Guitarists and vocalists may make up the flashiest parts of a song, but an effective bass line is often what brings everything together. Be it Paul McCartney’s signature “Come Together” riff or Bootsy Collins’ quiet bassistry; finding an outstanding bassist will only elevate music around them.
John Entwistle was an introvert amid extroverts in The Who, providing precisely articulated bass lines that perfectly complement Pete Townshend’s power chord guitar playing and Roger Daltrey’s leather-lunged vocals while supporting Keith Moon’s explosive drumming.
Esperanza Spalding
From her debut, Esperanza Spalding has made it abundantly clear that she is an extraordinary talent. A gifted singer, upright bassist, and composer – Esperanza’s work can be heard everywhere from fronting bands to guesting on tracks! Her sound has left its mark.
Spalding’s musical education began early, when her mother encouraged her to sing from an early age. With an eagerness and desire to experiment and tinker with any musical form that came her way, Spalding quickly learned violin, cello and piano before discovering her passion for bass at fifteen – due to an accidental meeting between high school music teacher catching her playing it and her school music teacher seeing how it had transformed her playing! By chance a local jazz band welcomed her after they saw her experimenting on bass during one such chance encounter!
She quickly impressed and won her gig, prompting an offer to attend Berklee on full scholarship. Berklee proved instrumental for her musical development as it provided access to top musicians that taught her everything she knows today about music performance – she quickly developed as an individual musician while building connections and honing her craft from the bottom up – eventually graduating with honors herself and finding session work afterward.
After finding success as an independent artist, she released solo albums under her own name. At first she released jazz-influenced albums but quickly expanded her repertoire. Today, she is an established performer having performed for President Clinton as well as receiving multiple awards and nominations.
As is true for any great artist, she often finds herself evolving throughout her career. Her distinctive approach to playing the bass has set her apart in jazz circles while making her one of today’s most dynamic bassists.
As demonstrated by her funk rock concept album Emily’s D+Evolution and more experimental records such as Exposure and 12 Little Spells, Emily continues to push the limits of bass bass playing.
At Harvard University and Songwrights Apothecary Lab she works as a professor, while hosting Songwrights Apothecary Lab as well as participating in numerous human rights initiatives. These philanthropic endeavors reflect both her dedication to art as well as helping others fulfill their own dreams.
Kim Gordon
After decades with Sonic Youth and side projects like Free Kitten and Body/Head, Gordon made her solo debut with No Home Record in 2019. This record represents more than just Gordon’s reinvention; it confirms her creative identity through sounds and concepts familiar from previous works she’s created over time; presented in ways we hadn’t experienced.
As one of the most intuitive bassists of her generation, she served as the backbone for a band that honored both experimental soundscapes and rock’n’roll at its most raw. Additionally, she made waves as an extraordinary vocalist using speak-sung to deliver direct statements on topics such as Karen Carpenter, media misogyny, and sexual harassment at Sonic Youth record label.
Gordon’s distinctive approach to playing guitar helped define the sound of no wave in the 1980s and 1990s. Serving as her group’s “aesthetic (and business) conscience,” as Michael Azerrad describes in Our Band Could Be Your Life, Gordon brought art world gravitas into a male-dominated noise environment and gave hope that anyone could pick up and attempt creating something new.
As soon as Moore disbanded the band in 2011, Gordon continued working with other musicians – including her daughter Coco – on both experimental rock duo Body/Head and punk-pop trio Glitterbust. Additionally, she published Girl In a Band: An Inside Account of Our Bitter Split, providing insight and honesty from their relationship.
No Home Record sees her experiment with contemporary electronic sounds such as trap beats and trance-like rhythms, yet still possess the inclinations for harsh noise and hard-hitting rock songs that made her famous in the first place. One notable song on No Home Record, called “Air Bnb”, uses its funky feedback-driven bassline as an effective musical metaphor against modern consumer culture – specifically yoga ads and hotel rooms.
Gail Ann Dorsey
John Entwistle was an unrivaled bassist for The Who and was known for his signature “typewriter” bass playing style; using both his right hand to tap percussively against each string while playing melodies simultaneously. Additionally, Entwistle developed multiple finger techniques that gave his lines their distinctive sound. This included both tapping and slapping techniques that predated tapping/slapping techniques and allowed for extreme flexibility when creating bass lines.
Dr. Who bassist Rick Danko was also an innovator, incorporating elements of jazz and R&B into their music. Aside from being an incredible bassist, he was an extraordinary composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, key contributor to musical evolution of band’s evolution as record producer as well as pioneer using 200 watt amplifiers compared to standard 50-100 watt models of his time as well as being first to incorporate keyboard player into band as well as perform sidelong bass solo.
Dorsey was born and raised in Philadelphia’s West Philly neighborhood. At nine years old she started playing guitar under the guidance of Mark Farner from Grand Funk Railroad – who later served as her early influence. Later she studied filmmaking at California Institute of the Arts where she wrote several screenplays and short Super 8 films before ultimately opting to pursue music instead.
She began as a jazz bassist and has performed with artists such as Gang of Four, Tears for Fears, and Indigo Girls. Additionally, she has recorded three solo albums – Corporate World and Rude Blue are her two latest.
In 1995, she received a call from David Bowie asking her to join his band. She agreed and the two formed an ongoing working and friendship relationship. Since then she has performed with Bowie on five albums and numerous tours, performing alongside Gwen Stefani, Bryan Ferry, Boy George, Susan Werner as well as writing three solo albums of her own.
Chirs Squire
Chris Squire was one of the most recognized bassists in rock history, known for his formal music training and immense technical ability on his instrument. A true pioneer of rock bass playing, his legacy continues to have an incredible effect on musicians today. Nicknamed “The Ox” or “Thunderfingers”, Squire tragically passed away from an accidental cocaine overdose in 2002 – known for his distinctive tone and brilliant syncopations, Squire was the backbone of Yes’ sound as well as fearless presence onstage.
Paul McCartney, Jack Bruce and Bill Wyman were his early musical influences; but The Who’s John Entwistle inspired him the most. He imitated Entwistle’s signature sound with its trebly roundwound sound while filtering it through intuition and classical harmony training acquired while singing choir music – this created a bass that was both powerful and clean.
Squire was known for using various bass instruments throughout his career. An early adopter of eight-string basses, as well as fretless basses. A master at integrating technology into his instruments such as chorusing and flanger effects or even using wah-wah pedals he was an extremely versatile bassist capable of performing any style of bass music.
He was best-known for using innovative right-hand techniques such as the typewriter stroke – striking each string from a different angle with his plectrum to create an aggressive attack on each note – tapping, harmonics and left-hand techniques like hammer ons, pull offs, bends and slides to add complexity and variety.
Squire showcases his incredible bassist skills in this rare footage from him performing “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Though its frame rate may be out-of-synch, its powerful demonstration still displays his incredible abilities – hitting every note perfectly with ease while remaining completely in charge of the performance.
Squire’s performance of “Roundabout” on an acoustic version is truly remarkable. According to Richard Davis, his tech, Squire utilized two bass pedal sounds – a Moog Taurus and an old Italian electronic organ supplemental pedal board – giving it a truly distinctive sonic quality not present in other renditions of this tune.