Jeff Berlin always has been and continues to be a very strong voice
in the Bass community, whether it's his musical voice, or the one we've
heard many times over the years in countless interviews, discussions,
and clinics. Superlatives such as outspoken, controversial, and yes
even stubborn seem to be the introduction that inevitably surrounds
him. But after speaking at great length with him in our interview, I'm
going with.....direct, articulate, and sincerely concerned, for my
personal opening.
The heart of any true controversy lies within genuine concern, and in
these times that we're in, musically as well as culturally speaking,
I'll take as much controversy as I can get. Being engaged is being
involved, and Jeff's contributions over the years to music both on and
off his instrument are an undeniable part of the evolution and
historical growth of the electric bass. After decades of involvement in
the arts he looks to his music and his playing with the same youthful
eyes of enthusiasm that he had in the Holdsworth and Bruford days, with
a practice schedule that probably rivals most of his students, and an
obvious desire to continue to push the envelope for himself as a
composer. His solo pieces are an exercise in creative musicality where
technique completely bows out of sight to the strength of the
composition (no easy task).
I think it would be safe to say that most players in general that came
up in his era would probably be falling under the where are they now
category. So, where is Jeff now? He's immersed in his writing---he
still practices with a 'raise the bar on yourself' mantra---he's
getting thousands of YouTube hits---he runs the Players School of
Music---he's raising his two boys, and planning a tour both stateside
and in Europe with some of the finest players on the planet.
Longevity is one thing... being at the top of your game after watching
almost a full generation go by defies any one-word definition I could
use. He's quite simply here to stay.
Jake: The music industry has gone through a tremendous amount of change
over the last few decades, which I've talked about with many of your
colleagues in my interviews. I read a quote of yours saying that this
is an era of anti-music. Personally I hear you clearly, but I
wonder if you would elaborate on that thought for our readers.
Jeff: Well, it's several fold. This is an era where being a good
musician, a player, is not important anymore. It's rare that a guitar
player will be lauded and recognized for their talent---it happens,
because it "is" the music industry, but it's rare. There really haven't
been any unique players in contemporary music in the last number of
years. Actually, I'd have to say bass players have done better in that
respect than any other instrument. The industry is a pop industry, a
vocal industry, a youth orientated industry---it is not a music
industry. Basically, music has nothing to do with the music industry
anymore.... It's about "entertainment". In wrestling, I would agree that
the wrestlers are athletic and skilled at what they do, but wrestling
is not a sport, it's "entertainment". So entertainment has taken a
priority over music. And I've always said in this day-and-age that
Hendrix, if he even got signed, would be with a small Indy label, and
Eric Clapton would probably be down in Clearwater beach gigging at the
beach front pavilion playing top 40 songs because the industry has no
interest in music. The "music" doesn't sell---"entertainment" sells.
Jake: Do you see any change at all in this scenario as of late?
Jeff: There's been no change recently in regards to bass, and it's an
ironic thing because bass is healthier than it has been in probably two
decades. There are several amazing players out there that have come
along in jazz and jazz related music, performance music, that are
certainly pushing the envelope. Two players that come to mind right
away for me are Hadrien Feraud and Dominique DiPiazza. These guys have
more technique than Jaco or I ever had. They're phenomenal players, and
theres a few other guys that have come a long as well. So the bass
world is kind of improving even though the regular music world will
never know about it because the regular music world has no interest in
bass players whatsoever.
