The Tv Star
Be versatile, advises Jools Holland’s bassist Swifty
At the end of 2018 I toured the UK with Jools Holland and Marc Almond,
as well as recording an album with them. On top of that, in December I found myself rehearsing at the BBC for our annual New Year’s Eve Hootenanny TV show. I was playing with Michael Bublé, Jesse Glynn, Yola Carter, Ruby Turner, Marc Almond and Junior Giscombe. Luckily, I’ve had decades of experience playing jazz, big band, pop, funk, rock, soul, blues and R&B, so I was prepared. Many bassists choose just one genre of music to play, and are highly successful doing so. However, in their early careers even the most accomplished of them will have spent some time playing lots of different music and acquiring different skills. For regular, jobbing bass players, versatility is crucial to getting work.
Nile Rogers and Chic are playing on our TV show this year, but Nile is using his own bassist, Jerry Barnes. Before I knew Jerry was involved, I was worried about how I was going to approach playing ‘Le Freak’ and ‘Good Times’. Should I play the original versions by the late Bernard Edwards, or go with Jerry’s flamboyant, predominantly slapped lines? I played slap bass a lot in the 80s, but since getting the Jools gig, no artist I’ve worked for (with the exception of Barry White, back in the 90s) has requested that style. As a result, I put the technique out to pasture long ago, and focused on other aspects of my playing.
My dilemma disappeared once I knew Jerry was on the case, but it did make me consider what I would’ve done if Nile had wanted me to play slap. Of course I would have obliged and worked hard to resurrect my slap chops . Whatever the gig requires, it’s my job to deliver it.
Be as versatile as you can, keep an open mind, and embrace and study all kinds of music. You can specialise further down the line, but on your way up, diversify to your heart’s content and enrich your musical life!