Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legemdary Bassist James Jamerson: Bass Guitar Songbook | Intermediate to Advanced Bass Techniques with Book and Online Audio |

This is a very interesting book. The story of Motown and James Jamerson is very well told. The sheets for the songs are great. And it's fun to hear the stories about James, presented from a lot of different musicians on the cd's. I got very inspired by this book - and I'm not even that into Motown music. If you don't own it already, you should by it right away.

James Jamerson was arguably the first electric bassist who really explored the potential of the Fender bass. As a member of the Funk Brothers he played on just about every Motown track up until the early 1970's. At some point during late 1966 better recording technology (a sixteen track desk!) pushed his lines further forward in the mix and seemed to coax him into creating syncopated 16th note flurries that few other players could match. Although well paid he did not receive a single credit until Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On'. Motown's move to L.A. and a well documented alcohol problem hampered his later career and after his death in 1983 another well respected bassist, Carol Kaye made spurious claims that she was the originator of much of Jamerson's work. This book contains a biography as well as transcriptions and recordings of Jamerson's best lines and should be essential reading for anyone who loves Motown or bass guitar. Be aware there are no tabs; you'll need to be able to read from the bass clef.

This book is ideal for bass players or anyone interested in the history of popular music. Half history of Motown and Jamerson's role in 60s pop music, other half sheet music of his bass parts with online link to recordings.

A great tribute to a real musical genius, a must-have for every seriously-practicing bass player. The music is beautiful, and the transcriptions are accurate ! But this is not really for beginners though (and sight-reading is required)... Allan Slutsky, the author, did a great job on this one, and if you are a funk lover, you should check his book about James Brown music Funkmasters: The Great James Brown Rhythm Sections, 1960-73: For Guitar, Bass and Drums

Fascinating description of the master's life and good tabs...

Wonderful book for those players who are big fans of James Jamerson. I was put onto this by a fellow player, and he's dead right, it's a hugely useful book for sight-reading practice as well as studying the great man.

I love this book for showing me what he used to play and why. You do need to be able to read music though. There is no tab just the sheet music. A good read as well.

IF you play bass guitar then this is almost required reading. The CDs included with the book give you his bass parts to lots of famous Motown songs and you also have the music written out in stave format. Excellent.

A great to read again and again, a flawed genius but a once in a lifetime bass player, a part of one of the greatest house bands,THE FUNK BROTHERS.From the great days of Motown,James Jamerson would have been a great player in any era.A must read for any bass player, James passed away to soon. KTF.

Da aspirante bassista e appassionato di basso ho trovato questo volume estremamente interessante. Utili anche le partiture su di una vasta selezione di brani suonati da James Jamerson. Contenuti multimediali allegati facilmente accessibili online.

Es un libro casi que de obligada adquisición para cualquier bajista. Ahí empezó todo para mi gusto. Mas que recomendable su compra!

Amazing! Essential for anyone learning or already playing bass.

This book and CD combination examines the music of James Jamerson, the studio bassist on most of the early Motown hits. Until rather recently, Jamerson was unknown to the general public and not widely known to musicians. Nonetheless, his playing was very influential and many bassists today consider his playing the gold standard of bass guitar in popular music. This book is valuable as a reference for the history of Motown, but it is primarily a teaching tool. It is organized into three parts. The first 78 pages give a biography of Jamerson and put his work into historical context. Part two (17 pages) is a compilation of data: descriptions of bass equipment, recording facilities, accompanists, and discography. Also included in this section is a four page "Appreciation of Style" by Anthony Jackson that attempts to analyze the musical elements that made Jamerson unique. Part three contains 90 pages of transcriptions of Jamerson bass lines and accompanying text. The transcriptions go with the CDs described below. The CDs and transcriptions are the heart of the set. The CDs feature Motown tunes with the bass lines played by over two dozen "all-star" bassists (e.g Marcus Miller, Jack Bruce, John Entwistle). Bass is on the left channel with instrumental accompaniment on the right. The bass lines are transcribed by the author and the transcriptions are accompanied by short bios of the artists who play the lines. The tracks on the CDs are interspersed with short interviews of people who knew Jamerson. The artists reportedly donated their services as a tribute to Jamerson and the bass lines and accompaniment were recorded in a variety of circumstances. Many tracks are recorded in home studios. The quality varies, but all tracks are well played and all are useful teaching tools. I thought the variation of sounds would be a drawback, but it is a very interesting part of the project. The best Precision Bass tones are not necessarily from the artists you would expect. (Not everyone tries to duplicate Jamerson's tone. Geddy Lee was approached backstage at a concert and contributed "Get Ready" on either a Steinberger or a Rickenbacker. Lots of fun.) The level of the transcriptions is somewhat advanced. Transcriptions are given in traditional bass staff (no tab) and the rhythms will give your reading skills a workout. There are very few specific comments about fingering, right-hand technique, or damping. Yet the range of difficulty is from dead simple (beautifully rendered) line to lines that will challenge the most advanced player. (The challenge is rhythm and feel not lots of note or big stretches.) Beginning to intermediate players can use this book, but will benefit greatly by using it with the help of a good teacher. One can quibble with the historical overview. It is quite readable, but doesn't dig deeply into any of the tough issues it raises (e.g. Jamerson's drinking and emotional stability, Berry Gordy's business practices). Since the focus is on the music, some of this reticence is laudable. However, one important musical controversy that the author fails to pursue is the question of the true credit for recorded bass lines in the era when Motown was moving from Detroit to LA. (Many tracks were demoed by LA studio bassists and then cut by Jamerson as well. There is still debate as to which track made it to the final recording. The question is acknowledged, but no new information is brought forth.) Another musical deficit is that there is very little about the interplay between Jamerson and other members of the rhythm section. (This is in contrast to the author's better-written (if slightly less important) book on the James Brown rhythm sections.) Even with those minor issues considers, this is an extremely valuable book. It is clearly a labor of love and will be an extremely valuable learning tool for any bassist with the fundamental skills (or support) necessary to ap