The Sound of Ska

Ernest_Ranglin-2-86x150

There is something so definitive about certain styles of music. You hear a walking bass line, where the bassist plays a changing melodic pattern while still playing evenly on every beat in 4/4 time and it might evoke Jazz, Jump Blues, or Rockabilly. The tempo, or speed that the song…

Continue reading

The Legba Beat and the Migration of Styles Across the Globe

legbabeat

It is no coincidence that we chose New Orleans Funk as the opening style of the Funk chapter in my book, The Bassist’s Bible. New Orleans Funk is not only a foundation in the larger style of Funk, historically, but we also used it to introduce the musical concept of…

Continue reading