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Bass Transcription by Lucas Pickford – Anthony Jackson on What Cha Gonna Do For Me
What Cha Gonna Do For Me was R&B singer Chaka Khan’s third solo album released in 1981. Produced by Arif Mardin the album’s personnel is veritable who’s who of the music world. In addition the great Anthony Jackson who’s bass part is transcribed here, the album also included the Brecker Brothers, Herbie Hancock, Hiram Bullock, Dizzie Gillespie and many others.
In 1981 Anthony Jackson was just beginning his search for a luthier brave enough to help him realize his concept of what he termed a ‘contrabass guitar’ better known to you and I as a six string bass. Pretty much everybody in the music industry told Anthony that it couldn’t be built. Well as we all know Anthony finally DID succeed in realizing his dream of getting various luthiers ( Ken Smith and later his protege Vinnie Fodera most notably) to build a bass with six strings tuned in fourths (B-E-A-D-G-C). But that was still years off in the future when Anthony put this masterpiece of economy, groove, and his trademark fills on tape. It was during this period ( 1980-’81 ) that Anthony took the drastic measure of permanently altering his only instrument at the time, a four string Fender Jazz Bass, by permanently de-tuning the E string down to a low C. So as you read through this bass part remember that it is being played NOT on a six string bass but a FOUR string! In a Bass Player interview Anthony points to this album and another Chaka Khan album called ‘Naughty’ as “the first time I could hear a definite, mature style coming through the speakers. My playing on these two Chaka Khan albums represent the height of my playing ability up until that point.” It should be noted that after recording the entire album, Anthony was not all pleased with what he had played and was given an unprecedented three months alone in the studio to re-record his parts on every song all at the expense of Warner Bros Records. Today, no matter how esteemed a sideman, he/she would never be given three months to re-record their parts just because they personally thought they could do better. In the case of ‘What Cha Gonna Do For Me’ and ‘Naughty’ however, the ends most definitely justified the means.
I recommend playing along with this transcription on a regular five or six string bass. You can do it on a four string like Anthony did, but to do that is to miss the point a little bit in my opinion. Since five and even six string basses are common place today, why not play this transcription on an instrument with a low B as Anthony envisioned. Listen for two absolutely killing fills that Anthony plays towards the end of the song. Wow! And if for some reason you’re not hip to Anthony Jackson’s playing, this is as good an example of his playing as any. Good luck and have fun.
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(special thanks to Steve Glasgow)
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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