After such a long layoff from the bass, one of the things I have been using to rebuild technique is to learn songs/grooves that were previously unknown to me. One of the best musical styles (for me, at least) for doing this is R&B. R&B is bass/drums music through and through. For example, consider of all of the great Motown bass lines from Bob Babbitt and James Jamerson.
One of the songs I’ve always kicked myself for not learning is “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder. The iconic horn line gets most of the attention but the percolating groove by bassist Nate Watts is just as ear-grabbing. Besides, Watts is right there with the rest of the band doubling the horn line on his bass.
While I’m still working on getting “Sir Duke” under my fingers I decided to take a peek on YouTube to see if there were any bass cover versions of the tune. There are several, but this version takes the cake. Nailed it!
Sundry musings from the heartland 