Jeff's bass playing

[stip]

A question for bass players, or people more widely read in music than I am.


How is Jeff regarded as a bass player. Is he great? Competent? Does he have a recognizable style? Do bass players usually have a recognizable style or is what they play highly contingent on the song?


Some thoughts after watching that getaway vignette

[SpectorHD]

In my opinion a good bass player should develop a recognizable style AND play highly contingent on the song. Some not so good bass players fail to adapt to the groove of a song and play the bass like it`s a guitar. (Not to say that you dont have to groove on your guitar as well.) Often people say that the bass is the link between the drums and the guitars - and I agree. As an analogy I sometimes think of the devensive midfielder in soccer who is the link between defense and offense.

Regarding Jeff:

I think he is a very good rock bass player. Not someone who will be remembered as THE innovative rock bass player or anything but definitely good.

From my point of view Jeff is good in adapting to a song. When there is a bit of space in a song (e.g. the intro of Faithful, bridge of Present Tense) he does some cool things. But if not he is not someone who disturbs a song by some hectic playing.

Some songs indicative of Jeff's playing that come to mind:

Unemployable, Faithful, In Hiding, Army Reserve, Tremor Christ

[Blenheim Augustine]

A question for bass players, or people more widely read in music than I am.


How is Jeff regarded as a bass player. Is he great? Competent? Does he have a recognizable style? Do bass players usually have a recognizable style or is what they play highly contingent on the song?


Some thoughts after watching that getaway vignette

Jeff is well regarded as a rock bass player. He is known for his use of fretless, upright and 12 string basses. His playing on Ten was seen as distinctive, particularly his use of harmonics, octaves and slurs. I've read that he was a big influence on Stefan Lessard and several rock bass players. But he is certainly a rock bassist and is in no way a virtuoso.

Since Ten he has developed a more restrained style and has shied away from the fretless using an upright on acoustic tracks. This is a shame but he still has some great playing since then.

In my opinion as a bassist he is one of my favourite rock bass players in terms of his feel and choice of notes and parts. He also knows where he should be noticeable melodically (tremor Christ) and where to keep to the riff (Save You). Even some of my least favourite PJ songs are listenable because of Jeff. Similarly the awful bass production on Avocado ruins that album for me. In terms of his technique it is probably average - watching him play it is obvious that he does not have formal training as his fingering is often primitive and he sometimes makes drastic leaps where he could have stayed in position. He doesn't really solo so I have little idea about his improvisational skills. His fretless technique is solid and it is clear from interviews that he has worked hard at this. He doesn't use fret lines which is pretty tough given the much shorter scale length as compared to an upright (which gives a little more room for error).

[Sgt. Crackpot]

He does it for me.

[joostone]

Jeff was the reason why I picked up bass almost 15 years ago.

And he's still an inspiration for me. He's not very technical, it's not difficult to play his stuff.
But I really appreciate the sounds he picks and how his basslines always add something interesting, he's a creative player who has his own style and personality. He's PJ's secret weapon.

And when listening to LB the band could need another power struggle, could you please hold the wheel now Mr Ament??

[melonhead4]

Jeff is a very good bass player and is well respected in the rock musician community...I always thought his playing set PJ apart from the other great bands of the 90's....Hes no Victor Wooten but as far as rock bassists go hes top tier. Jeff and matt are the best musicians in the band IMO...

[evenslow]

Good thread.

It's also pretty remarkable how good of a songwriter he is for being "just" a bass player. Many of his songs rank in the upper tier of what the band has done.

[taffer]

as for bass player i believe Jeff is decent player, but i just cant stand for his gear/sound/tone whatever and i'm thinking it's too boring. i wish he could've been using a bit more of slap style playing. A good example of the bass tone is svt dvd (faithful, in hiding) - that metal sound. think of why go intro

no offense

[tk]

All Those Yesterday's and Tremor Christ are 2 of my favorite Jeff lines.

[hlniv]

A question for bass players, or people more widely read in music than I am.


How is Jeff regarded as a bass player. Is he great? Competent? Does he have a recognizable style? Do bass players usually have a recognizable style or is what they play highly contingent on the song?


Some thoughts after watching that getaway vignette

My oldest, best friend was a bass player in a rock band for about 10 years. They were pretty decent. His influences range from Flea to Victor Wooten to, and his style can pretty be most anything in between if he chooses. He always has said that Jeff is who he most respects and who he most modeled his view of what bass playing in a rock band should be.

Reason being is that Jeff is the best he has ever heard at creating an energy and foundation for the growth of the song. It's not that he's the most talented technically or the most creative, it's that he knows his place in the mix and gets there almost every time perfectly. He rarely draws attention to himself, either for good or bad reasons, but he's always there if you listen for it, and it's usually interesting to hear wants you get to it. Watching him play live, he is more focused on what the others doing (not just Matt), and not himself. He doesn't have one style, but is especially adept and finding the right version of the right style for the right song.

At least that's my interpretation of what he's told me over the years.

[VinylGuy]

I really like his work, not only with PJ but with Neil Young, Green River and MLB too...his solo albums have some good bass moments too.

[Tuolumne]

For many years I used to be very dismissive of Jeff. The biggest takeaway for me from the whole PJ20 thing for me is just how integral to the band Jeff is. I don't know much about bass playing, and I try to listen closely and what hear is that he is standing out more in later records. But just as a band member and artist, he seems to be the hinge which keeps the others in check and together and I can't imagine the band without him. I didn't always think that.

[VinylGuy]

For many years I used to be very dismissive of Jeff. The biggest takeaway for me from the whole PJ20 thing for me is just how integral to the band Jeff is. I don't know much about bass playing, and I try to listen closely and what hear is that he is standing out more in later records. But just as a band member and artist, he seems to be the hinge which keeps the others in check and together and I can't imagine the band without him. I didn't always think that.

oh yeah, he is the main force, not only musically but also graphically. Great artist.

[XWayne]

When he's in the spotlight, he really shines.

I am no expert in bass playing, but I really appreciate his songwriting skills (his second solo album is really great), he can really bring new blood and ideas into the band, apart from the punk / hard / metal influences of Ed, Stone and Mike which have used to the bone.

[Blenheim Augustine]

I really like his work, not only with PJ but with Neil Young, Green River and MLB too...his solo albums have some good bass moments too.

The RNDM album is full of killer bass lines too. It's one of my favourite records at the moment - the songs are good but the rhythm section stuff is tremendous. Modern Times, Darkness, Walking Through New York etc.

[DeeDee]

He has his own style. The bass lines in Ten are great, very fluid.

[zatara]

Good thread.

It's also pretty remarkable how good of a songwriter he is for being "just" a bass player. Many of his songs rank in the upper tier of what the band has done.

+1.
In the new album this is evident for me.

[melonhead4]

His mini bass solo during No Way is eargasmic

[VinylGuy]

I really like his work, not only with PJ but with Neil Young, Green River and MLB too...his solo albums have some good bass moments too.

The RNDM album is full of killer bass lines too. It's one of my favourite records at the moment - the songs are good but the rhythm section stuff is tremendous. Modern Times, Darkness, Walking Through New York etc.

Yes, its one of my favorites albums from last year and Jeff´s work is great...Modern Times is really groovy...also, i love that he plays upright bass.

[Blenheim Augustine]

His mini bass solo during No Way is eargasmic

That's actually Stone.