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Keep an Eye On With B.A. Johnson: Anthony Crawford
BAJ
: One of the most difficult aspects of interviewing (in my opinion) is getting to the subjects soul. Then again, one of the benefits is being able to talk about whatever I’d like (Laughter). With that, tell us about your compositional approach to the tune, “Next Phase”? You got a great feel on that particular tune, and I’d love to hear more about your head-space as you tracked it. Nice nod to “Giant Steps” in that tune, also!
AC: “Next Phase” was originally just a track produced by one of my good friends, drummer Armond Brown. He came up with an idea to use the first few chords in “Giant Steps” and produce a hip-hop track out of it. I was feeling the concept and we collaborated and came up with “Next Phase”.
The melody has Eddie Van Halen and Doug Wimbish written all over it, and I used a lot of Eddie Van Halen-style tapping in the melody. Also I used a detuned whammy approach to the song – which is something Doug Wimbish is known for!
BAJ: Who are some of the players on the CD? Also, I noticed you have a “bass player” in your live ensemble. Did you also track with a second bassist? Finally, what’s in store for the next release?
AC: I have two really good friends who produce in Memphis who helped me with this project. Jonathan Richmond is a great producer and keyboardist. He has played with a lot of people and has produced hits for Angie Stone. Marque Walker is also s slamming producer. He has produced and played for a lot of artists. I also have the Regiment Horn Section on the album. They have played and toured with Nelly, Nas, Fantasia, Mary J Blidge, Akon, Brandy and they played the horns on Boondocks. The keyboardist on “Giant Steps” is Austin Peralta. That guy is only 18-years-old!! I did not track with a second bassist on “Urban Jazz”. But, the bassist who plays in the live band is Nate Holleman. I am currently producing his bass album, by the way! I don’t have any plans right now for a follow-up release at this time. But, I am always open to work with different producers with different musical backgrounds.
BAJ: What’s in your iPod today? Also, how often do you find yourself “switching gears” in your listening habits? I mean, do you go through phases of listening to a particular genre over another… and then finding yourself making a conscious fluctuation? Or, does the music you create live in a harmonious fusion within yourself?
AC: I have a wide spectrum of music in my iPod… Mostly rock! I also listen to Al Di Meola, Bela Fleck, Brandy, Lost Tribe, and the late Wayman Tisdale just to name a few. I don’t really go through genre phases. If the song is good… then I will listen to it! I listen to music from a songwriter point of view and a producer point of view. I guess that is why I listen to so many different types of music. Everything I create musically comes from my listening habits.
BAJ: What are those aspects of your playing that your seeing the greatest change in? Also, what compositional style are you yet to attempt? Finally, how do you compose most often?
AC: The aspect of my playing that I see the greatest change in would probably be my melodic approach. Playing melodically has been more of a challenge than just shredding. I try to use 2-hand tapping in a way it makes sense and tells a story, and I see that getting better the more I practice it! When I compose, I tend to first play chords on the bass. I may have a certain chord structure or just a line, and I take that and create a story behind it. Sometimes I may hear a groove in my head and I will produce a track based on that groove and then play around with the groove until it makes sense. Sometimes I may just use tapping to create a song.
BAJ: In addition to your musical tools, what software and non-bass oriented gear are you using most often these days?
AC: I am using Pro Tools and Reason. I use Reason for the midi stuff and Pro Tools for the audio stuff.
BAJ: How are you managing your career at this juncture? Also, Which websites and online features have you found most beneficial to your career? What advice could you share with our readers who are hoping to establish their own career in this wide world of music?
AC: Right now I have a wonderful new manager named April Simmons. She is working really hard for me to this album off of the ground. FaceBook has been a very beneficial network for me! I meet a lot of industry people though FaceBook. I also have a MySpace page. But, for some reason, everyone seems to be on Facebook. (Laughter)
As far as advice goes… I would say to know what you want to do in the music industry. Write down your goals and make a plan of how to get to them. Read them before you start your day so that your goals can be in your everyday life. The more goals we put in our subconscious… the more (probability) we will act on them. Research your potential audience and find out what websites they visit; what social web sites are they members of, which magazines they read, where they hang out, etc. Spend time networking in those places where you could be most productive. Always market and promote yourself.
BAJ: What are your greatest influences outside of music? How important is being a “good person” to your career? Finally, is there anything you’d like to share that we haven’t covered in our brief time together?
AC: My greatest influence outside of music is surrounding myself with positive people. If I am around good people, that energy affects me in a positive way. Also, being a good person is very important to me! No one wants to work with someone they don’t get along with. If we’re easy to get along with, and have a good head on your shoulders, we will go far. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. If you have a vision, you should work towards it. Research everything you need to know because you are doing it for your self. A really close friend of mine named Liane Schmidt, is the author of “Make The Most Of Your Time” said, “For anyone working toward making their dreams and goals come true, it is crucially important to find, create and utilize self-motivating tools that will ensure your success. Without them, the arduous journey can oftentimes become more difficult than necessary or even feel close to impossible to achieve”. Thanks for the interview Brent!
Bass CDs
New Album: Jake Leckie, Planter of Seeds
Bassist Jake Leckie and The Guide Trio Unveil New Album Planter of Seeds,
to be released on June 7, 2024
Planter of Seeds is bassist/composer Jake Leckie’s third release as a bandleader and explores what beauty can come tomorrow from the seeds we plant today.
What are we putting in the ground? What are we building? What is the village we want to bring our children up in? At the core of the ensemble is The Guide Trio, his working band with guitarist Nadav Peled and drummer Beth Goodfellow, who played on Leckie’s second album, The Guide, a rootsy funky acoustic analog folk-jazz recording released on Ropeadope records in 2022. For Planter of Seeds, the ensemble is augmented by Cathlene Pineda (piano), Randal Fisher (tenor saxophone), and Darius Christian (trombone), who infuse freedom and soul into the already tightly established ensemble.
Eight original compositions were pristinely recorded live off the floor of Studio 3 at East West Studios in Hollywood CA, and mastered by A.T. Michael MacDonald. The cover art is by internationally acclaimed visual artist Wayne White. Whereas his previous work has been compared to Charles Mingus, and Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet with Charlie Haden, Leckie’s new collection sits comfortably between the funky odd time signatures of the Dave Holland Quintet and the modern folk-jazz of the Brian Blade Fellowship Band with a respectful nod towards the late 1950s classic recordings of Ahmad Jamal and Miles Davis.
The title track, “Planter of Seeds,” is dedicated to a close family friend, who was originally from Trinidad, and whenever she visited family or friends at their homes, without anyone knowing, she would plant seeds she kept in her pocket in their gardens, so the next season beautiful flowers would pop up. It was a small altruistic anonymous act of kindness that brought just a little more beauty into the world. The rhythm is a tribute to Ahmad Jamal, who we also lost around the same time, and whose theme song Poinciana is about a tree from the Caribbean.
“Big Sur Jade” was written on a trip Leckie took with his wife to Big Sur, CA, and is a celebration of his family and community. This swinging 5/4 blues opens with an unaccompanied bass solo, and gives an opportunity for each of the musicians to share their improvisational voices. “Clear Skies” is a cathartic up-tempo release of collective creative energies in fiery improvisational freedom. “The Aquatic Uncle” features Randal Fisher’s saxophone and is named after an Italo Calvino short story which contemplates if one can embrace the new ways while being in tune with tradition. In ancient times, before a rudder, the Starboard side of the ship was where it was steered from with a steering oar. In this meditative quartet performance, the bass is like the steering oar of the ensemble: it can control the direction of the music, and when things begin to unravel or become unhinged, a simple pedal note keeps everything grounded.
The two trio tunes on the album are proof that the establishment of his consistent working band The Guide Trio has been a fruitful collaboration. “Santa Teresa”, a bouncy samba-blues in ? time, embodies the winding streets and stairways of the bohemian neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro it is named for. The swampy drum feel on “String Song” pays homage to Levon Helm of The Band, a group where you can’t always tell who wrote the song or who the bandleader is, proving that the sum is greater than the individual parts. Early jazz reflected egalitarianism in collective improvisation, and this group dynamic is an expression of that kind of inclusivity and democracy.
“The Daughters of the Moon” rounds out the album, putting book ends on the naturalist themes. This composition is named after magical surrealist Italo Calvino’s short story about consumerism, in which a mythical modern society that values only buying shiny new things throws away the moon like it is a piece of garbage and the daughters of the moon save it and resurrect it. It’s an eco-feminist take on how women are going to save the world. Pineda’s piano outro is a hauntingly beautiful lunar voyage, blinding us with love. Leckie dedicates this song to his daughter: “My hope is that my daughter becomes a daughter of the moon, helping to make the world a more beautiful and verdant place to live.”
Bass CDs
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
In a thrilling solo debut, bassist Nate Sabat combines instrumental virtuosity with a songwriter’s heart on Bass Fiddler…
The upright bass and the human voice. Two essential musical instruments, one with roots in 15th century Europe, the other as old as humanity itself.
On Bass Fiddler (Adhyâropa Records ÂR00057), the debut album from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and bass virtuoso Nate Sabat, the scope is narrowed down a bit. Drawing from the rich and thriving tradition of American folk music, Sabat delivers expertly crafted original songs and choice covers with the upright bass as his lone tool for accompaniment.
The concept was born a decade ago when Sabat began studying with the legendary old-time fiddler Bruce Molsky at Berklee College of Music. “One of Bruce’s specialties is singing and playing fiddle at the same time. The second I heard it I was hooked,” recalls Sabat. “I thought, how can I do this on the bass?” From there, he was off to the races, arranging original and traditional material with Molsky as his guide. “Fast forward to 2020, and I — like so many other musicians — was thinking of how to best spend my time. I sat down with the goal of writing some new songs and arranging some new covers, and an entire record came out.” When the time came to make the album, it was evident that Molsky would be the ideal producer. Sabat asked him if he’d be interested, and luckily he was. “What an inspiration to work with an artist like Nate,” says Molsky. “Right at the beginning, he came to this project with a strong, personal and unique vision. Plus he had the guts to try for a complete and compelling cycle of music with nothing but a bass and a voice. You’ll hear right away that it’s engaging, sometimes serious, sometimes fun, and beautifully thought out from top to bottom.”
While this record is, at its core, a folk music album, Sabat uses the term broadly. Some tracks lean more rock (‘In the Shade’), some more pop (‘White Marble’, ‘Rabid Thoughts’), some more jazz (‘Fade Away’), but the setting ties them all together. “There’s something inherently folksy about a musician singing songs with their instrument, no matter the influences behind the compositions themselves,” Sabat notes. To be sure, there are plenty of folk songs (‘Louise’ ‘Sometimes’, ‘Eli’) and fiddling (‘Year of the Ox’) to be had here — the folk music fan won’t go hungry. There’s a healthy dose of bluegrass too (‘Orphan Annie’, ‘Lonesome Night’), clean and simple, the way Mr. Bill Monroe intended.
All in all, this album shines a light on an instrument that often goes overlooked in the folk music world, enveloping the listener in its myriad sounds, textures, and colors. “There’s nothing I love more than playing the upright bass,” exclaims Sabat. “My hope is that listeners take the time to sit with this album front to back — I want them to take in the full scope of the work. I have a feeling they’ll hear something they haven’t heard before.”
Available online at natesabat.bandcamp.com/album/walking-away
Gear News
New Gear: Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass
Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass…
Esopus Guitars is proud to announce the new “Tailwater” bass guitar, from legendary bass luthier Stuart Spector. This 32” scale bass is handcrafted by Stuart using the only finest woods and components at the Esopus Guitar workshop located near Woodstock NY in the Catskill Mountains.
From its fully carved spruce top (the top is carved on both its exterior and interior surfaces) with a thumb rest that is elegantly carved into the top, to its custom-made Fishman piezo pickup and super hard Carnauba wax finish, every detail of the Tailwater is part of creating the ultimate playing experience.
The Tailwater bass features a fully chambered spruce over alder body (15.5″ lower body bout width, 2.25″ body thickness measuring from the peak of the carved top) that delivers a super comfortable tonal tool for all your low-end needs.
Each Tailwater bass is hand-signed and numbered on the back of the peghead by Stuart Spector. A very limited number of Tailwater basses are handcrafted each year at the Esopus workshop.
“I am proud to present the Tailwater bass, a bass that I have spent the last three years perfecting. The Tailwater is a culmination of all of my 45 years of experience, knowledge, and passion for bass guitar crafting. I am so eager to hear what fellow musicians create with this exciting new instrument.” -Stuart Spector
Direct Pricing : $4995.00 plus options.
For more information about Esopus Guitars and Stuart Spector’s handcrafted instruments, visit www.EsopusGuitars.com.
Bass Videos
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Ian Allison Bassist extreme…
Most recently Ian has spent the last seven years touring nationally as part of Eric Hutchinson and The Believers, sharing stages with acts like Kelly Clarkson, Pentatonix, Rachel Platten, Matt Nathanson, Phillip Phillips, and Cory Wong playing venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The Staples Center and The Xcel Center in St. Paul, MN.
I had a chance to meet up with him at the Sellersville Theater in Eastern Pennsylvania to catch up on everything bass. Visit online at ianmartinallison.com/
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
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Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
New Gear: The Dingwall John Taylor Signature Model
Interview With Bassist Edmond Gilmore
Have Fret Sprout? Sharp Fret Management… a How-To Video
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Interview With Audic Empire Bassist James Tobias
New Album: Avery Sharpe, I Am My Neighbors Keeper
