Bass player-led band projects can often fall into two categories – the first being a dry technical one, with high notational values but seriously lacking in soul; the second is one that’s led from the bottom up, with our bass-toting leader showing just how a great bassist can shape a band and its music.
John Patitucci is a great case in point. “I never wanted to get locked into the ‘bass only’ market, which can be like a technical overload,” he says. “Some people confuse the word ‘technique’ for ‘speed,’ but I’ve always tried to avoid the trap of using every song to display a particular set of bass tricks. I try to make my music about more than just bass mechanics.”
His most recent solo album, Live In Italy, was recorded with saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Brian Blade, and fulfills everything that you would expect from a Patitucci release - great tunes, mind-blowing performances and, at the heart of it all, his mastery of both electric and acoustic bass. “On my first few solo records I was really just experimenting with a bass guitar voice, but before that I’d played a whole lot of acoustic bass. People don’t realize how much you’re into acoustic music until they see you play a lot of it.”
Why John Patitucci doesn't like bass-led albums that are just “technical overload”
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