Gaetano Sacco's passion for music has only grown since he first fell in love with rock and roll at a young age. A talented bassist, Gaetano can truly appreciate the sheer talent and creativity exhibited by some of the great musicians, past and present. Here is his list of the top ten greatest bass players of all time.

1. THE GREATEST BASS PLAYERS
OF ALL TIME
GAETANO SACCO

2. THE BASS, NO MATTER WHAT
KIND OF MUSIC YOU’RE
PLAYING, IT JUST ENHANCES
THE SOUND AND MAKES
EVERYTHING SOUND MORE
BEAUTIFUL AND FULL. WHEN
THE BASS STOPS, THE BOTTOM
KIND OF DROPS OUT OF
EVERYTHING…
Charlie Haden

3. MUSIC FANS CAN NEVER SEEM TO AGREE…
WHO IS THE GREATEST BASS PLAYER OF ALL TIME?
The question almost always yields a heated debate, ripe with
a variety of musicians worthy of the title.
Whether it’s technical proficiency, phrasing, tone, or fitting in
perfectly within the context of a song, there are plenty of
reasons to adorn someone with the title of “one of the
greatest bass players” …ever

4. HERE IS MY LIST OF THE
TOP TEN GREATEST BASS
PLAYERS
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER,

5. GRAMMY AWARD WINNER, COMPOSER, CONDUCTOR, AND PRODUCER
STANLEY CLARKE
Clarke is an American jazz musician
and bass playing legend from
Philadelphia. Watching Stanley Clarke
slapping on a double bass remains
one of my all-time influential bass
moments. Clarke made a name for
himself in the 70’s when he joined
legendary jazz and fusion pianist
Chick Corea to form the group Return
to Forever. He is truly one of the
greats.

6. MY INTRODUCTION TO JACO WAS BY
MEANS OF BASS PLAYER FOLKLORE.
“EVER HEARD OF THIS GUY WHO REMOVED
HIS FRETS AND REFINISHED THE
FRETBOARD WITH MARINE EPOXY?” ONCE I
HEARD HIS USE OF HARMONICS AND
CHORDS, I WAS SOLD. AS A PART OF THE
WEATHER REPORT RHYTHMIC BACKBONE,
JACO CONTINUED TO BUILD ON HIS
LEGACY THROUGHOUT THE 70’S AND 80’S.
THOUGH HE PASSED AT THE YOUNG AGE OF
35, PASTORIOUS’ WORK WOULD GO ON TO
INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION OF
GREATS.
Jaco Pastorious

7. VICTOR WOOTEN
WOOTEN IS ARGUABLY THE GREATEST TO EVER
PLAY THE INSTRUMENT. HIS TECHNICAL PROWESS
WILL SIMPLY LEAVE YOU IN DISBELIEF. RAISED BY
A FAMILY OF MUSICIANS, IT IS EASY TO SEE HOW
VICTOR WOOTEN WAS ABLE TO REACH SUCH
HEIGHTS OF VIRTUOSITY. THE YOUNGEST OF 5
SIBLINGS, ALL OF WHICH WERE GIFTED
MUSICIANS, WOOTEN BEGAN PLAYING BASS AT
THE AGE OF TWO. BY THE TIME HE WAS 6, VICTOR
WAS ALREADY PLAYING AND TOURING WITH THE
FAMILY BAND, “THE WOOTEN BROTHERS BAND.”
KNOWN FOR IMPECCABLE SLAP AND FINGERSTYLE
TECHNIQUES, WOOTEN HAS GONE ON TO RECEIVE
WORLD-WIDE RECOGNITION FOR HIS ABILITIES.
ACCOLADES INCLUDE GRAMMY WINNER, BASS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR (X3), AND VOTED A TOP 10
BASSIST OF ALL-TIME BY ROLLING STONE.

8. THE ONE WHO GAVE US THE FUNK…
BOOTSY COLLINS
Few musicians have been able to take
their instruments and identity to new
heights the way Bootsy did. Quite
simply, Bootsy Collins is funk music.
Complemented by an out-of-this-
world personality and trademark star
glasses, Bootsy’s legendary bass lines
and humorous vocals have thumped
their way into the roots of American
music history.

9. CLAYPOOL IS EASILY RECOGNIZED AS
ONE OF THE MOST PROFICIENT AND
CREATIVE BASS PLAYERS IN MODERN
MUSIC. LISTEN TO ANY PRIMUS
ALBUM AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND
WHY LES CLAYPOOL EXPLODED ONTO
THE SCENE THE WAY HE AND HIS
FELLOW BANDMATES DID. KNOWN
MOSTLY BY HIS CARL THOMPSON
BASSES, CLAYPOOL PLAYS A VARIETY
OF FRETTED, FRETLESS, UPRIGHT,
AND ELECTRIC BASSES.
Les Claypool

10. MARCUS MILLER
WHILE MOST PEOPLE WILL KNOW
MARCUS MILLER FROM HIS
IMPRESSIVE SOLO CAREER, HE IS
ALSO A VIRTUOSO BEHIND THE
SCENES AND HAS PLAYED WITH A
NUMBER OF FAMOUS MUSICIANS
SUCH AS MILES DAVIS, HERBIE
HANCOCK, AND LUTHER
VANDROSS, AMONGST OTHERS. HE
IS ALSO AN ACCOMPLISHED
MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, SIMPLY
ADDING TO HIS PROWESS.

11. THE INVENTOR OF SLAPPING
LARRY GRAHAM
Have you heard of Sly and the Family
Stone? Larry Graham was the bassist
for the band as well as the founder
and frontman of Graham Central
Station. He is also credited as the
inventor of the slapping technique,
which was a radical shift in the way
bass was played and allowed for
more notes to be used.

12. EVERYONE KNOWS PAUL
MCCARTNEY AND RIGHTLY SO —
THE MAN WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN
ONE OF THE GREATEST BANDS TO
EVER EXIST, THE BEATLES. ALONG
WITH HIS SUCCESSFUL SOLO
CAREER, HE HELPED PROVE THAT
BASSISTS WERE VITAL TO THEIR
BANDS AND COULD BE
ACCOMPLISHED SINGERS AND
SONGWRITERS.
Paul McCartney

13. JAMES JAMERSON
THIS IS THE MAN WHO WAS
PLAYING BASS FOR ALMOST ALL
OF THE MOTOWN HITS IN THE 60’S
AND 70’S, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS
UNCREDITED. JAMERSON IS NOW
KNOWN AS ONE OF THE MOST
INFLUENTIAL BASS PLAYERS IN
MODERN HISTORY — HE WAS
FINALLY INDUCTED TO THE ROCK
AND ROLL HALL OF FAME IN
2000, 17 YEARS AFTER HE DIED.

14. THE GENRE-BREAKING JAZZ ARTIST
CHARLES MINGUS
Aside from have a great last name,
Charles Mingus was an influential
double bass player and bandleader.
He created genre-breaking jazz and
promoted collective improvisation
amongst his band members. Along
with his skill with the bass and with
composing, he is known for having a
vicious temper.

15. HTTP://GAETANOSACCOMUSIC.COM
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