Interviews
The
Victor Bailey Interview
ABOUT
VICTOR BAILEY
Without
doubt, bassist Victor Bailey belongs to one of the greatest in this
biz of the last decades. He recorded and toured with artists like
Weather Report, Weather Update, Steps Ahead, Bill Evans, The Zawinul
Syndicate, Madonna, etc… A native Philadelphian and current resident
of Los Angeles, Bailey is a link in that long lineage of Philly bass
that has produced such extraordinary players as Jymie Merritt, Tyrone
Browne, Alphonso Johnson, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius, Jamaaladeen
Tacuma, Charles Fambrough, Gerald Veasley and Christian McBride.
Growing
up in a musical household (his father Morris Bailey was a respected
saxophonist and writer-arranger for many of the acts on Philadelphia
Sound Records), Victor was exposed at an early age to a constant flow
of great Philly musicians. "I can’t say that I really had
any mentors, per se, but I’d come home from school and my father
would be there rehearsing with guys like Tyrone Browne. So naturally
hearing somebody like that when you’re 16 and you’d been
playing for only a year...it was inspiring to me. After Tyrone would
leave I’d want to stay up and practice until midnight...like
six hours straight. So he was a big influence on me though I wouldn’t
say mentor." While still a teenager, Victor honed his chops on
local gigs with the likes of organist Shirley Scott and jazz drumming
great Mickey Rocker. "Philly is a great place to get your musicality
together," he maintains. "The standard of playing is so
high and there is so much competition. But it’s a great education.
If you’re 16 and you think you can play and you wanna go to a
jam session, you gotta get up and play with the older cats who run
all of the club scene. So you have to learn how to play tunes and
you have to learn how to play changes. You never step on the stage
in Philly unless you really got it together."
Larry
Graham was a particular bass hero of his in those formative years.
"I was a Larry Graham nut before I ever played bass," says
Victor. "I played drums when Graham Central Station first came
out. I went to see him at the Capitol Center in D.C. and just the
sound of the bass alone...it was the first time I had ever heard anybody
slapping, and just the sound of the bass was in my head for weeks.
I knew he was hitting the bass in some kind of way but my seat was
so far back, I really couldn’t see what he was doing. But the
tone of the bass being slapped and humped was just so phenomenal to
me."
"And
like most guys of my age who are known as jazz guys, I grew up playing
in a funk band, covering tunes by Larry Graham, Kool & The Gang,
Earth, Wind & Fire, Bootsy Collins. I kind of always played it
in a real jazzy style and over time it sort of just became what it
became."
After
a stint at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Bailey migrated
to the New York scene. It was on his first recording date in town,
guitarist Bobby Brown’s Clean Sweep (GRP), that he met drummer
Omar Hakim. They also did two gigs with singer Miriam Makeba before
joining Weather Report in 1982. "As far as chemistry, it was
immediate," says Victor. "It’s that thing that every
drummer and bass player dream of. You have certain guys that you just
hook up with, and with Omar I never have to think about where the
time is, where the groove is, where the feel is. We just play and
it’s like instant communication. I think we have a good combination
of the virtuosity and the education and the heart and the soul and
the groove and all that, in equal proportions to each other. I think
our styles fit each other because we’re both funky but we’re
not really funk guys, and we’re jazz but we’re not really
jazz guys. When we get called for something and we know that the other
guy is on the gig, we instantly know that it’s going to be happening,
it’s going to be grooving and there’s going to be a lot
of energy. If it’s an improvising situation it’s going to
be a lot of fun improvising. If it’s a groove thing like Madonna
was, it’s going to be a GROOVE thing...capital letters, please."
The Madonna gig came after her 1992 appearance on "Saturday Night
Live." As Victor explains, "They were just putting a rhythm
section together for her appearance on the show and she knew who we
were and asked the musical director to see if he could get us. So
we did that show and she really enjoyed it and she said at the time
´Whenever I do a tour, I’m gonna use you guys.´ And
we were surprised at how hip she was. I mean, like, at the end of
a songs at rehearsal we’d play certain things and she’d
turn around and say, ´Don’t play that Weather Report shit
at the end of any tune. 'And we both said to her, ´You know
about that?´ And she sure did."
Considering
his deep-seated love of groove, Bailey was fulfilled in the pop setting
of Madonna’s music as he was in the jazzier realms of Joe Zawinul's
world beat fusion music. "That is something that I’ve always
been fighting, that notion that I’m a jazz guy," he says.
"Fortunately, I’ve been able to transcend some of the boundaries.
I mean, I’m just as happy laying it down with Madonna, and in
her band I’m playing with the same heart and the same passion
that I play with Joe."
Author:
Bill Millkowski
[from the ESC
Records Website]
Mike
Visceglia: Being a Philadelphia native how influenced were you
by or involved with the unique studio scene there (i.e. the "Philly"
soul sound or the Gamble and Huff productions?) What other formative
influences did you have?
Victor
Bailey: I had great exposure to the "Philly sound" as
a kid because of my father, Morris Bailey Jr. He wrote a lot of great
songs in the 60's and 70's for big acts like Patti LaBelle, The Stylistics,
The Spinners and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. He also wrote Nina
Simone's Grammy nominated song "Ebony Woman". So I grew
up having people like Patti Labelle in my house, and going to the
studio to watch Gamble and Huff work. Every day! He's also a great
jazz arranger,so I was always in the presence of great jazz cats like
Stanley Clarke, Mickey Roker and Shirley Scott.
Mike
Visceglia: You have a special place in history as the one who
replaced the great Jaco Pastorious in the legendary band Weather Report.
What was it like musically and /or psychologically to assume that
role? How did that all come about?
Victor Bailey: Playing with Weather Report was THE dream of
my life. I told everyone since I was sixteen years old that I was
going to play with Weather Report after Jaco. When word got out that
Jaco was going solo and they were looking for a bassist EVERYONE said
"you should get in touch with them, you'll get that gig".
So as far I was concerned it was meant to be. It's very interesting
that now people are occasionally asking me what it was like psychologically
or musically. No one asked me that for twenty years. Maybe I think
I'm better than I am but I can't imagine anyone could possibly think
it could have been any kind of problem. In my mind if I got that gig,and
especially after one of the most important players in the history
of my instrument, I must have been doing something right. Remember
I was nineteen years old and had been playing the bass for only six
years. And let me emphasize that I say all of that with full acknowledgement
of Jaco's greatness as one of the most significant innovators in the
history of the bass. The way I arrived at that wonderful position
is that I did two gigs with South African vocalist Miriam Makeba and
Omar Hakim played drums. And we had a magical vibe from that first
time playing together. Omar said "I have the gig with WR and
Jaco split so send Joe Zawinul a tape". A coule of days later
I spoke to Joe on the phone and he said "I haven't heard your
tape yet but I know you're the guy I'm going to hire. I can tell by
your vibe on the phone that you can play". And here I am today.
MV:
Did Jaco have an effect on your choice of the Fender Jazz bass or
were you playing one pryor to hearing him?
VB: No. Actually I played drums before I played bass and every
bass player I played with played a Jazz Bass, because of Larry Graham,
so when I started playing bass it was the only choice.
MV:
You've played with the great and underrated organist Shirley
Scott. That seems unusual as most Jazz organists traditionally
cover the bass themselves. What was that experience like? Do you have
any thoughts on her passing?
VB: I can't claim to have played with Shirley so much. After
I moved to New York I always went to Philly to visit my family and
I always went out to the clubs. I used to hang out at a great club
called Ortliebs, which is still there today, and Shirley always asked
me to come up and play. And oddly enough all of those times she played
piano. And she was great too! Of course her passing was very sad.
Back in the seventies when my father was producing a lot he often
used Duck Scott, Shirley and Stanley Turrentine's son, on drums. And
my uncle Donald Bailey played drums on all the old Jimmy Smith records
with Stanley. So my connection to them is deeper than music. Shirley
was family. And knowing that she died as a result of using something
like a diet drug is so heartwrenching, because she was so vibrant
up until that point.
MV:
What prompted your moving to the West Coast? Can you comment on the
difference in the music scene in LA as opposed to Philadelphia or
even New York?
VB: I simply moved to LA because after eighteen years in New
York I just needed a change. The difference between New York and LA
is that LA is more of a "business" town. They aren't streching
the parameters, or trying to create some fresh energy like they are
in New York. On the other hand, cats are living very well in LA, living
in nice houses and surviving very comfortably. But musically, with
the exception of a few cats there's no comparison. And some folks
won't like this statement, but you can't compare Philly to New York
or LA. Philly has a great local music scene, but NY and LA are the
foundations of the international music scene. Philly is a great city
to come from but if you really want to accomplish something in jazz
you have to leave. Of course there are plenty who have done well while
still living there, but most just remain at that local level, business
and playing-wise.
MV:
You have a very close relationship with 2 giants of the drums, Omar
Hakim and Dennis Chambers. As a rhythm section partner can you elaborate
on their approaches or feels and how that affects you as a player?
VB: I'm not really affected by the drummer if he has good time
and a great feel. I always play the way I play. Dennis' touch is a
lot heavier than Omar's but they both have incredible finesse, great
time, creativity and feel, so I don't feel that much different playing
with either one. They're both very powerful, and you can just sit
on top and go along for the ride. Of course I like to take them on
a little ride too! What makes a great rhythm section is when you don't
have to think. If the drummer and bass player can just be themselves,
and know that wherever they go the other one will be right there with
you, then you have something special. With Omar and Dennis I don't
have to think, I can just play.
MV:
You seem on the verge of major success as a leader. Can you talk about
your new CD? Why did you choose this time in your career to release
it?
VB:
My new cd [That's Right, pictured left] is focused a little
more on the music than just a bunch of bass playing. I intended to
make a more bass oriented record but the "bass" tunes I
had didn't measure up to the rest of the music. I hate those records
with a bunch of bass solos and no real MUSIC so I made a different
kind of record this time. But the record has Omar, Lenny White, Bennie
Maupin, Jim Beard, Dean Brown and Bill Evans, so it's pretty good
music. And there's still plenty of bass for the "bassheads"
out there. I didn't choose to wait so long make records, the music
industry chose that for me. If it were up to me I'd have ten CDs by
now. After I made my first CD, "Bottom's Up" in 1989, smooth
jazz became the big thing and that's all the labels wanted from me.
And nothing against smooth jazz but that's just not my thing. I'd
been looking for a deal for all those years and it took my this long
to find one.
MV:
Who plays on it? Who's in the touring band and how long is the current
tour going to be?
VB: Because I'm a new artist the band has been changing, because
I don't have enough going yet to lock a band down. Three tours ago
was Kenny Garrett, Dennis Chambers, Jim Beard and Dave Fuiczinsky.
The next tour I had Jim, Dean Brown on guitar, Bennie Maupin on sax
and Poogie Bell on drums. The next tour will be Jim Beard, Bennie
Maupin, David Gilmore on guitar and a phenomenal young drummer by
the name of Chris Dave on drums, who plays with Kenny Garrett and
the multi platinum R&B group Mint Condition.
MV:
You're developing a signature J bass with Fender. What will that be
like? When can we expect it in stores?
VB: The Fender Victor Bailey Jazz Bass will be in stores by
the time this is published. The orders after the last NAMM show were
incredible! Basically it's a very finely crafted Jazz Bass. The body
has a koa wood top, which is midrangy, rosewood middle which is trebly,and
mahogany back which is bottomy, so it has all the necessary frequencies
before you plug it in. The pickups are the new Fender noiseless pickups
which are very natural and transparent sounding. The neck is in between
a Jazz and Precision width. I like the thinness of a Jazz bass neck
but I don't like it to thin at the first few frets. So it's a fraction
of an inch wider there. The preamp is designed by Michael Frank Braun
of Fender and myself. We basically fine tuned it to function only
in frequency ranges that you actually use in performance. It's designed
to help you tune the sound to the room you're playing in, more than
trying to create the sound with the eq, which is my concept of playing
the instrument anyway.
The Victor Bailey
Signature Jazz Bass from Fender
[for full specs and the story behind the making of the bass,
please visit Victor's
pages on The Fender Website]
MV:
At this point in your career how important is practicing to you? What
kinds of things do you still work on?
VB:
Practicing will always be important to me. I don't have the raw enthusiam
for it that I had when I was younger, but I recognize that if I don't
practice my playing just doesn't flow as well. I don't realy practice
as much as I just play now. I spend my time trying to find good sounding
pieces of music on the bass more than working on techniques or speed.
But I'm not saying that's what everyone should do.Some cats still
need to do some scales and things before they try to move on.
MV:
You have a very long and close friendship with Joe Zawinul from Weather
Report through the Joe Zawinul Syndicate. He seems like a very brilliant
and enigmatic figure. What is your working relationship like? How
involved were you in the development of the bass parts?
VB: My relationship with Joe is just great. He's been much
more than a musical mentor, he's a true father figure. I first played
with him with Weather Report when I was nineteen years old so he's
seen me grow into a man. He's always talked to me about life more
than music. We respect each other as people so that makes our musical
relationship an easy one. As far as bass parts go Joe always has a
bassline, or should I say bass vibe, but he encourages you to add
your personality. The great thing about Joe is he always wants the
musicians to interpret the music. He knows how to take what you have
and use that to determine where you should go. The end result ends
up being what he's looking for,and at the same time very much your
own parts.
MV:
What advice do you have for the aspiring bass player given your experience
both as a sideman and as a leader?
VB: The best advice I have for any young musician is to learn
as much as you can and develop as many different things on your instrument
as you can. Everyone's dream is to play exactly the music you want,
the way you want. But you never know what will happen. You want to
give yourself the best chance for success possible. You do this by
being ready for any situation that comes along. At the same time though,
never lose sight of your own dreams and never give up. And most of
all practice every day.
| Victor
Bailey boldly walked through the door opened by Jaco and Stanley,
only to discover that most of us had chickened out and fled
the neighborhood. He took soloing on the electric bass to new
heights and pushed groove playing a few notches, as well, with
his unique elastic feel—while all around him smooth jazz
became the rage. Undaunted, he honed his playing, composing,
arranging and painting skills (he’s quite the talent with
brush and canvas) to become one of bassdom’s most singular
artists. His two recent albums and new solo career direction
are proof that the best is yet to come. He’s also a really
cool guy to hang out with! Chris
Jisi, Bass Player
[see our April
2002 interview with Chris] |
Huge
thanks to Victor for doing the interview!
For
Additional Information on Victor Bailey
ESC
Records
Lots of great info and photos! Includes discography, news, archives,
bio, album information, sound clips and more.
The
Official Victor Bailey Website
Well, it's being built at the moment, but please bookmark the URL
and check back soon! [www.VictorBailey.com]
Victor's
CDs on Amazon.com
Get yourself a copy of Victor's "That's
Right" and "Low
Blow" on Amazon.com!
Fender's
BassStreet.com Feature on Victor's Jazz Bass
Victor talks about the making of his signature Jazz Bass with the
folks at Fender!
