Steve Bailey

Steve Bailey - So Low....Solo - 2007 - Batb

Man. I’m impressed. We all know Steve can play, but this is by far, my favorite recording of Steve to date. This CD is pure solo bass (no overdubs or loops) with some wonderful and unobtrusive percussion by Robert Thomas, Jr. (Weather Report). It’s hard to believe that the pieces were all performed by Steve alone with no overdubs and even harder to imagine how he managed to get such wonderful and emotive takes doing it on a fretless bass! Steve’s compositions are lush and his tone is just beautiful. I generally have a short attention span for solo bass CDs (sorry guys! I still love you all and am amazed at what you do….) but I listened to this recording in it’s entirety (twice) and never got bored! The music never feels compromised by the “no overdub” rule. The bass work is solid and creative and the chordal/melodic work is as effective, articulate, heartfelt (and in TUNE a magical amount of the time). This could just as easily have been recorded by two or three guys and I’d be just as happy. Many solo CDs I’ve heard are impressive because of the technical and acrobatic mastery required to pull it off…..but it isn’t always very much fun to LISTEN to (for me at least), but Steve Bailey has managed to be both awe inspiring in his technical abilities and his ability to provide us with beautiful music. FEBRUARY 1, 2008 BY & © DAMIAN ERSKINE © http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2008/02/steve-bailey-so-low-solo-recommended-listening-with-damian-erskine/

You may have heard Steve with Dizzy Gillespie... or the Rippingtons.... or Larry Carlton..... or Kitaro... or Willie Nelson... or Jethro Tull...or.......... well, the list goes on. Through the 80's and 90's Steve could be heard on a variety of recordings, from movie soundtracks to TV commercials. He toured and recorded with a variety of Artists, playing Jazz, Rock, Country, New Age,... whatever!All of these divergent elements can be heard in his unique solo style. Teaming up with Victor Wooten (probably the most influential bassist of the decade) in 1993, they formed Bass Extremes, a cutting edge Bass-Duo that has released critically acclaimed cd's and dvd's for the last 14 years. So Low.... Solo, will offer the listener a new perspective on bass playing. Completely without "stacked tracks" or overdubs, Steve teams with legendary hand drummer Robert Thomas Jr. (of Weather Report fame) and creates a duo that can sound like an orchestra. Steve's innovative artificial harmonic techniques, chordal voicings, and multi-timbre polyphonic pyrotechnics combine to make a very listenable, soothing, musical experience. Victor Wooten says it best on the cd cover..."So Low...........Solo, the new CD from Steve Bailey, is finally here. The sound he produces from his six string fretless bass is so beautiful and unique that I have been asking him (pressuring him to be exact) to record this music for years. Your ear will tell you that there is no way he could have produced all of this music with one bass and no overdubs (I know that he did,) but the smile of your soul will tell you that it doesn't matter." © http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7577852&style=music&fulldesc=t

According to Bass Player Magazine, "Steve Bailey is to the 6 string fretless bass what Christopher Columbus was to America". Even if you are a fan of great electric guitarists like Allan Holdsworth, Steve Vai and others, you can't fail to be impressed by the talents of Steve Bailey. Great music from a hugely talented bass guitar wizard. Try and listen to Steve's "Dichotomy" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 123 Mb]
TRACKS


1. Waltz for Leeann 4:52
2. Rhum Bar 3:19
3. Last Train Home 4:24
4. Scrapple From the Apple 3:57
5. Calm Before the Storm 3:37
6. Sea Major 3:51
7. Blink 4:43
8. Sir Paul 4:03
9. Bombz Over Baghdad 5:38
10. Ella's Boogie 3:34
11. Majestic March 4:14
12. Mom's Melody 4:58

All tracks composed by Steve Bailey except "Last Train Home" by Pat Metheny, and "Scrapple From The Apple" by Charlie Parker

MUSICIANS

Steve Bailey - Six String Fretless Bass
Robert Thomas Jr. - All Drums except on Cabana and Scrapple
Kurry Seymur - Djembe on Cabana
Arlin Strader - Drums on Scrapple

BIO (WIKI)

Steve Bailey (born February 10, 1960) is an American bassist who is famous for his pioneering work with the six string fretless bass. He was voted runner up for "Bass Player Of The Year" in 1994 and 1996. 2012 and 2013, Steve has been touring with Victor Wooten on the Sword and Stone/Words and Tones tour, playing Electric bass, upright, keyboards, and trombone, after a 35 year hiatus. Steve began playing the bass guitar at age 12 and started playing fretless bass after he ran over his fretted Stuart Spector with his car. Bailey not only plays electric bass, but he also plays double bass; he started playing upright after hearing Stanley Clarke playing with Return to Forever. Steve received full scholarships to both North Texas State University and University of Miami. Steve is currently Chair of the Bass Department at the Berklee College of Music . He has previously been a faculty member at Coastal Carolina University and the University of North Carolina Wilmington.He was also a faculty member at Hollywood's BIT for 10 years. He has done work as a studio musician, as well as numerous collaborations including several albums with fellow bassist Victor Wooten. Bailey and Wooten host a bass camp called Bass At The Beach which helps to teach bassists of all ranges. The camp is for people who just bought their basses, to people who are very advanced in their playing. Steve also likes to surf and play tennis. Steve has played with a huge range of artists, including Victor Wooten in Bass Extremes, Bryan Duncan, Paquito D'Rivera, Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Dave Liebman, Claudio Roditi, Michel Camilo, The Rippingtons, David Benoit, Chris Duarte, Jethro Tull, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Billy Joe Shaver, Scott Henderson, Larry Carlton, Emily Remler, Brandon Fields, Carol Kaye, Kitaro, Max Highstein, T Lavitz, Tab Benoit, Johnny Witherspoon, Toni Price, Mel Tormé, Ernestine Anderson, Mark Murphy, John Patitucci, Billy Sheehan and others. He has released albums with many of these artists.

CHECK http://www.stevebaileybass.com/about.html for more details about Steve's life and career