THE new album - July 16th....
B A S S artist notes:
I initially got some attention while playing bass in my fusion group, The Balance. But I am as much a "rocker" as I am a "jazzer", and definitely more funk... than "legit". I grew up on Cream, Black Sabbath; Grand Funk Railroad;Yes; Deep Purple; Black Oak Arkansas; The J. Geils Band; Jethro Tull; Simon and Garfunkel; Elvis Presley; Beck, Bogert, and Appice-- to name a few influences. I was weaned on Gladys Knight & the Pips; Curtis Mayfield; Smokey Robinson; Joe Tex; The Supremes; Stevie Wonder; Little Richard; and The Ojays-- to name a few influences. The first live concert I ever attended was a James Brown show when I was 10 years old. But all this while growing up a drummer.
When I was 15, my best friend's older brother, Rusty Heck, gave me two albums as a Christmas present: Stanley Clarke's "Stanley Clarke" and Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly".
Things were never the same after that, and the bass became my chosen musical vehicle. You see, you can play drums on the bass. You can play piano on the bass. You can sing on the bass. You can put the guitar back in "bass guitar" and strum chords on it or solo with effects and distortion. From the bass you can speakvolumes.... And by virtue of chords generally being named in relation to the lowest note in the chord, what one chooses to play on the bass, controls the composition, as well as the Groove. The bass is the king of all instruments-- in this bass player's admittedly biased opinion.
There's this theory that music, unheard, surrounds us always, and that the musician is somehow able to make these melodies, harmonies, and rhythms audible at any given moment. What you have in front of you is some of the music I have somehow been able to make audible with a bass or two (in the case of the Wal doubleneck) in my hands. The album is called B A S S. How could it have been called anything else?
Manley
July 20 20
P.S.:
This album has many different manifestations of "bass" on it. Fretted, fretless, multi-stringed (at least some phive....) Stylistically, there's rock, funk, latin, jazz, blues, fusion, sound track stuff, metal, world... There is even a short bass-only track right up front... But. I have also included a song or two with vocals. Now, some might ask, why include this kind of material on a "bass" album?
Well, for me, the bass is a relationship instrument, as at home in a supporting role, as it is commanding the spotlight. Enhancing a song, setting a context for the words in a song, strengthening or underscoring the voice (instrument or human) holding forth in the moment-- that is, to me, as much a part of playing bass as taking a featured solo...
So. That's why the songs with vocals on this "bass" album.
M
________________________
ARTIST BIO
Manley is an American songwriter and musician, novelist and film maker. A nickname, The Wall Of Thunder, underscores the role of the bass in his live performances. Manley is known for fronting the bands: The Balance, Cut To The Chase, Blood, Valve, Manley's Subculture, and The Thunder Group.
____________________________
TRACK LIST
01 Thumb On The Wal [0:34]
1989 Honduran Mahogany Wal fretless.
Manley – bass
02 Celina [3:34]
A tune written by saxophonist Carl Coan. Bass parts performed on the Wal doubleneck bass (fretted neck).
Carl Coan - saxophone
Manley – bass
03 Smile [2:49]
Slap Fun. Played on Bam-Bam, the Jazz-style bass made by Pat Wilkins, equipped with a John Suhr 3-band preamp.
Manley - bass
Bernard Purdie - drum trax
04 Rain Forest [2:36]
All sounds created on the Wal Doubleneck bass (fretted over fretless 4-string necks).
05 Max [5:05]
A song named for my son. On- the-fly composition / improvisation with Layden Robinson. Only overdub was Layden's additional pass laying down acoustic guitar.
Layden Robinson - guitars
Manley – bass
06 Today's Heart [4:07]
Bass upfront song with vocals. Frankie the Bass, the Musicman Stingray/Fender P-bass hybrid, with the filter-based preamp and piezos on this one.
Words and Music and Bass and Voice by Manley
07 Abra [5:09]
A song named for my daughter, Mara Abra. 1975 Alembic Zebra-topped Series I fretted bass, and the fretless neck of the 1988 Wal doubleneck on this one.
Mike Lummio - guitar, guitar synth
Manley – basses and drum programming
08 Sam's Song [4:27]
Named after my youngest daughter, Sarah Angela.
Manley - All sounds
09 The Murderous Strumpets [3:13]
Improv with Erik Rogan and Tom Coffeen (of the band, Beats The Hell Out Of Me). Recorded live to 2-track at Bouvier Run in Mesa, AZ.
Erik Rogan - drums
Tom Coffeen - guitar
Manley – bass
10 Sinuendo [5:31]
Steinberger XL-2, even the parts that sound like a guitar....
Carl Coan on the saxophone.
Manley – All other sounds.
11 Drug [7:37]
Fretless and Fretted basses on this one. Bam, the fretless Wilkins bass with the Zebra top and the ebony fingerboard (and a Suhr 3-band preamp), alongside a 1975 Zebra-topped Alembic Series I fretted bass.
Ryan Baker - drums and percussion
Jason Southard - guitar and background vocals
Manley - basses, vocals, and percussion
12 Cinders [5:35]
Blues bass. Status Series II fretless used on the solos (standard tuning), Wal doubleneck (fretted neck) on the body of the song. No guitars on this one, just basses.
Manley - All sounds
13 Blue People 20 20 [15:46]
Black Lives Matter.
Spector 5-string bolt-on with EMGs.
Words and Music and Bass and Voice by Manley.
14 Introduction To Homicide (Live) [BONUS] [1:16]
The bass on this live moment is a Jaydee Supernatural GA24-- AKA The Machine. Recorded at Hollywood Alley. One of the rare acceptable moments where somebody yelled "Fire!" in a crowded theater.....
Scott Collins - drums
Mike Lummio - guitar, and introduction
Manley – bass
=====================
Other albums by this artist:
Manley MANLEY (2018)
Manley TURN OF THE CENTURY (2019)
I initially got some attention while playing bass in my fusion group, The Balance. But I am as much a "rocker" as I am a "jazzer", and definitely more funk... than "legit". I grew up on Cream, Black Sabbath; Grand Funk Railroad;Yes; Deep Purple; Black Oak Arkansas; The J. Geils Band; Jethro Tull; Simon and Garfunkel; Elvis Presley; Beck, Bogert, and Appice-- to name a few influences. I was weaned on Gladys Knight & the Pips; Curtis Mayfield; Smokey Robinson; Joe Tex; The Supremes; Stevie Wonder; Little Richard; and The Ojays-- to name a few influences. The first live concert I ever attended was a James Brown show when I was 10 years old. But all this while growing up a drummer.
When I was 15, my best friend's older brother, Rusty Heck, gave me two albums as a Christmas present: Stanley Clarke's "Stanley Clarke" and Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly".
Things were never the same after that, and the bass became my chosen musical vehicle. You see, you can play drums on the bass. You can play piano on the bass. You can sing on the bass. You can put the guitar back in "bass guitar" and strum chords on it or solo with effects and distortion. From the bass you can speakvolumes.... And by virtue of chords generally being named in relation to the lowest note in the chord, what one chooses to play on the bass, controls the composition, as well as the Groove. The bass is the king of all instruments-- in this bass player's admittedly biased opinion.
There's this theory that music, unheard, surrounds us always, and that the musician is somehow able to make these melodies, harmonies, and rhythms audible at any given moment. What you have in front of you is some of the music I have somehow been able to make audible with a bass or two (in the case of the Wal doubleneck) in my hands. The album is called B A S S. How could it have been called anything else?
Manley
July 20 20
P.S.:
This album has many different manifestations of "bass" on it. Fretted, fretless, multi-stringed (at least some phive....) Stylistically, there's rock, funk, latin, jazz, blues, fusion, sound track stuff, metal, world... There is even a short bass-only track right up front... But. I have also included a song or two with vocals. Now, some might ask, why include this kind of material on a "bass" album?
Well, for me, the bass is a relationship instrument, as at home in a supporting role, as it is commanding the spotlight. Enhancing a song, setting a context for the words in a song, strengthening or underscoring the voice (instrument or human) holding forth in the moment-- that is, to me, as much a part of playing bass as taking a featured solo...
So. That's why the songs with vocals on this "bass" album.
M
________________________
ARTIST BIO
Manley is an American songwriter and musician, novelist and film maker. A nickname, The Wall Of Thunder, underscores the role of the bass in his live performances. Manley is known for fronting the bands: The Balance, Cut To The Chase, Blood, Valve, Manley's Subculture, and The Thunder Group.
____________________________
TRACK LIST
01 Thumb On The Wal [0:34]
1989 Honduran Mahogany Wal fretless.
Manley – bass
02 Celina [3:34]
A tune written by saxophonist Carl Coan. Bass parts performed on the Wal doubleneck bass (fretted neck).
Carl Coan - saxophone
Manley – bass
03 Smile [2:49]
Slap Fun. Played on Bam-Bam, the Jazz-style bass made by Pat Wilkins, equipped with a John Suhr 3-band preamp.
Manley - bass
Bernard Purdie - drum trax
04 Rain Forest [2:36]
All sounds created on the Wal Doubleneck bass (fretted over fretless 4-string necks).
05 Max [5:05]
A song named for my son. On- the-fly composition / improvisation with Layden Robinson. Only overdub was Layden's additional pass laying down acoustic guitar.
Layden Robinson - guitars
Manley – bass
06 Today's Heart [4:07]
Bass upfront song with vocals. Frankie the Bass, the Musicman Stingray/Fender P-bass hybrid, with the filter-based preamp and piezos on this one.
Words and Music and Bass and Voice by Manley
07 Abra [5:09]
A song named for my daughter, Mara Abra. 1975 Alembic Zebra-topped Series I fretted bass, and the fretless neck of the 1988 Wal doubleneck on this one.
Mike Lummio - guitar, guitar synth
Manley – basses and drum programming
08 Sam's Song [4:27]
Named after my youngest daughter, Sarah Angela.
Manley - All sounds
09 The Murderous Strumpets [3:13]
Improv with Erik Rogan and Tom Coffeen (of the band, Beats The Hell Out Of Me). Recorded live to 2-track at Bouvier Run in Mesa, AZ.
Erik Rogan - drums
Tom Coffeen - guitar
Manley – bass
10 Sinuendo [5:31]
Steinberger XL-2, even the parts that sound like a guitar....
Carl Coan on the saxophone.
Manley – All other sounds.
11 Drug [7:37]
Fretless and Fretted basses on this one. Bam, the fretless Wilkins bass with the Zebra top and the ebony fingerboard (and a Suhr 3-band preamp), alongside a 1975 Zebra-topped Alembic Series I fretted bass.
Ryan Baker - drums and percussion
Jason Southard - guitar and background vocals
Manley - basses, vocals, and percussion
12 Cinders [5:35]
Blues bass. Status Series II fretless used on the solos (standard tuning), Wal doubleneck (fretted neck) on the body of the song. No guitars on this one, just basses.
Manley - All sounds
13 Blue People 20 20 [15:46]
Black Lives Matter.
Spector 5-string bolt-on with EMGs.
Words and Music and Bass and Voice by Manley.
14 Introduction To Homicide (Live) [BONUS] [1:16]
The bass on this live moment is a Jaydee Supernatural GA24-- AKA The Machine. Recorded at Hollywood Alley. One of the rare acceptable moments where somebody yelled "Fire!" in a crowded theater.....
Scott Collins - drums
Mike Lummio - guitar, and introduction
Manley – bass
=====================
Other albums by this artist:
Manley MANLEY (2018)
Manley TURN OF THE CENTURY (2019)