The Bassist

I had first meeting with my album new bassist this week. I met with Jason upon recommendation from a number of other artists and studio engineers. I have to say I was quite impressed with his skills. After a few initial run-throughs and an exchange of thoughts, he already seemed to know exactly what I was going for with my album sound.

He plays upright bass (like you see in traditional jazz or classical music) as well as electric bass, which means I’ll have plenty of options when it comes to what sort of sound I want for each song. The most exciting thing about “Jay”, though, is his ability to feel a song out from start to finish, then move toward crafting the song so that the whole thing flows just right.

When I first got into this music business, I was only familiar with the guitar—its facility and sounds. Being strictly a guitar and voice performer, I never realized how important the bass was to a song. I never really listened to a song that closely, or with good enough speakers, to really appreciate the art of the bass and the effect it has on a song. I now have a pretty good understanding of its power.

In a more metaphorical way of describing it, the bass line is much like the wind. 

The wind is usually always around in some capacity, able to drive a sailboat across the water with seeming ease. It’s not an overbearing force, but it’s a deep, driving force. So unless you’re in a sailboat, you REALLY only notice the breeze when the wind changes direction or you hit a storm. If a bassist steps up and plays a crazy solo, it’s very noticeable and quite monumental to hear. On the other end of the spectrum, you have those times where there is no wind at all, like when you’re in the eye of a storm (kinda eerie). It’s at those times that you finally notice the wind, or notice its absence, rather.

I’m looking forward to working with this guy. He seems to really have a handle on his craft, as well as a true passion for making music the BEST it can be.