try, it's impossible to answer this question unambiguously. Since this is a matter of sugobolitny in each case. There are only a few firms that have already proven themselves in the music market for many years.
And so in order.

classic best bass guitars considered an American company Fender. It has existed for a very long time and has been successfully supplying the whole world with its tools throughout the entire time. Bass guitars made before the 90s are especially valued, as the method of assembling musical instruments was different from how it is assembled today. The main difference is in the sound. A good sound, in most cases unique and branded, is appreciated by many professional musicians who give their preference to the company Fender. You can take a bass guitar starting from 30.000-40.000 rubles. The sound reserve of this instrument will last for many years.

Despite its mass distribution and promotion of the brand, more than 60% of the company's bass guitars Ibanez leaves much to be desired. Not all musicians appreciate the proprietary clang (reinforced high frequencies), the proprietary difference between Ibanez and other manufacturers.
Of the most successful models that have become widespread, one can single out SR500 And SR505(its five-string version). The rest are not worth their money. The sound, as a rule, does not differ in a special variety, but in contrast to this “shortcoming”, a huge plus can be brought. Ibanez they make very comfortable guitars, and in some cases, comfort is more important than a tight sound, but again, everything is individual.

Music Man

Japanese Music Man bass guitars are valued all over the world. Because of their price, they can not be called budgetary in any way - new model worth about 100.000 rubles, and from the hands, starting from 30.000-40.000 rubles, but they are worth the money, there is no doubt about it. bass guitars appreciated Music Man made before the 90s. These models are much more expensive, but when it comes to the quality of the sound, it fully justifies its price. Many consider the tools made by this company to be the best, but everyone has a personal opinion on their own account.

Bass guitars of this company have received their recognition relatively recently. This means when the people began to get rid of the purchased Ibaneses and acquire the course of a new wave - Warwick.
Warwicks are distinguished by a very unusual shape (as for me, this is some kind of satanic shovel), but quite good models flicker, and as for the sound, it is simply gorgeous. With the right hands, anything can be played on it. You can buy a budget model (which, in terms of sound quality, will do more than half of guitars in this price category), you can from 25.000-30.000 rubles.

The Japanese firm ESP never had a special distribution; it received its recognition in narrow musical circles. First of all, because of their unusual shapes and soft sound. These are professional guitars, but made for an amateur. These models cannot be called budget ones, since their price starts from 55.000, and for such an amount you can buy other instruments of the same level.

In conclusion, you can consider another company

Bass guitar is musical instrument, which is a special element of the whole jazz culture. It was the bass guitar that first became a successful replacement for the banjo, which was used to create high-quality rhythm sections, which is the basis of the rhythmic texture of each composition. Over time, bass guitars began to merge more and more with jazz music, and after a short period of time this instrument began to be used by musicians to create various chord fingerings.

In jazz, they have acquired a special surround sound, which differs from classical rhythms. In the 1930s, guitarists created a distinct picking style that became dominant in jazz music. With the advent of the electric guitar in 1931, a new jazz style called "swing" appeared, which became an absolute legend in this musical direction.

However, the development of jazz using the bass guitar is impossible without talented musicians who, with the help of their instruments, were able to give us a large number of unique tracks. All these people went down in history as the best jazz bass players and I decided to compile a special rating of famous bass players that all fans of modern and classical jazz should know about.

Victor Wooten (Victor Wooten)

Popularity - million | Born on 09/11/1964 | USA, Idaho

Victor Wooten is one of the most famous jazz bass players in the world. music industry. He became the only three-time winner of the Bassist of the Year statuette, thanks to his unique bass playing technique. In addition, the musician twice won the Grammy Award, which only confirmed his skill and status as one of the most talented baath players in jazz culture.

Victor Wooten is called the real master of the bass, because this unique musician mastered absolutely all the techniques of playing the bass guitar and successfully embodied them in his work. Wooten's secret is that he plays with the thumb of his right hand like a pick - in the direction from top to bottom, which allows him to create solo bass guitar parts. They are fast, flexible and warm. He became not only a talented bassist, but also a producer, vocalist and arranger, which allowed this wonderful person to create unique arrangements for many famous compositions. Mesmerizing tapping and crazy slap made Victor Wooten popular in the field of music. He also tried many other musical styles such as rock fusion and country bluegrass.

Victor Wooten first appeared on big stage with a bass guitar at 5(!) years old! He played with The Wooten Brothers Band. After that, Wooten had many more projects that brought him real success. These include the Bela Fleck and Flecktone group, in which he received a Grammy statuette and won the Bassist of the Year award three times. Together with the legendary bassist Steve Bailey, the already famous Steve created "Bass Extremes", where their legendary album "Just Add Water" ("Just Add Water") became a real gem of music created by bass players.

Marcus Miller (Marcus Miller)

Popularity - million | Born on 06/14/1959 | USA, New York

Known primarily as a talented bass player and musician who has worked with Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, Luther Vandross and David Sanborn. Winner of the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, which was released in 2001 with the title of the album "M²"), and also, the award for the best rhythm and blues composition in 1991 (title "Power Of Love / Love Power") .

Marcus Miller is primarily a good composer who has created golden hits for stars such as Miles Davis, David Sanborn and blues legends Luther Vandross. Until 1993, the musician collaborated as a producer with many jazz stars, but in the early 90s he decided to start his own solo career, which quickly made him a real jazz star due to talented compositions, charisma and a unique presentation of music through the bass guitar.

The most popular albums are The Sun Don't Lie (1993), Tales (1995), and of course M2 (2001), which became one of the best albums of the year and his career. At the moment, Miller often writes music for films.

John Patitucci (John Patitucci)

Popularity - million | Born on 12/22/1959 | USA, New York

One of the most sought-after musicians in modern jazz music. John Patitucci is not only an outstanding bass player, but also a very talented double bassist. He has many musical works as a jazz composer, which made him one of the most prominent jazzmen in modern music.

Young John began his musical career at just 10 years old, playing the guitar, which led him to the big stage at the age of 12. From the age of 15, the young musician began to get involved in the bass, which allowed him to master many guitar playing techniques. It all started after graduating from university, when John worked in a recording studio as a studio musician, recording various compositions with world jazz stars such as B.B. King, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker. In the 1980s, during his participation in the Electric Band and Acoustic Band, he was talked about as a talented bassist. However, after the release of his solo album in 1988, he won many awards and several times became the best jazz musician of the year.

One of the most popular was his first solo album "John Patitucci", which was released in 1988, but his other albums, which the musician published under his own label, were also widely appreciated by jazz music lovers. Particular attention should be paid to his latest album "Songs, Stories & Spirituals" (2003), which John Patitucci recorded with his friends - with vocalist Luciana Souza, church singer John Thomas, Venezuelan pianist Edward Simon (Edward Simon) and drummer Brian Blade. This disc won a Grammy Award.

Jaco Pastorius (Jaco Postorius)

Popularity - million | Born on 12/01/1951 | USA, Pennsylvania

Jaco Postorius is one of the most popular American jazz bass players and composers. After developing an original and unique style and technique of playing the instrument, he became one of the most famous, sought-after and respected bass players during the second half of the 20th century. Pastorius became known to the public for his work with Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. In addition, he became famous for his author's solo musical projects.

Jaco Pastorius became very popular for his special bass lines, which combined Latin American motives with rhythm and blues. His unique funky bass lines often featured "dead notes" (played without the strings being pressed against the fretboard). This technology was used in the bass parts in the musical compositions "Come on, come over" and "The chicken". Pastorius was also known for popularizing the fretless electric bass, on which he achieved a brass-like tone, especially when played in the upper register.

Many jazz fans consider Pastorius one of the greatest bass players ever. In 2011, Jaco Pastorius was voted one of the best jazz bass players of all time in a poll by Rolling Stone magazine.

Stanley Clarke (Stanley Clarke)

Popularity - million | Born 06/30/1951 | USA, Philadelphia

According to most world music ratings, Stanley Clark is one of the most unique and interesting composers and musicians of our time. His musical skill fascinates and amazes with its impeccable technicality and perfection of a true master of jazz. Stanley Clark masterfully plays a large number of instruments, which cannot but please many listeners from all over the world. His music is full of unusual sound and special excitement. Fusion rock and jazz are two musical directions in which the famous musician has achieved great success.

After leaving school and moving to New York, Stanley quickly began to attract the most outstanding musicians which allowed him to gain great popularity among fans jazz music. Stanley Clarke has worked with such musicians as Stan Getz, Jill Evans, Art Blakey and Chick Corea, with whom they have created a successful musical tandem.

by the most best works Clark can be considered "The Bass-ic Collection", "At the Movies", "The Rite of Strings", "East River Drive", "Live 1976-1977", "If This Bass Could", "Project", "Time Exposure". As well as the latest disc "The Toys of Men", released in 2007.

Larry Graham (Larry Graham)

Popularity - million | Born on 08/14/1946 | USA, Texas

The name of the outstanding Larry Graham is popular among several generations of guitarists today. This artist endowed with a wonderful sense of rhythm and musicality. It is these qualities that are so inherent in many black jazz performers. Having an excellent musical talent, jazz bass guitarist Graham made his name in the glorious list of true legends of world jazz and rock music.

Thanks to the changing attitudes towards black people that prevailed in the US in the sixties, Graham's music became quite popular. After all, it was the euphoria of equality that gave Larry Graham a real creative inspiration to create high-quality jazz music. The real fame came to the musician in the Larry Graham Central Station group, in which the jazz bassist releases more than ten successful albums.

Graham's work can be divided into two parts - his music, created as part of the groups where he performed, as well as his solo albums, which, of course, need to be paid special attention: "One in a Million You" (1980), "Just Be My Lady" (1981), "Sooner or Later" (1982), "Victory" (1983), "Fired Up" (1985).

Anthony Jackson (Anthony Jackson)

Popularity - million | Born on 06/23/1952 | USA, New York

He is best known for inventing the six-string bass guitar, which made him truly popular among all other jazz musicians. In addition, he is a talented jazz bassist who received a Grammy Award for his work.

During his life, Anthony Jackson made a brilliant musical career, performing in more than 30 countries around the world. In total, he was able to record over 3,000 tracks in over 500 different musical projects. By inventing his own six-string bass guitar, he became truly legendary and made it possible to deepen the musical spectrum of the bass guitar.

Many world artists recorded their brightest hits with Jackson. His star partners include Madonna, Denis Chambers, Henk Crawford, Urby Green, John Scorfield and many others.

Steve Bailey (Steve Bailey)

Popularity - million | Born on 02/10/1960 | USA, South Carolina

Steve Bailey is considered one of the main representatives of the fretless six-string bass guitar school. This musician is currently one of the most famous American bass players. Many modern musicians learn from the experience of Steve Bailey, and all his concert shows are based on the virtuoso playing of the six-string bass guitar and vividly show the unique skill of this musician.

Steve Bailey's creativity lies in the fact that he simultaneously accompanies himself, playing virtuoso solo parts. Each listener gets the unique impression that an entire orchestra is performing on stage. Because of this unique quality, some fans have nicknamed Bailey the orchestra man. Steve Bailey feels great playing, all directions contemporary music. At his concerts, he performs unique improvisations on many well-known hits of various musical styles such as pop-rock, jazz-rock and also on various classical works.

Bailey formed a joint band with Victor Wooten called "Bass Extremes". They released two albums called Evolution and Dichotomy, which won Steve Bailey twice Bassist of the Year in 1994 and 1996. Most listeners change their idea of ​​the bass guitar by attending the musician's unique concerts.

Paul Chambers, Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. (Paul Chambers)

Popularity - million | Born 04/22/1935 | USA, Pennsylvania

Paul Chambers is one of the most famous jazz bassists, double bassists, who flawlessly performed his rhythm parts in every musical composition. Known for his skill and ability to convey the sound of the double bass in the foreground, and not as a background instrument.

During his short life, Paul Chambers managed to build a brilliant career performing with world jazz virtuosos. The key moment for the musician was the collaboration with the legendary saxophonist Coltrane. Chambers took part in the recording of two major jazz concerts, along with Coltrane and Wynton Kelly.

The jazz album "Kind of blue" by Davis and "Giant steps" by Coltrane eventually became a standard in jazz music.

Louis Johnson (Louis Johnson)

Popularity - million | Born on 04/13/1955 | USA, California

Louis Johnson American musician and renowned jazz bass player. He became famous for the music of his band The Brothers Johnson, as well as for the unique method of playing the bass guitar called "Slap", which became his hallmark in musical creativity. This musician released the best-selling album of the 1970s and 1980s called Thriller.

What is the technique of playing the bass guitar called "Slap"? While playing the bass guitar, slapping is done by hitting the strings with the knuckle of the thumb. Most often, strikes are applied to the thick (third or fourth) strings of the instrument. The alternation of strikes of thick strings with sharp picks of thin strings is a very important element of this technique. It turns out the effect of characteristic sharp clicks and metal frets. In this case, the strings on the necks are clamped with the other hand, as when playing with a pick on the guitar.

Louis Johnson collaborated with a large number of world stars, but released a small number of solo singles and albums - Passage (1981), Kinky / She's Bad (1985), Evolution (1985), Star Licks Master Sessions" (1985).

Richard Bona (Richard Bona)

Popularity - million | Born on 10/28/1967 | Cameroon, Minta

Another talented jazz bassist who has received a high music award"Grammy". Thanks to his talent for playing the bass guitar, he ranks among the most talented and popular bassists in the world of jazz.

The talented Richard's career began to develop rapidly after he moved to Düsseldorf, and soon to Paris, where he studied music and began performing in various jazz clubs, along with musicians such as Manu Dibango, Salif Keita, Jacques Higelin and Didier Lockwood. Soon he moved to New York, where he met even more jazz virtuosos and already in 1998 became the director of Harry Belafonte's European tour.

His debut solo album Scenes from My Life was released in 1999. In 2002 Bona went on a world tour with Pat Metheny. The release of the successful album "Speaking of Now" this year marked deep changes towards this group. In 2005, Bona released his fourth solo album Tiki, which included a collaboration with John Legend. The album was nominated for "Best Contemporary World music album at the 49th Grammy Awards.

Avishai Kohen (Avishai Cohen)

Popularity - million | Born on 04/20/1970 | Israel

Ron Carter is one of the most recorded jazz bassists and cellists in the history of jazz music. With the participation of Carter, more than 500 albums were recorded. Besides given musician is one of the most famous accompanists and the owner of a virtuoso playing technique.

In addition to many personal achievements in his creative musical career, Ron Carter is known as the inventor of a new musical instrument called the bass piccolo. This musical instrument resembles a cello in its size and shape, but it is tuned not in fifths, but in fourths. He masterfully played this instrument as part of his team (1972 - 1980). In 1980-1983 he joined the updated composition of V.S.O.P. (Hancock, Williams, Marsalis brothers).

Throughout his career, Ron Carter has created music with a large number of musicians and has been a member of many groups such as the New York Jazz Sextet, New York Jazz Quartet, V.S.O.P. Tour, Milestone Jazzstars. Since 1972, he has been creating and leading his own team, the permanent members of which are: Kenny Baron, Buster Williams.

Ray Brown (Ray Brown)

Popularity - million | Born 10/13/1926 | USA, Indiana

This legendary American jazz musician is one of the very best jazz double bass players. Ray Brown performed his work in the popular bebop genre. Musical experts and fans note that his playing is distinguished by its accuracy, beauty and peculiarity of sound. In many musical compositions there are bass solos, as well as dynamic jazz swing.

Throughout his long and colorful musical career, Ray Brown has recorded with many famous musicians. Brown in the 90s created his world famous musical project“Some of My Best Friends Are…”, in which he creates music with the most eminent musicians of old and new jazz.

According to the American Internet publication DDD, Ray Brown is ranked 4th among the best hard bop jazz musicians, as well as a high 7th place among the best jazz bassists. In addition, his musical compositions occupy high lines of many authoritative world ratings.

Scott LaFaro (Scott LaFaro)

Popularity - million | Born 3/04/1936 | USA, New Jersey

Scott Lafaro is an American jazz bassist who is best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio. His career lasted only 6 years, but he managed to become one of the brightest bass players in jazz music.

Even despite the fact that the musician had a very short musical career (due to a sudden death at the age of 25), he managed to have a great influence on subsequent generations of double bass players. He showed a rather innovative approach to the instrument and developed a unique playing technique, which at that time was more melodic and pure. He increased the volume of the instrument's sound through the use of "guitar-like" sound production techniques. This helped the young and talented Scott LaFaro to make the double bass an equal member of the ensemble, and not a background instrument, as was the case in many compositions.

In addition, creating jazz hits with Bill Evans, LaFaro made a significant impact on the formation and development of the jazz trio genre.

In my opinion, it was these 15 musicians who did a lot to make jazz culture not only develop, but also sound in a completely new way. It is about such people that you need to know and remember, because their work makes our world brighter, and jazz more diverse.

What do you think: Which of the young bassists of the new generation will become a real legend of modern jazz? ;)

1. James Jamerson

It’s worth starting with this black genius, who appeared in the early 60s in the Motown studio, one of two Detroit concerns: Ford produced cars, and Motown, in the same industrial volumes, produced Negro pop music - soul , funk and rhythm and blues. With his own, easily recognizable style of playing, Jamerson has largely shaped the studio's signature sound: when it comes to the "sound or manner of Motown", it is always James Jamerson.

In addition, Jamerson had a great influence on the development of accompaniment in pop music. Until the beginning of the 70s, being the "calling card" of the studio, this bass player was in such demand that he often even had to interrupt the tour in order to return to the studio. He recorded bass for almost all the label's artists, including Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Isley Brothers, Jackson 5 and many others. Over time, he was even assigned a rate of $ 1,000 a week, which was much higher than the standard earnings of a studio musician.

Jamerson was so jealous of his own sound that he was even afraid to change the strings on his Fender Precision so as not to lose the sound. Subsequently, this played a bad role in his career: when the fashion for sound changed in the mid-70s, Jamerson could not, and most likely did not want to, change along with fashion. He became less and less invited to record. As often happens in such cases, the musician became depressed and began to drink heavily. By 1980, he could no longer get a serious job, and in 83 he died from complications caused by cirrhosis of the liver.

In 1989, Allan Slutsky's book "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" was published, and in 2002 a documentary film of the same name was released. Jamerson is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Fender Hall of Fame. In conclusion, it is worth saying that almost all the bass players described below admit in their interviews that they were largely formed as musicians thanks to him - James Jamerson. Therefore, James Jamerson has full right to be the first in this list, because without him, this list, and all popular music, would look completely different.

2. Paul McCartney (Paul McCartney, "The Beatles").

Perhaps the main promoter of the bass guitar, despite the fact that he became one, one might say, forcedly. Initially, being a guitarist in John Lennon's band (first name - The Quarrymen), Paul now and then replaced bassist Stuart Sutcliffe at concerts, whose musical abilities he was extremely skeptical. Soon Sutcliff left the band and Paul had to take over the bass, much to his initial displeasure: "The bass guitar in those days was associated with fat, sedentary guys in the back corner of the stage," he recalls. Later, he bought the famous Hofner 500/1, only because it was easy to convert to left hand(Paul McCartney is left-handed) due to its symmetrical "violin" shape. It was thanks to this "big violin" that the audience, who usually does not distinguish between a guitar and a bass, now paid attention to this instrument, which was not at all difficult because Paul shared the role of frontman with John Lennon, being both a vocalist and a co-author of lyrics, and composer, and even, in part, the producer of the group.

Possessing a wonderful musical flair, Paul played and plays amazingly beautiful, melodic and brilliant bass lines even in their simplicity. Many of his parts were included in music textbooks around the world, and the significance of the group itself in the history of music is not at all to be discussed.

After the breakup of The Beatles, Paul McCartney began his solo career as the leader of his own group and multi-instrumentalist, having won fame as the most successful musician in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. Paul still plays the Hofner Violin Bass (produced under the name Paul Beatle Bass), which has become the "calling card" of Sir Paul McCartney himself, and The Beatles in particular.

3. Jaco Pastorius (real name John Francis Anthony Pastorius III).

This man is officially recognized as the Greatest Bassist of All Time, although his name, work and biography are known more to professionals than to a general audience. The influence of Jaco Pastorius on music is so great that it is customary to divide the bass guitar into "what was before Pastorius and what was after." Like many bass players, he didn't start with the bass at all. At the age of 12, with the help of his father, Jaco mastered the drums, soon after breaking his arm he switched to the guitar, saxophone and piano, but fate seemed to know in advance about his higher destiny, and at the age of 17, after a second operation, he chose the bass guitar. Being a real genius, Pastorius went far in his development from the generally accepted meaning of the bass guitar: in the hands of Jaco, the bass for the first time ceased to be part of the rhythm section and turned into a solo instrument, flying and rushing about, screaming and singing, laughing and crying. The speed of the solo was not inferior to the creations of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Pastorius ripped the frets out of his Fender Jazz Bass and filled the cracks with epoxy, and preferred to play fretless until his death. Constantly improving his own style of playing, Jaco breaks all known stylistic boundaries, his game still does not fit into any genre definition. He himself called his music "punk-jazz".

All this, in conjunction with the expressiveness of the musician (and Jaco did not know the measure in anything), made him the most popular artist of his time. Pastorius, without interrupting his virtuoso playing, rushed around the stage like crazy, climbed onto the speakers and jumped down, threw the bass and beat him with a belt: the audience packed any hall to capacity, just to see and hear it. Realizing his importance, already in his youth he presented himself to the super-musicians of that time as "The Greatest Bassist in the World", not forgetting to add: "It's not boasting if you can prove it in practice." And it really wasn't a boast: already at the age of 24 he recorded a solo album "Jako Pastorius", which was twice nominated for a Grammy and is still considered the best album ever recorded by bass players.

Unfortunately, Joe Zawinul (Josef "Joe" Zawinul), with whom Jaco played in the band Weather Report, addicted him to alcohol, which he himself regretted for the rest of his life. It served Starting point sunset career of a great musician. Unable to cope with alcohol and drug addiction, which also provoked his mental disorders, Pastorius quickly lost the respect of colleagues, the public and show business sharks. His family turned away from him, tired of his antics. The king of the music world turned into a vagabond drug addict, living in parks and basements, begging passers-by for money, repeatedly pawning his Jazz Bass and constantly looking for death. He found her, in the face of a 25-year-old nightclub security guard, whom he himself provoked into a fight. Doctors ascertained irreversible brain damage, soon Jaco Pastorius died without leaving a coma.

In 2003, the memorial album "Words of Mouth Revisited" was released, where Jaco's parts are performed by the world's best bassists.

Fender releases the signature Jazz Bass model, the Jaco Pastorius, and the Custom Shop fretless version is made with epoxy-filled grooves. In addition, all the chips, scuffs and other damage caused by the expressive genius at the moment when he left this world are reproduced in detail.

4. Chris Squire (Yes)

In the 70s, rock music developed rapidly, new techniques, approaches to performance, and accompaniment concepts appeared. One of the best rock bassists of that decade is deservedly considered Chris Squire, the founder and only permanent member progressive rock band Yes. The owner of the fourth Rickenbacker 4001 bass brought from the US to the UK, he remains a devoted instrument to this day, although his arsenal is rich in bass guitars, both classical and as bizarre as the music of Yes itself. One of the first rock bassists, he successfully applied guitar effects, due to the stereo channel of his permanent Rickenbacker. His devotion extends to picking, which makes his sound aggressive and dynamic, and his love for classical music left its mark in the form of amazing melody. Despite the fact that he was heavily influenced by Paul McCartney and John Entwistle (John Entwistle), Squire very soon developed his own style of playing, largely due to his musical intensity and fanatical attention to detail: his exactingness and accuracy were sometimes painful for the group, which caused conflicts within the team. Forcing hours to redo the slightest inaccuracies in the studio, he infuriated everyone who had to work with him, but the result was always amazing. With his playing, Squire led the group into his own orbit. However, this outwardly stern Viking-faced giant is the "hearth keeper" of the group. It is believed that only thanks to him, over many years of discord, internal confrontations and even breakups, "Yes" survived and again perform in their "golden" composition.

5. John Entwistle (The Who)

Born in 1944 into a family of musicians, John Alec Entwistle has mastered the piano, trumpet, horn and trombone since childhood. At the very beginning of the 60s, he already played brass in a jazz band with Pete Townshend, but soon changed brass to bass, which he made himself. Together with Pete, they moved to the Detours, later renamed "The Who". The group brought together a unique instrumental trio: John, Pete and Keith Moon (Keith John Moon). The absence of a solo guitarist in the group gave John the idea to replace him with his own forces: he began to play melodic patterns on the bass guitar, which, coupled with his powerful delivery and technique, formed the unique sound of "The Who" and helped the group rise to the top of various charts. For his own playing technique, which he rightly called the "typewriter", he received the nickname "Thunderfingers" - "Thundering Fingers": the essence of this technique is that all the fingers of the right hand participate in sound production, pounding both one at a time and all strings at once, which gives the widest scope for musical solutions (do not confuse this technique with slapping and tapping). For all his creative incontinence and power, Entwistle differed from his colleagues with amazing calmness on stage, while the rest of The Who instantly earned themselves the title of one of the most expressive bands on the planet with their behavior: they were the first to start breaking guitars, they attracted a huge attention. Fortunately, their musical talents allowed them to keep this attention.

John Entwistle was the first of The Who to start recording solo albums, on which he widely demonstrated his amazing mastery of the instrument: classics of rock, these recordings are also of particular value to bass players, because contain a huge amount of high quality "bass" material.

In 2002, on the eve of the American tour of the reunited The Who, in a hotel in Las Vegas, stripper Alisen Rose woke up in bed with a cold 58-year-old John Entwistle, who died in his sleep from a cocaine overdose.

6. Jack Bruce

Without exaggeration, one of the most "restless" bass players and one of the first bass virtuosos of his time. His musical education began with learning to play the piano and cello, later he entered the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, which he left three months later, not finding a common language with the professorship - the teachers, of course, did not want to accept the ideas of a 17-year-old student. This character trait will largely determine his further career. Jack changes a huge number of jazz and blues compositions, lingering in some for just over a month, until he was invited to his new group Eric Clapton, where Jack was able to fully develop his musical abilities. At the time of "Cream" Bruce became the first bassist who fully appreciated the wide possibilities of the then "young" instrument. Albums recorded with Clapton have become rock classics, and for everyone next generations musicians - a serious school.

After the breakup of "Cream", Bruce began solo work, continuing to combine jazz, blues and art rock, but the picky musician failed to assemble a stable line-up.

In the future, Jack Bruce participated in a huge number of projects, recorded solo, recorded other people's music, and in the eighties he completely stopped musical activity.

In the 90s, an attempt to restore "Cream" conceived with Ginger Baker and Gary Moore did not last even a year. In 2003, after a liver transplant operation, he released the album "Rope Ladder to the Moon", which is not inferior to his classical works. The complete discography of the artist is so large that only the most inquisitive specialist can understand it.

7. Louis Johnson

Self-taught virtuoso, inventor of the slap, a specific technique of playing the bass guitar, built on a combination of blows and plucking with the fingers of the right hand, while the strings beat against the frets of the fretboard, making a loud, ringing sound. Thanks to this technique, the bass partly takes on the function of the drums, due to the sharp attack of the sound and the ability to brightly accent almost any rhythmic patterns. The "fathers" of slap are Johnson and Larry Graham, who discovered this technique independently of each other.

Leo Fender, who left "Fender" and opened after her own company Music Man, together with Johnson developed special bass pickups Music Man Stingray, which were intended specifically for aggressive slap playing. The magnets in the pickups were so strong that they simply repelled each other when installed, so quieter and therefore less expensive pickups were developed for mass production.

Johnson is best known as a studio musician and has been used by Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, and many others. Notable is his work with Michael Jackson, for whom he recorded bass on the albums "Of The Wall", "Thriller" and "Dangerous"; for example, the bass that carries the entire song on "Billi Jean" is his work. Louis Johnson has released a wonderful video school of playing the bass guitar, where he easily and clearly shares the secrets of his technique, describing in detail the process of its invention. Johnson, who began his career in Motown, is still actively recording and performing.

8. Marcus Miller

An outstanding multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, Markus Miller is the most real icon especially for bass players. Although his career can be safely taken as an example not only in the musical, but also in the universal human sense.

Born into the family of a church organist, little Marcus constantly played something on his father's piano. Parents, of course, made every effort to develop their son's abilities, especially since life in Brooklyn did not prepare anything good for a black boy. At the age of eight, Marcus began to learn to play the recorder, and when the family moved to even less prosperous Queens, he switched to the clarinet (his father insisted on the violin, but his son, who was familiar with street concepts, refused, explaining that he would simply be beaten with a violin on the street) . Markus was very diligent about music lessons, in high school he entered the Higher School of Music and Arts, where, in addition to school classes, he played in the school orchestra and even took private lessons. Around that time, his love for the bass guitar came to him. He learned to play it by ear, because. in those days, the bass was not taught yet: the instrument was then very young and had not yet received wide recognition, most bassists were self-taught, and boasting knowledge musical notation could be a few. Musical education quickly allowed Marcus to master the basics of accompaniment and at the age of 14 he was already playing popular music of the 70s with the boys from the quarter - funk, soul, rhythm and blues, and later jazz. “It turned out to be as important as schooling,” recalls Miller, “only then did I understand what funk is, groove, and how to convey my feelings to people through sounds.” Soon he left the School of Music due to uncertainty about the chosen instrument (clarinet) and entered the best college in Queens. A year later, Marcus received an invitation to one of the best studio bands in New York: the ensemble of the popular television program "Saturday Night Live". Work on television, studio work, as well as the vast experience and talent of the young musician, did their job - the stars became interested in Markus and began to invite him to record. In the 80th year, David Sanborn, having heard the author's plays by Miller, invited him to record them together. 20-year-old Marcus produced the album, which immediately received a Grammy. A year later, Miles Davis himself invites him to his team, with whom they fruitfully collaborated in the last years of Miles' life, toured together, and in the 86th they recorded the album "Tutu", which became the pinnacle of their joint work: Miller not only produced the record, but also played parts of almost all instruments.

Marcus Miller is an extremely positive character, for a star of his level, no scandals are associated with him, he does not drink alcohol and does not use drugs: "Many of those who were at the top and could do much more simply died from this rubbish. More during my lifetime, some of them advised me not to repeat their mistakes. I'm only in the middle of my journey and I want to do a lot more, "explains Markus. In recent years, he has been working closely at his home studio in Los Angeles, not forgetting to pay attention to his wife, daughters and parents: Miller draws inspiration from the world around him, which he creates with his own hands. Maybe that's why in his fifties he looks like a little over thirty?

9. Les Claypool (Leslie "Les" Claypool, "Primus").

Without exaggeration, the most eccentric of virtuosos and the most virtuoso of eccentrics. This is clearly evidenced by his music and constantly changing, but always crazy, image (just look at the clips and photo shoots of the group). At the same time, one of the main musicians in the world is self-taught: the youthful desire to learn how to play did not stop even the inability to distinguish the guitar from the bass guitar, however: "I chose the bass thanks to the killer and deep sound, while simple guitar sounds too thin, causing nothing but irritation, "says Claypool. Around the same time, he met Kirk Hammett, the future guitarist of Metallica, who instilled in him a love for Jimi Hendrix (Jimi Hendrix) and Led Zeppelin. Later he was influenced by Geddy Lee and Stanley Clark, which largely determined his craving for slap and the development of his own style of sound production.

The first half of the 1980s saw a string of short-lived side bands: "most of which were complete junk," Les recalls, and even an audition with Metallica, who were then looking for a replacement for the deceased Cliff Burton. Claypool passed the audition, but was not accepted into the group, because. "turned out to be too good and should mind his own business" - as explained by James Hetfield. It should be noted that in those years, Les, who gravitated toward funk, had practically no idea how thrash metal was played.

By that time, he had already written a lot of his own material, which he was still embarrassed to perform in public, and only after the formation of "Primus" did Claypool dare to sing (or rather, tell) his songs on his own. In the 90s, the group recorded a series of amazing albums, unlike both each other and what happened in music before: critics, as one, were confused, choosing a definition for their music, while the musicians themselves constantly had fun, inventing terms like "thrash funk" and even "psychedelic polka". In addition, the "Primus" group is the only group that has a private genre for the ID3 tag in the Winamp player.

If there are many bands in whose music the bass takes center stage, then "Primus" occupies a central place among these bands themselves: "First among equals" - so you can translate their name. Claypool's bass performs a function that is unbearable for others: being the main supporting structure in the song, it pulls both rhythmic and harmonic tasks without losing its solo status, decorating compositions with super-complex parts and inserts. Constantly experimenting with sound production and sound processing techniques, he literally shocks with what he comes out with: his instrument can sound like a lost kitten and like a lion defending its territory. Drummer Tim Alexander handles Claypool's sophisticated rhythmic quirks with surprising ease; and guitarist Larry La Londe, whose task becomes completely incomprehensible, finds amazing solutions, shading and complementing the wonderful melody of the bass guitar with dissonant and atonal solos. All this makes "Primus" truly the best independent band, and Claypool himself is rightfully considered the most outstanding bass player of the 90s. iconic value this figure is also emphasized by the fact that the musician played himself in a dozen television and feature films. He also wrote and performed the theme song of the cartoon series "South Park": a guy with glasses and a hat with a bass guitar at the ready in the opening sequence is none other than Les Claypool.

10. Flea (Michael "Flea" Balzary, "Red Hot Chili Peppers").

An outcast as a child due to his accent and unfashionable musical tastes, Flea became almost the main role model from the second half of the 90s. "Playing like Flea" is a dream of almost all beginner bassists. This is due not only to the exuberant artistry of one of the brightest characters of the modern scene, but also to an extremely expressive technique that combines fast and aggressive, but at the same time extremely textured slap, with soft, quiet and melodic playing. Thus, Flea created a new standard of playing in rock music.

Surprisingly, the musician does not know musical notation at all. Learning to play on his own, by ear, Flea came to a non-academic understanding of music, which he still adheres to: he attaches great importance to exactly what happens during the game in the heart and soul, in consciousness, often mentions cosmic connections. Even his video school is not like a lot of others precisely because of this: he does not show how to play scales, does not talk about techniques and tricks. He devotes most of the lesson to discussions about the internal approach to creating music, about the state of the soul and consciousness, about the need to follow one's own individuality rather than strict rules. He talks about this in many interviews, in particular in the one that his friend, actor River Phoenix, takes from him, with whom they starred in the movie "My Own Private Idaho". In general, Flea is one of the most actively filmed musicians (more than 20 films), he also writes music for films and voices cartoons. In addition to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea has collaborated with a slew of big names from Alanis Morissette to Metallica, and recently he surprised everyone again by joining the ranks of the band that Thom Yorke assembled for a solo album.