Great rhythm sections

[laurie]

We've done great drummers (the thread I started a few years back is going strong, nice to see). There was also a thread about Great bass players. What about great rhythm sections? Mainly bass and drums but you can add percussion(ists) if you want. These guys really get the job done. Some of my favourite rhythm sections over the years include:

Sting and Stewart Copeland
Stanley Clarke and Stewart Copeland
Mark Egan and Danny Gottlieb
Jaco Pastorius and Peter Erskine
Victor Bailey and Omar Hakim
Victor Bailey and Peter Erskine
Tracy Wormworth and Cindy Blackman
Ron Carter and Tony Williams
Rufus Reid and Jack DeJohnette
Jeff Berlin and Bill Bruford
Mark King and Phillip Gould
Bunny Brunel and Dennis Chambers
Will Lee and Steve Gadd
Jimmy Haslip and William Kennedy
Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum
Anthony Jackson and Steve Jordan

And yours?

[Ducatista47]

Hands down in Rock for me, Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki of Big Country. Krunchy can chronicle their session work with Pete Townshend better than I. Tony and Martin Chambers on The Pretenders' Back On The Chain Gang and My City Was Gone certainly got my attention too.

Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman produced a unique vibe. Watts is a Jazz aficionado and his timing is spot on come hell or high water. Bill plays a touch late and the combination has just enough drag to be propulsive and swing at the same time. It is, I feel, the key to the "Stones sound."

Being a big fan of Alt Rock of the last two decades (PJ Harvey, I love you), Maureen Tucker and Sterling Morrison of Velvet Underground started it all rhythm section wise as far as I am concerned. Actually, Mo Tucker and whoever would play bass with her. Her kit and her style were unique and brought the concept of the rhythm section back to the basics. Where the later Punks thrashed and crashed their way through, Tucker innovated and dumped the gloss and artifice of playing drums in a band altogether. Catching them live in Chicago at a club was mesmerizing. To this day I dislike Rock drummers and bass players showing off. Get the f*cking job done and support the music is my philosophy. Leave the drum solos to Jack DeJohnette. Well, okay, and Bill Bruford if he would care to take one.

I can't argue with any of your Jazz picks. So much talent in Jazz, I couldn't narrow it down to a few picks. I do have to mention Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian with Bill Evans. They were the Marlon Brando of Jazz rhythm sections. There is a sharp line of demarcation; nothing was the same after them. As for the chorus of opinion that it was all LaFaro, they must not have heard anything Motian did in the rest of his long life.

[svollmer]

Here's some of mine.

John Paul Jones and John Bonham
Roger Glover and Ian Paice
Boz Burrell and Simon Kirke
John Deacon and Roger Taylor

[4313B]

Does this count?

Jamiroquai - Little L [Bass & Drum Cover]


BTW - I really like these threads.

[DavidF]

I could nominate:

Donald "Duck" Dunn and Al Jackson (Stax)

Larry Graham and Greg Errico (Sly Stone)

Mick Fleetwood and John McVie