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Meet Lucas Pickford
This is another masterpiece of bass playing genius by the one and only Anthony Jackson. It comes from a short lived fusion band led by keyboardist Mitch Forman. I’m not sure this CD is still in print but check this link: www.metrojazz.com for more on that.
Anthony plays just about every possible way you can go from C7 to F7. Going from the 1 chord to the IV chord is about THE most common chord progression in music so this will give you tons of new ideas about how to approach that well worn chord progression. AJ’s part is a virtual masterclass in how to use approach notes from above and below in a bass line and it is one of the best examples of how to employ the use of the low B string to it’s full potential. So many 6 stringers (and 5 stringers for that matter ) neglect their low B string and thereby severely under utilize their entire lowest octave.
Cats get caught up in only using the higher register on their 6 strings, something I myself have been guilty of in the past. But when I sit and listen to the intense power, the amazing subtle variations, and pure, undiluted, raw groove that Jackson gets out of his low B and that whole subterranean area of the bass, many times playing an entire tune in just one octave, I’m truly amazed. In fact as an exercise, you should try playing an entire tune you know solely in the lowest octave of your bass. Even if you don’t have a low B, try playing a whole song in just the lowest octave you have. It will force you to come up with different note choices, things you would otherwise never have gone for. And of course, it really pays to try and play along with Anthony here.
Not only will help your bass playing, but it will be a great workout for your sight reading chops as well. Reading notes below the low E on Bass Clef is not something we bass players are used to doing so this will be a great exercise in low ledger line reading. There are so many great bassists around today and that is a good thing. However Anthony Jackson is without doubt one of a very small handful of bassists who can truly be called…… great. See you next time.
Click here to listen to the MP3 of the song called “Metro”. (Note: Anthony Jackson didn’t compose the tune, the keyboardist Mitch Forman did, but I transcribed AJ’s bass line on it.)
Please click on the 4 links below to download the transcription of the Anthony Jackson Composition, “Grand Slam”
Download AJ_Bassline_on_Grand_Slam1-Dec09.jpg
Download AJ_Bassline_on_Grand_Slam2-Dec09.jpg
Download AJ_Bassline_on_Grand_Slam3-Dec09.jpg
Download AJ_Bassline_on_Grand_Slam4-Dec09.jpg
Lucas Pickford has written 26 articles in BMM.
I grew up in both Southern and Northern California and started playing the bass at age 13 after hearing and falling in love with the sound of Jaco Pastorius and Weather Report. My father Loren Pickford is a tremendous jazz musician and pretty much taught me everything I know about harmony, theory, and chord scales. He threw me in the deep end so to speak and I started gigging professionally with him at age 14. My dad dropped me off in Boston in 1988 at age 17 to attend Berklee College of Music on a scholarship. I graduated in three years with honors in 1991.
After Berklee I spent time in New Orleans and New York City. I returned to school and received my Masters Degree in 1996 from the Boston Conservatory. Along the way I've had the good fortune to travel around the globe and play with some great musicians like Mike Clark and the Headhunters, Charles Haynes, Aaron Goldberg, Matt Garrison, Robert Randolph, Brian Blade, Steve Hass, Jorge Rossy, Erik Jekebson, Will Boulware, Kurt Rosenwinkle, Dr. John, Scott Kinsey, Vinx, Kai Eckhardt, Bruce Flowers, Mino Cinelu, Susan Tedeschi, Steve Houghton, George Garzone, Dow Brain, Kei Akagi, Tiger's Baku, Greg Tardy, Antonio Sanchez, Steve Hunt, Bob Moses, and many others. I taught college for a couple of years in Massachusetts but recently my wife Kristin and I have returned to living on the West Coast and now live in the Bay Area where we enjoy it very much.
My debut CD with Steve Hunt called "Blown Fuse" has become a "post-fusion classic" of sorts and has recieved some great reviews from some really special musicians. Be sure to pick up a copy while you're here!
Visit Online:
www.myspace.com/picksbandRelated posts:
- Pick’s Transcription Workshop: Anthony Jackson Bassline on “What Cha Gonna Do For Me?”
- Bass Transcription by Lucas Pickford – Anthony Jackson on What Cha Gonna Do For Me
- Marcus Miller Composition, “Mr. Pastorius”: Pick’s Transcription Workshop
- Pat Metheny Composition, “Everyday I Thank You” : Pick’s Transcription Workshop
- Picks Transcription Workshop: The Art of Transcription
