Favourite session and touring musicians...

Favourite session and touring musicians...

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astrsxi77

Original Poster:

302 posts

220 months

Wednesday 24th May 2017
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...and when following their careers leads to unexpected muscial pleasure and discovery.

What I am going on about? Well, we all have our favourite singers or bands and their official members, but the recent sad death of drummer Jimmy Copley got me thinking about the session and touring musicians who journey from group to group, or become unofficial sidemen or part of the live act, each leaving their own personal mark on the sound and style of the band, yet remaining largely unsung or unknown by the wider fanbase.

I first came across Jimmy Copley some years ago when I was immediately grabbed by his blistering opening fill for Tears for Fears' Everybody Wants to Rule the World, live at Knebworth 1990. From there on in, I've been seriously digging the powerful and precise style that he brought to their 1989-1990 tour, to Go West's 1987 tour (also notable for Alan Murphy on guitar), and to numerous studio albums from the likes of The Pretenders and others. Therefore, I can credit Copley with igniting in me a deeper interest in these artists' work.

Same goes for the likes of Guy Pratt (bass), Tim Renwick (2nd guitar) and Gary Wallis (drums) of Pink Floyd's studio and live efforts from the late 80s onwards; Chris Whitten (drums) of Dire Straits' final world tour and Paul MccArtney's late 80s work and tour; Steve Ferrone (drums) and Nile Rodgers (production/guitar) for Duran Duran's funk/grove powerhouse Notorious album, all for example.

So, did you find respect/admiration/love/mentally debilitating obsession for your favourite journeymen players leading you to becoming fans of acts that you'd never have previously imagined liking? Or did they just put the cherry on top of bands that you already knew and loved?

Jimmy Copley with Go West - 1987 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E_BRGvgtFY

An inspirational drummer - RIP


conkerman

3,298 posts

134 months

Wednesday 24th May 2017
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Steven Wilson had Guthrie Govan and Marco Minnemann, both at the top of their game, I love watching Minnemann play, he looks like he is having a great time.

W124

1,495 posts

137 months

Wednesday 24th May 2017
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Snowy White. The late, great Henry McCullough. Alan Hawkshaw

vournikas

11,682 posts

203 months

Wednesday 24th May 2017
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[quote=astrsxi77stuff


[/quote]

Funny, I've never thought of Nile Rodgers as a "session" guy but I suppose that's exactly what he's been since Chic largely disbanded.


suthol

2,154 posts

233 months

Thursday 25th May 2017
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Brent Mason - simply spectacular
Duke Levine - also incredible

JD Simo is also very much in demand but now fronts his own band SIMO

astrsxi77

Original Poster:

302 posts

220 months

Wednesday 31st May 2017
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vournikas said:
Funny, I've never thought of Nile Rodgers as a "session" guy but I suppose that's exactly what he's been since Chic largely disbanded.
BBC4 ran a terrific documentary on him a few years ago. It's remarkable to discover quite how many artists and bands he's sculpted over the years. Plus the story of how he and Bernard Edwards came up with Le Freak is hilarious.

Loyly

17,990 posts

158 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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Two of my favourite session musicians form the rhythm section for Hiromi Uehara, Anthony Jackson and Simon Phillips. Both are absolutely top drawer players. Anthony Jackson is regarded as the bassist's bassist and it's not hard to see why. He has the most incredible tone and touch.

kev b

2,708 posts

165 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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Danny Thompson, if he qualifies as a session man, the best tone of any double bassist.

astrsxi77

Original Poster:

302 posts

220 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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Loyly said:
Two of my favourite session musicians form the rhythm section for Hiromi Uehara, Anthony Jackson and Simon Phillips. Both are absolutely top drawer players. Anthony Jackson is regarded as the bassist's bassist and it's not hard to see why. He has the most incredible tone and touch.
Ahh yeh! Simon Phillips has worked with Anthony Jackson for years. You must have seen his drumming videos from the early 90s, featuring Ray Russell too. They're all over YouTube. Great players.

I'm going to lob the late Kenny Kirkland into the mix, too. I don't know much of his work, but he was the best damn pianist that Sting ever recruited.

JLC25

572 posts

121 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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Bowies "Let's Dance" album - Not his best, but the line up! HIghlights are:

David Bowie – lead vocals; horn arrangements
Nile Rodgers – guitar; horn arrangements
Stevie Ray Vaughan – lead guitar
Carmine Rojas – bass guitar
Omar Hakim – drums
Tony Thompson – drums
Rob Sabino – keyboards
Stan Harrison – tenor saxophone; flute.

Zappa had Warren Cuccurullo and Vinnie Colaiuta.

Vai had a great touring band with Tony Macalpine, Billy Sheehan, Dave Weiner and VIrgil Donati.

Math Rock Powerhouse James Trood is part of the AlunaGeorge touring band.

Thomas Pridgen is currently touring with Hardcore band Trash Talk, but has worked with The Mars Volta and Suicidal Tendencies.

Loyly

17,990 posts

158 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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astrsxi77 said:
Ahh yeh! Simon Phillips has worked with Anthony Jackson for years. You must have seen his drumming videos from the early 90s, featuring Ray Russell too. They're all over YouTube. Great players.
I have indeed. I had seen them performing 'Cosmos' on Youtube before but that was previously the only video of them on there. Then I discovered the 'Protocol' album so I went back looking for footage of 'Streetwise' and found a live track from the same set on the instructional video. I'm working on transcribing the bass part, as and when I have my six string out.

geezerbutler

523 posts

141 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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I started drumming in the mid-80s and the most inspirational for me was Manu Katche. Great albums with Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Sting, Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, Tears for Fears, Youssou N'Dour and many others. Inventive patterns and creative sounds, particularly the use of small splash cymbals for accenting. He's gone on to have an excellent jazz band of his own. I used to buy albums just because he was playing on a single track.

Also love Pino Palladino for his unmistakeable sound.

Mark Feltham, whose harmonica work has graced tons of records. Most important for me were the final three TalkTalk albums and Mark Hollis' later solo album.

I'd also give a mention to Tessa Niles for the incredible amount and quality of vocal work she did for all sorts of artists, both in the studio and on tour.

Pothole

34,367 posts

281 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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Glen Campbell. 1000s of records as a sesion guitarist on his own and with the legendary Wrecking Crew.

Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar and Danny Kortchmar AKA "the section" who feature on many of my favourite albums.

Also Waddy Wachtel and the amazing talent which is David Lindley.

Jerry Garcia for the fabulous steel guitar he laid down on "Teach Your Children" even though it was recorded in chunks, apparently.

droopsnoot

11,809 posts

241 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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astrsxi77 said:
vournikas said:
Funny, I've never thought of Nile Rodgers as a "session" guy but I suppose that's exactly what he's been since Chic largely disbanded.
BBC4 ran a terrific documentary on him a few years ago. It's remarkable to discover quite how many artists and bands he's sculpted over the years. Plus the story of how he and Bernard Edwards came up with Le Freak is hilarious.
Yes, that was a very interesting documentary, and I'm saying that as someone who's not really a fan of any of the acts that he's been involved with. But a lot of the BBC4 docs are like that - I really don't like UB40, but the one about them was very watchable.

Simes205

4,527 posts

227 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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Steve Gadd.
Jeff pocaro
Toto - featured band on Thriller and wrote a few of MJs songs.
Most musicians on grp label.
The Strictly come dancing band
Larry Carlton, oh most of who have appeared with Steely Dan.


Edited by Simes205 on Thursday 1st June 20:01

TheChampers

4,093 posts

137 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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geezerbutler said:
I started drumming in the mid-80s

Also love Pino Palladino for his unmistakeable sound.

Mark Feltham, whose harmonica work has graced tons of records. Most important for me were the final three TalkTalk albums and Mark Hollis' later solo album.

I'd also give a mention to Tessa Niles for the incredible amount and quality of vocal work she did for all sorts of artists, both in the studio and on tour.
I always wanted to be a drummer, but sadly have the personal rhythm of being separately assembled from four different people frown

All those you mention are great, Pino's and Tessa's contributions saved/enhanced Numan's output at that time, and I worship at the church of Talk Talk/Mark Hollis.

Mark Brzezicki has played on many a fine track (but although he is in the video, he did not create the drum part for She Sells Sanctuary).

Eta, Robert Smith did'nae too bad as a part timer for Siouxsie And The Banshees; Dear Prudence anyone? wink


Edited by TheChampers on Thursday 1st June 20:26

vournikas

11,682 posts

203 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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JLC25 said:
Bowies "Let's Dance" album - Not his best, but the line up! HIghlights are:

Nile Rodgers – guitar; horn arrangements
Stevie Ray Vaughan – lead guitar
.
Knocking on the door of the definitive "dream" guitar team, that is



Mastodon2

13,818 posts

164 months

Thursday 1st June 2017
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Anthony Jackson was the first name to spring to mind, he was absolutely fantastic. Such amazing tone, feel and note choice. Marcus Miller is another prolific session bassist and he has done some good tracks but he isn't even close to Jackson's level of ability.

Pothole

34,367 posts

281 months

Friday 2nd June 2017
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Nashville fixture and go to guitar guy for many, Pat Buchanan deserves a mention here.

Also Doug Pettibone from Lucinda Williams' touring band:

In the last few years, Pettibone has played live and/or recorded with some of the most influential artists of our times, among them Keith Richards, Norah Jones, Steve Earle, Elvis Costello, Joan Baez, Mark Knopfler, Draco Rosa, Sting, Michelle Shocked, Vic Chesnutt, Kevin Montgomery, amongst others.] In 2012 he went on tour with Lisa Marie Presley In 2013 Pettibone toured with Lucinda Williams with just the two of them on stage
He joined John Mayer's touring band as lap steel and guitar player for the Born and Raised 2013 World Tour.
2016 Doug is on World Tour with the Italian Zucchero - accompanied by Brian Auger on Hammond Organ

astrsxi77

Original Poster:

302 posts

220 months

Friday 2nd June 2017
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Now we're cooking with gas!

JLC25 said:
Bowies "Let's Dance" album - Not his best, but the line up! HIghlights are:

David Bowie – lead vocals; horn arrangements
Nile Rodgers – guitar; horn arrangements
Stevie Ray Vaughan – lead guitar
Carmine Rojas – bass guitar
Omar Hakim – drums
Tony Thompson – drums
Rob Sabino – keyboards
Stan Harrison – tenor saxophone; flute.

Zappa had Warren Cuccurullo and Vinnie Colaiuta.

.
Hakim is such an elegant drummer - watch him with Sting on I Burn For You from '85. You've got to feel for Terry Williams of Dire Straits. He was sidelined during the BIA recording sessions so that Hakim could be parachuted in for a slick recording wrap up. Still, Williams made the drum parts his own on their subsequent tour.

Vinnie - another of Sting's brilliant recruits. He is a genius of splash cymbals.

Cuccurullo replaced Andy Taylor in Duran, didn't he?

geezerbutler said:
I'd also give a mention to Tessa Niles for the incredible amount and quality of vocal work she did for all sorts of artists, both in the studio and on tour.
Oh yes! Her "Love has no guarantee..." chrous on ABC's Date Stamp totally hooked me into their Lexicon of Love album. Mind you, Trevor Horn really made that album's sound what it is. Niles was in Clapton's orbit for many years too, as was Nathan East (bass). Love him and another brilliant bassist, Leland Sklar (metioned above), both of whom have variously floated about Clapton, Phil Collins and Toto over the last 30 years.

Did someone say Jeff Porcaro? The deepest, creamiest, thickest of grooves. Aside from Toto and MJ, he must have been recorded on hundreds of artists' works.

Wasn't Pino Palladino on bass duties for the house band at the Queen's Jubilee concert of 2002? That one also included Sam Brown and Claudia Fontaine, of Pink Floyd's Div. Bell tour, on backing vox.