l-r Dave Swift, Dave Marks, Svetlana Vassilova, Chuck Rainey, Terry Gregory, Michael Mondesir
Chuck Rainey
Dave Marks sat down with Chuck Rainey after a clinic at the Bass Institute to dig deep with one of the most experienced and influential session bassists of all time….
How does a player break into the session industry?
What we do is a referral job. Your resume, where you graduated, your business card – it don’t mean nothing, trust me. If they need a bass player, they’ll ask a drummer, if they need a drummer they ask the bass player –it’s all about referral.
When I was coming up, if there was a band playing, I was there, listening and asking to play if there was a jam. I played my bass every opportunity I got and in my environment, all the drummers knew who I was.
I got into a band in Harlem and we played all the time. Sometimes we’d play for no money, but other bandleaders would come to check out the players. That’s how I first got into King Curtis’ band. When I played with him, other people heard me because his band was slamming! You gotta let everybody know you can play.
Being professional is important too. If you have a client and you can’t do a particular job, don’t send somebody weak as a sub. Send the best player you can find. That’s your spirit talking. Also, learning how to get along with people you don’t like is important.
You’ve recorded with lots of different artists, in a variety of styles – how did you develop that versatility?
In my early twenties I got to New York City and started doing anything that paid my room bill. I took jobs I didn’t like just to pay the rent, but doing that I learned to play a lot of different music – Latin, R&B, Jazz, Bar Mitzvahs – I did everything.
Among your vast cv, can you name 3 standout artists you backed?
With records, it’s so hard to say – I’ve got a lot of gold records awarded to the rhythm section. On 75% of them, when doing the project, we didn’t like ‘em. We didn’t think it would get off the shelf! I’ve stopped having an opinion and started just feeling grateful that I was asked to come get this money and play.
How have you managed to play for so many different artists but still sound like ‘you’?
I’ve always played the same way, no matter what I’ve done. When you listen to a track like ‘Kid Charlamagne’ the bass part, it’s the same thing that’s on Aretha’s record, on Quincy Jones’ album and on Ricky Lee Jones. The groove is a little different, but I’m playing the same thing.
One thing I learned from the guys who were there before me, is to just be who you are. I’ve subbed for Stanley. (Clarke) I know how he plays, but as soon as I start trying to play like him, I’ve got a problem.
To be honest, I think I got a lot of my style from the way James Jamerson played… and then I’ve got a little bit of Chuck in there too.
How important is your gear in what you do?
I’m still a bit old fashioned about that – although I don’t play a Fender anymore, I always try to get as close to that as I can, but I use newer basses, because the old Fender doesn’t slap too well.
I like to have it feeling a certain way though. Even if it sounds bad but feels good, I’m gonna try and work with it. If it don’t feel good, but it sounds great, you ain’t never gonna be satisfied.
A lot of the improvising that I do just comes out and I don’t even think about it. Add a little dipsy here, and a little doodle over there and maybe a slide right here– you don’t even think about it. You do it because it feels good. If the bass doesn’t feel good, those things won’t come out.
Like everything in life, you can get used to anything, but it’s important to take the time to figure out what works best for you.
Have you ever had problems with nerves in sessions? How do you cope with the pressure?
Still, when the tape’s rolling, there’s that little spark of anticipation, never fear though. Fear is something that, if you have it at all in your career, take it, it’s natural – the ego is fearful, the spirit is never fearful.
The fear factor was easy for me to overcome – I’m not being pretentious here, but my spirit is a lot bigger than my ego. You gotta be careful about that ego. The ego tells you to do things and think things that are not at all worthy of what you gotta do musically.
My spirit has directed me moreso than my ego – every time my ego has directed me, I’ve ran straight into a brick wall.
Do you have any session ‘horror stories’?
Once I was working with Steely Dan on a project and I put my back out. I called the producer and he said ‘Why don’t you send somebody to hang for you, till you get better?’
I had been working with a student for around a year –he’d come to a few sessions with me and he was a very good bass player, so I chose him. I called him up and told him ‘Go over to the Village. (District in NYC) The gig starts at noon so get there around a quarter to twelve and bring one bass, because the engineer does not wanna fool around getting a sound for 3 or 4 basses. Sit down and play. If you do well you might get aired on one of these records.’
I get the call from the band that night and they can’t stop laughing. The guy showed up at 11am. At 11am there’s nobody in the studio. His ego wants everyone to know he’s there, so he starts bugging the receptionist and making sure he knows who’s coming in and out and they know he’s there with Steely Dan.
Inside the studio, I never go behind the glass unless I’m asked. My place is in my little area where I play the bass. The new guy’s in there, getting in the engineer’s ear, bugging him and he brought 3 basses! He has them all laid out around his area and all these manuscripts spread out with stuff that we’d been working on. It looked crazy!
Bernard Purdie showed up and he started getting in his ear, getting in the way of him setting up the drums – this guy was a pain in the ass! The band still laughs about him today and he’s a well-known bassist.
I had to remind him afterwards, that’s how I got into this business. I was sent in as a sub, but I didn’t make a fool out of myself.
Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions, or artists that you’d love to work with?
No, I’m pretty much satisfied. Of course, there are things that have happened that I wish I’d been a part of, but I’ve been a part of so much, that I’m satisfied. I don’t wanna be like Rockafeller. They asked him, how much money was too much and he said ‘Just a little more…’
How do you stay inspired and motivated to play after all these years?
It’s real simple – I love to play the bass. This life can be hard and this industry can be very challenging, but if you love what you do, then it never feels like a job. And I just love to play the bass – that’s it.
Do you have any final words of wisdom for aspiring session players?
You should try and be yourself, but don’t be resentful of direction from producers and bandleaders – they pay your rent. Also, it’s important to be true to yourself and sometimes that means not taking a job if it’s not your thing. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll know when to say no.
