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I have Mariah Carey’s “MTV Unplugged” CD in my player as I sit here reading the forum. I just felt like playing some “oldish” stuff and selected that CD from my collection.
I mention this now because again I’m struck by the tastefulness of Randy Jackson’s bass playing on this live recording. Today we know Randy as one of the group of judges on American Idol, but how many of us realize that he was once an in-demand studio player? If you listen to 1980s recordings by people like Stacey Lattisaw, that’s Jackson providing the bottom on some tracks.
It has always amazed me how important blacks are in rhythm sections, even in white productions and white groups. When I look at some Caucasian artists’ live events, for example Madonna’s “Blond Ambition” tour of the early 1990s and the Rolling Stones’ tours since the early 1990s and see that awesome black bassist Darryl Jones in action on both tours, I’m compelled to just shake my head and smile. (Darryl became a permanent fixture with the Rolling Stones during the 1990s.)
Other white groups like “Wham!” and New York’s “Manhattan Transfer” had a black bassist holding down the bottom. (Just listen to Wham’s awesome young black bass player on the hit, “Wake Me Up before You Go Go.”)
Have we ever realized that the black studio guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. has to be amongst the most recorded studio musicians in history?
Narada Michael Walden, a superbly gifted drummer, was mentioned in another thread. Other incredibly brilliant black drummers include jazz drummers Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Chester Thompson (“Genesis,” etc.) Lenny White, and a million others (LOL)! Then, great black bassists include Ron Carter, Stanley Clarke, Dave Holland, Victor Wooten, Nathan East, James Jamerson, and a trillion others!
Of course, the awesome talent of black musicians is not merely limited to drum and bass. The late Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson remains my all-time favorite pianist. Then there are other great black keyboard greats like Herbie Hancock, Art Tatum, and a million others!
End Note: This post of mine is unbelievably limited in scope as it mentions only one of two of the hundreds of great black musicians. Please feel free to add your favorites.
I mention this now because again I’m struck by the tastefulness of Randy Jackson’s bass playing on this live recording. Today we know Randy as one of the group of judges on American Idol, but how many of us realize that he was once an in-demand studio player? If you listen to 1980s recordings by people like Stacey Lattisaw, that’s Jackson providing the bottom on some tracks.
It has always amazed me how important blacks are in rhythm sections, even in white productions and white groups. When I look at some Caucasian artists’ live events, for example Madonna’s “Blond Ambition” tour of the early 1990s and the Rolling Stones’ tours since the early 1990s and see that awesome black bassist Darryl Jones in action on both tours, I’m compelled to just shake my head and smile. (Darryl became a permanent fixture with the Rolling Stones during the 1990s.)
Other white groups like “Wham!” and New York’s “Manhattan Transfer” had a black bassist holding down the bottom. (Just listen to Wham’s awesome young black bass player on the hit, “Wake Me Up before You Go Go.”)
Have we ever realized that the black studio guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. has to be amongst the most recorded studio musicians in history?
Narada Michael Walden, a superbly gifted drummer, was mentioned in another thread. Other incredibly brilliant black drummers include jazz drummers Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Chester Thompson (“Genesis,” etc.) Lenny White, and a million others (LOL)! Then, great black bassists include Ron Carter, Stanley Clarke, Dave Holland, Victor Wooten, Nathan East, James Jamerson, and a trillion others!
Of course, the awesome talent of black musicians is not merely limited to drum and bass. The late Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson remains my all-time favorite pianist. Then there are other great black keyboard greats like Herbie Hancock, Art Tatum, and a million others!
End Note: This post of mine is unbelievably limited in scope as it mentions only one of two of the hundreds of great black musicians. Please feel free to add your favorites.
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
. I had simply decided to take a break for a couple of weeks.
... the breakfast club. at one time madonna was their drummer! stephen bray went on to pen a few hits for madonna.
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