Stevie Wonder

[Drunken funkster]

Anyone a fan? Jamiroquai's earlier stuff was quickly compared with this guy (unfairly in my opinion), but Stevie Wonder remains the funkiest guy on the planet (maybe...I don't know what George Clinton's up to these days, last I heard he was producing for R&B artists including Amp Fiddler).

'Do I Do' and 'I Wish' are definately two of my favourite tracks, Nathan Watts is a great bassist.

Liam :cheesy:

[Simon]

Yep indeed Liam :wink:

favourite track - Sir Duke :mrgreen:

A transcription of the bassline can be found on my website for those who dont already know ;-)

[Andy]

I am a bit a Stevie Wonder fan. Innervisions is a truely fantastic album in my eyes!! :cheesy:

[bloop]

I love Stevie! Some of his songs are a bit cheesey, but the good one's (and most of them are!) are great.

I love "All I do" from Hotter Than July. The b-line is a similar affair to Canned Heat, where it's played using a keyboard (I think he used Fender Rhodes Bass thingy). I think Stevie playes all the instruments on most the tracks. I love his drumming, he's got a really nice feel to his grooves.

I also like "Do I do" (bit of an I do thing going on!?), but that pop/rap song that sampled it has spoilt it a bit for me. Can't remember the name, I think it was by Ja Rule?

Superwoman (From Music of my mind) is also a lovely track (I love that Spacey Synth mid section). Stevie has been blessed with best voice I've ever heard. You can just feel exactly what he was going through when he wrote the tunes. Amazing....

[Drunken funkster]

Yep, Ja Rule completely ruined that song, and it's a shame, I can't listen to it in the same way :x

'Superstision' can't be overplayed, I've discovered. I love that song to death!

Liam :cheesy:

[Rob]

hmm, my brother says Stevies drumming is a bit...lame. As he's not really a drummer. (my brother studies classical drumming (dont know the exact term) at the conservatory of The Hague)... since he mentioned it Im hearing it too on some tracks, though Im usually not really into drums (says someone who tries to play bass, lol).
I also love Superstition & Do I Do btw...but I dont know all the tunes the man made.

[Alfred Jazz Punker]

I think that for all of us here, Stevie must be someone to listen... He's the man who made funk music in the golden years of Motown (Jamerson! where are you?!)... So, like it or not, you should check him, it's like a must...

[Simon]

(Jamerson! where are you?!)

Are you asking where James Jamerson is? Or am I just misunderstanding your sentence?

If you are...Jamerson is dead. R.I.P - he died in 1983!

[woodchuck]

He sat in with a band I played in on "That Girl". He told me that he liked the slap approach that I took. My fave would have to be "All Day Sucker".

[Alfred Jazz Punker]

Of course I know that Jamerson died long time ago... just a little bit of sadness knowing all the things he did, and that's he's not here anymore... that men really changed the whole bass role...

[bloop]

hmm, my brother says Stevies drumming is a bit...lame.

What???? Has your brother listened to "Too High" on Innervisions? That groove on the drums is fucking excellent! Stevie may be seen as a slack drummer but is definitely one of the grooviest. The feel to his drum grooves are great. He is so far from lame that it almost makes me want to hunt your brother down and give him a slap! :evil:

I guess if you want something absolutely clean, precise and predictable (i.e boring!) then Stevie is not your man. Stevie plays with real feel and soul! There ain't many drummers who can play with real feel. There is a bundle of click-track robot drummers out there. They are probably studied by people like your brother, so they can be click-track monsters too!!!!!

I can't believe your brother studies drums and thinks Stevie is a lame? What does he think drummers should do? I guess he thinks they shouldn't add anything to the tune other then straight forward tempo, with a few clean fills.....

How could a musician say Stevie Wonder is lame at anything he does? It's absolute blasphemy! :evil:

[Drunken funkster]

My cousin also demonstrated how Superstition is the only song where you can play slap keyboard...a technique I didn't even know existed. My cousin is most definately the funkiest Keyboardist there is...

Liam :cheesy:

[Alfred Jazz Punker]

Hey guys, talking about drummers... what do you REALLY think about Derrick Mackenzie?...

For me, he´s not bad, not at all... but has something like srange in the way he plays... I don't like the way he plays that much... Of course, this deppends on everyone, isn't it?...

Ho does it, but just don't like him...

(DON'T KILL ME... HA HA HA)

[Tlum]

One of my friend with an absolute pitch who work in our contry as sound engineer love Jamiroquai especially for Derrick - he say that Derrick can hold the rhythm like no one he heard (and he heard hundreds of drumers).

I had never thought about it before he said me this information. Now I do it but I can`t say by myself if it is right or wrong, becouse I`m only normal human, not my friend with an absolute pitch. But I trust him, because no-one times he demonstrated me that he could hear what another peoples couldn`t.

[bloop]

I think Derrick is an awesome drummer. If you hear some of the grooves he lays down in some of the earlier bootlegs, and what about the groove for "Just Another Story". He is tight!!!!!

Unfortunately these days I think Jay keeps telling him... "Derrick, stop playing that really out there, tight, funky, new groove! I want you to play a naff boring straight 16 Beat disco pattern!!! Don't make me sack your arse for one of those MANY click-track drumming monsters that are out there!!!"

Derrick's definitely, without doubt, one of the best drummers out there. Jamiroquai over the last few albums have been holding him back from really making a name for himself. Hopefully with the line-up of interesting session players that Jay has installed for his latest outing, the rhythm section will be doing something interesting and new, and Derrick can stop doing those tried and tested grooves again!! (Now where did I hear that being said before? :cheesy: )

[woodchuck]

Please don't hate me, although I do think Derrick is a good drummer, I think his playing lacks imagination. On a side note, he's great guy to hoist pints with! That was the last time I got smashed on just beer!

[FuSE]

My fondest memories are when I was but a little kid, playing with my toys in the kitchen while my mom was making something and she had on the radio. Either it was Nat King Cole or Stevie Wonder. Definately an influnence on my playing and musical knowledge/interests.

[Drunken funkster]

Bloop, I'd agree. Derrick's a great drummer in my opinion, he's got soul, and I really like his style. Jay Kay's got no idea what talent means nowadays. Regarding other players from Jamiroquai, Rob Harris is a rather brilliant guitarist as well.

Liam :cheesy:

[Alfred Jazz Punker]

Well this is interesting
I hadn't think about the fact of the Jamiroquai deppression... ha ha ha, you know what I mean... Maybe he could show himself more in some other group or band... Who knows...