In no musical genre does bass play a greater role than in Jamaican
music. From the mid-50s through today, popular Jamaican music has
gone through stylistic changes, starting with early ska, moving to rock
steady, then to roots reggae and dub, and later to modern ska and
dancehall. Today all of these styles, and many sub-styles,
continue to have a major influence on popular music throughout the
world. And in all of these styles, bass is the defining
instrument.
In this issue and the next, we will focus on reggae bassists,
specifically masters of the roots reggae and dub styles. One must
check flashy chops and outside harmonies at the door to play these
styles. Here simple two-bar repeating patterns are often the rule,
especially in dub. If the bass patterns are often so simple and
reggae even today is so popular, why can one name only a few true
masters of the style? Playing reggae bass is more than just
rolling off the treble, slapping a set of flatwounds on your
bass, and donning a red, green, and gold stocking cap. What
separates the great reggae bass players from the rest is rhythmic feel
- and it is virtually impossible to imitate. Let's look at some
of the great reggae bassists in this installment, and next time we will
examine masters of dub.
Aston "Family Man" Barrett
Family Man is generally considered the father of reggae bass. He began
as a first-call studio bassist in the late-60s in Jamaica and, together
with his brother Carlton Barrett on drums, went on stardom with
Bob Marley's Wailers in the 70s. Today he continues to tour with
the Wailers. This clip shows Fams with Bob Marley and the Wailers
performing "Natural Mystic." Check out the deep groove that precedes
the tune.
