Hello all!
Just a quick post to let y’all know that I’ve now added a section to the website to advertise my services as a bass guitar tutor in Northern Ireland and further afield over the internet. You can check it out over at the Tuition page now.
Cheers!
Danny
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Posted by Danny McCormack
Hello all,
Do you use Facebook? If so, keep up with the daily ramblings of The Professionals at Professionals on Facebook. Just visit the page and click ‘Like’ to hear all of the latest gig news and updates from all the band members.
Cheers!
Danny
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Posted by Danny McCormack
Evening all….
Just a quick update to let y’all know about a great new website that has been designed for my band, The Professionals. Big thanks to Matthew Stronge who did a fantastic job to make a website that has style and simplicity in equal measure. You can check out his handiwork at Professionals Music Online.
Enjoy! – Danny
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Posted by Danny McCormack
BASS PLAYERS
Not in any particular order!
1. Bakithi Khumalo – his RIDICULOUS fretless playing for Paul Simon, particularly on the Graceland album, is very inspiring. I have my eye on a beautiful Fender fretless that I might invest in soon to try to replicate this guy’s playing.
2. Rutger Gunnarsson – A little known gem of the pop world, he is the guy who laid down the funky disco basslines without any major amount of credit or fame on all the ABBA records. Some of his basslines are just timeless, funky and so understated, but without his playing ABBA would be half the musical entity they are now! Here’s a guy playing the classic bassline to ‘Dancing Queen’ – wedding disco extraordinaire!
3. James Jamerson – Anyone who knows me knows how much I love this guy’s playing. He played on more number ones than the Beatles or Elvis Presley – a real session gem who again went uncredited for a large part of his career. There are so many basslines I could use as great examples of style, but this one gets the nod as it’s a solo’ed bass track with vocals and an interesting story behind it. Such simple, melodic and understated playing without the inevitable bass player ‘showing off’ – I mean, who employs a bassist who just wants to go out and play a bass solo for 2 hours a night? Give me Jamerson any day!
4. John Entwistle – No prizes for guessing I’d include John, who I cite as one of my main influences throughout my bass playing career. A technical wizard who always had great tone and presence, despite being largely in the background compared to his bandmates. I once played a Feline Guitars replica of the Alembic John is using in this video and it was just sublime! I can throw a rough shape at the bassline as played in this video after having studied the technique for around a year, but whether or not I will ever get the chance to utilise such a skill is a seperate issue! Check it out, there isn’t a fret that he doesn’t use.
5. Pino Palladino – I’ve never seen anyone in the flesh handle a bass like Pino Palladino, and I never will. The guy is the epitome of cool! Again, understated basslines that never obstruct the melody of the song and always fit so well with the groove. The guy can solo for England too! I think if I were to have the career of any bassist, it would be his. There’s a big reason why he’s the first call session guy for almost every guitarist in England and further afield, including John Mayer (as per the below video).
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Posted by Danny McCormack
Hello all!
Been a while I know but things have been SO BUSY! Playing loads of gigs with The Professionals, as well as a 3pc band formed out of some of the members which goes under the name of ‘The Criminals’. Been averaging four gigs a week since the new year and needless to say I am absolutely delighted with this stat and hope it continues! The wedding season is just starting up again now in April and we will be very, very busy over the Summer with receptions all over the country. I just updated my gigs list for July 2011 to find that I have 20 gigs confirmed, as well as others to fill in with Sunshine as and when I’m needed. Happy days!
Also – I just bought a set of In Ear Monitors, the Sennheiser EW300 G3 GB set. One word – WOW. These aren’t available on general release just yet but I managed to get them from the Sennheiser UK distributor through a friend. The main difference between the GB model and the rest of the ones currently for sale is that they take into account the switchover of wireless frequencies which is scheduled to happen in 2012. A lot of the existing wireless units (microphones, monitors, wireless guitar packs) will be rendered almost obsolete, as mobile phone networks have bought a whole heap of extra bandwidth which is currently being used for wireless applications. The quality of this new set of IEMs is absolutely unbelievable. I will probably do a full review of them within the next few weeks, once I’ve had a chance to really use them in a few different situations. I have never in my life been able to hear the bass guitar or my vocals as clearly – not even when I’m sitting at home playing through an amp unaccompanied! Of course, now I have absolutely no excuse for playing the wrong notes 
If you’re thinking of going in-ear and worried that the bass frequencies might not be reproduced as accurately as you’d like, put that thought out of your head! Even with the supplied IE-4 headphones, the sound is deep and fluid. I hope to go for a custom-moulded set of phones at the end of April, in good time to use them for the busy spell. Even for the moment though, I am very impressed and would recommend these bad boys to anyone!
So…enough of my waxing lyrical for now! If you’ve read this far then fair play to you.
Cheers!
Danny
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Posted by Danny McCormack
Hello all!
Just a quick update to say that things have been going especially swimmingly since joining The Professionals. Lots and lots and lots of gigs – how can that be bad for someone who loves music? I wish Jason McGilligan and Sunshine the very best with their futures, and hopefully our paths may well cross again in the near future!
I will be uploading a selection of new photos and videos to this site over the next few weeks, including a couple of pro photoshoot shots, so stay tuned for more info!
All the best,
Danny
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Posted by Danny McCormack
WOW – it’s been a while since I last posted!
Over the last few months I have been very busy with gigs all over Ireland, North and South, which is great! I’ve played in so many new venues and seen some truly beautiful sights along the way – the drive through Sligo to Galway being a particular highlight, I always hate the drive home though as the spectacular scenery is wasted at night time! Highly recommended to visit though if you’re a Yank driving around Ireland (which some of you indeed might be – PS bring us a bottle or two of Everclear!)
I joined a band called The Professionals as a full time member recently which will unfortunately mean the winding down of my commitments with Sunshine and Jason McGilligan. Their packed diary of gigs will mean that, for the foreseeable future, I won’t be able to take on any more full-time work with other acts, although I am always available for session work! To paraphrase Leland Sklar – I don’t get paid to do gigs, as it’s my first love and I still see it as a hobby. What I do get paid for is killing 22 hours a day! If his beard was an early indication of his legendary status among bass players, and indeed mere mortals, then this quote surely solidifies this notion! But anyway, where was I? The Professionals are a 5-piece wedding, corporate and function act based in Belfast, and by no means is the band’s name a misnomer. These guys carry out their business in the most professional manner I’ve encountered from a band in my music career, bar none. Their diary is testament to the fact that even in dire economic times, a band who have the right attitude and sound can still be a great success. I am very privileged to be a part of the band and will hope to remain so for a very long time!
So what am I listening to these days? Well, a combination of modern chart music and classics mainly. My Spotify is throwing up some really esoteric recommendations, which is to be expected when you jump from Mark Ronson to Martha Reeves! I recently hit upon the soundtrack to the wonderful movie ‘Standing In The Shadows Of Motown’ which is an absolute gem. The movie itself focuses on the impact of The Funk Brothers (Tamla Motown’s rhythm section) on the countless hits produced by the label in the 60′s and 70′s. If you don’t know it already – James Jamerson is my favourite bass player (there, you know it now!) and to have a movie and accompanying soundtrack which concentrates on his playing is a real boon! I always say that if you are a bass and are not aware of Jamerson and (Rutger) Gunnarsson’s impact on popular music, then you have not yet understood the role of the bass guitar! If you’re a musician and interested in the former, then the soundtrack is available on Spotify at the link below. My particular favourites are ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ and ‘Bernadette’, which contain lines so understated that you might not even notice them in the context of the full mix – yet when brought out as a solo track, you can hear the sheer brilliance of each and the contribution to the overall sound of the final recording. In fact, if you’re a Stevie Wonder fan, the bassline to ‘For Once In My Life’ does the exact same – again recorded by Jamerson. And hold on – the final track is a MUST LISTEN! The solo’ed track to The Temptations’ ‘You’re My Everything’ is an absolute gem. The bassline was recorded in session 3 weeks before the vocals, and if you listen carefully, the phrasing of Jamerson’s part has a very unique melodic structure, particularly in the chorus where he chooses a triplet rhythm. The Temptations then visited the studio to record their vocal parts, heard the bassline and were inspired to follow some of the same rhythms as Jamerson had previously played three weeks before. That is testament to the flowing, vocal quality of his lines and the knock-on effect on those who recorded with him. Amazing!
Anyway – if this kind of thing interests you, click on the Spotify logo below to hear more. I’d be delighted to hear of your thoughts on it!
All the best for now!
Danny
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Posted by Danny McCormack
Hello all!
I’ve been using a wonderful program called Spotify recently for the majority of my music listening needs, and have compiled a number of playlists of my favourite music that I’d like to share with the world (or a fraction of said that will listen!)
If you haven’t got the program, I strongly recommend that you download it and subscribe as it is simply one of the best programs available at the moment. You can listen to all your favourite artists for free, and it’s completely legal! No file sharing copyright issues with this baby! You can also recommend songs and playlists to fellow users, which is what I’m doing now!
Click the link below to view my playlists. The one I listen to all the time is called ‘My Favourite Sounds’ which is an eclectic mix of all my favourite tunes from the past six decades. Just stick it on, hit the ‘Shuffle’ button (bottom right corner) and enjoy a comprehensive cross-section of my music taste from the wild to the ridiculous (and mostly punctuated with some killer inspirational basslines!)
Cheers!
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Posted by Danny McCormack
Hello all!
Fretless bass eh? What an invention! This week I’ve been listening a lot to the music of Paul Simon, which of course features some of the finest fretless playing ever put on record by one cat in particular called Bakithi Khumalo. In particular, one tune has really grabbed me – ‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’ off Simon’s most popular album, Graceland. The fretless playing in this track has an almost vocal, melodic feel to it, while also not getting in the way of any of the other great melodies playing on the guitar or the lead vocal. This is a great skill – Khumalo manages to keep the groove funky (the standard verse groove is SO funky, almost a cross between a latin and reggae groove), and his extended fills really add character to an already-wide sonic palette present on the song and Graceland album as a whole.
It has inspired me to dig out my fretless bass this week (which sadly has been hibernating in the closet during the winter months!), and for some reason I can’t find my chorus pedal, which to be honest is probably for the best as I would be tempted to sit and play all day with that lovely mwaahhh sound! Brings me back to my Jaco-loving days.
Some links to the song in question for your aural pleasure – in particular, for the bass part, listen to the Spotify unreleased version which is just sublime!
Click on the Spotify Logo below to open the Unreleased Version from the Graceland Deluxe Edition album:
Hello all!
Just a quick update to keep readers comforted by the fact that I am indeed alive and well and playing bass more than ever! I’m currently in the midst of a large diary of gigs, both with Sunshine and Jason McGilligan, and to be honest I’ve never been happier! Bass playing is of course my number one hobby, and has been since my early teens, so getting the opportunity to play as much as possible is a very welcome thing indeed.
I’m also currently in the process of acquiring some new Hartke gear, as per my previous blog post. This is something I’m very excited about, and currently eyeing up an LH1000 amplifier to pair with a HX410 cabinet. My Kickback 12 is currently serving me well for practice duties also, as it has been since I bought it around four years ago. It has certainly more than paid for itself over the years.
A little video for your collective perusal – a real gem of a recording by one of my favourite bass players, James Jamerson. He’s little known outside of the bass/musical world, and certainly not a household name, but is truly one of the unsung greats in musical history. His contribution to the sounds of Motown in the 1960s will always be remembered and appreciated by the lucky few who are familiar with him. This particular line has been isolated from an original record by the Four Tops, where his pure sense of melody along with a tight, sensible groove on which the rest of the band is balanced is on show in a big way. This is something that I aspire to in my own playing, although to enjoy even a small fraction of the success Jamerson achieved with this style would be more than enough for me! Lifetime goal perhaps? We’ll see! Enjoy!
