Part One.

Melvin Gibbs: Bio +  MySpace + Facebook +  Twitter

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Doing this was a great pleasure of mine. Meeting and getting to know Melvin, know of his influences, and recording those stories are priceless. This is how music conversations should happen.

Melvin Gibbs: Bio +  MySpace + Facebook +  Twitter

Part Two + Part Three

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If you’ve missed it: Part One and Part Two.

Yossi Fine: [Bio] [Albums] [Tour Dates] [MySpace]

Emon: What’s your most memorable:

a) collaboration

Yossi: Working at the Gil Evans orchestra, in NY, from 85 till 91- it was the best place to collaborate with so many great musicians at the same time, he had the best guys and it all went under his vibe, but ther would be so much freedom, and yet it always was magical

b) live performance

Yossi:  With Lou Reed opening for U2 in 87.  It was as big as it can get , without being u2!

c) studio session

Yossi: With David Bowie, that was in 95, and it was very inspiring for me. It was about making the songs travel.

d) song-writing session

Yossi:  With lots of the artists I produce, or on my records, I like the Jamaican approach to song writing, it has a lot to do with the delivery, and on the spot, live take.

Emon: How has technology effected your music, in terms of writing, recording, and performing? How has technology opened up avenues for you you wouldn’t have dreamed of, or considered a few years ago.

Yossi: At this point it’s all about the technology. I can finaly loop my self on stage with great control over details, as well as manipulating samples from the computer with my feet.  That wasnt possible till a few years ago.

Emon: How has your playing evolved over the years technique-wise?

Yossi: I became a much simpler bassist, wit big emphasis on the bass tones. To get as deep as possible, and make one note sound great at every moment and not about speed or intricate note playing.

Emon: What 5 things should bass players remember when playing in a band, playing live, and recording?

Yossi:

1. Make it feel great, by any means.
2. Leave lots of space, on some level, like sound, notes.
3. Make the singer sound great. Also the drummer.
4. If you don’t sound good, it’s your responsibility, so be in charge of your sound.
5. Be very open to change your approach. Someone else might have a beter bassline for you than you.

Emon: What is your gear set-up for recording and live performance these days?

Yossi:  I use lots of different sound pedals. I love collecting them and so I have all kinds of sound possibilities next to me. A loop station, and always have great bass amps around. But it’s not a must. Some times you have to deal without an amp. I also have a massive ProTools studio with lots of great gear, like Neve, Api and Avalone channels.

Emon: What are you listening to these days? Why do you like them?

Yossi: There is not one thing that I listen to- I like some dub step stuff, and gospel, contemporary stuff. It got great musicians on that. I listen to a lot of firfernt DJ mixes, but I dont know the name of the artists. A good track is a good track as far as artists. I love Gnarles Barkley; Very very original, and yet very rooted.

Emon: Which 4 musicians, dead or alive, would you jam with? And why?

Yossi:

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Jeff Beck
3. Miles Davis
4. Fred Wesley
5. Herbie Hancock

Emon: What are you working on now?

Yossi: Basically I’m rediscovering lots of recordings of stuff I wrote or produced, and recorded. There are great musicians on them and I’m sorting what stuff to use for my upcoming live and studio record. Also I would end up working with more different musicians on it. It’s going to be interesting ,

Emon: Any comments on the current music scene and business?

Yossi: I love the bass movement that’s happening in the West coast, like breaks. Also the stuff coming from England and Europe in the electronic music scene. It’s progressive, and it’s not so retro at all.  Also there are great producers everywhere, you just got to keep your ears open, as far as the buisness, it’s becoming more available for every artist to put his thing out, the music industry is going through a major change, but the major companies will still rule. But there is more chances for other stuff to be heard.

Emon: What’s exciting?

Yossi: The future,

What’s not?

Yossi: The 80s.

This following track is my favorite from the festival.

Balla Tounkara: [Bio] [Music] [MySpace] [Tour] [Free mp3]

Yossi Fine: [Bio] [Albums] [Tour Dates] [MySpace]

Emon: Do you remember the first piece of music you’d heard as a child that had an impact on you? Why do you think it did?

Yossi: Deep Purple’s Fireball. I was 6 then and it totally rocked my energy. It was like speed metal, the first time!

Emon: What were you exposed to as a child in your house? In terms of books,television, movies, etc. Do you come from a musical family?

Yossi: My father played some folk and flamenco guitar, my mom was a singer who was listening to soul, rock and good music like Jazz Rock and Reggae, that came from my Caribbean side of the family, in France. But I grew up in Israel, so that by it self is an angle.

Emon: Why the bass? How did you find it, or how did it find you?

Yossi: I was a guitar player from the age of 4 and by the time I got to be 16 I was in a Funk/Rock band as the 2nd guitarist, but we couldn’t find a bassist for the first show, so I got a bass from a friend and became the bassist. It felt like home and I got great feedback from the crowd cuz I thumped the bass hard.

Emon: Can you talk about some of the difficulties you’ve had learning the instrument? What were you good at from the beginning and what were you struggling with? How did you overcome the latter?

Yossi: It was the thumb slap thing that I was very strong at. It took me very far around the world,and I had to make my basic bass playing become as good, if not better. So it took time, and lots of great gigs were I had to rise for the part. It’s a great way to learn, I find.

Emon: What aspects of playing the bass were you practicing a lot? Did you have a routine you went through? How long would you practice per day?

Yossi: I practiced slap a lot when I started playing bass; I wanted to be the best. That was during early 80s, slap was very hip back then. But then I saw some NY musicians and started practicing very deep, like all day. The bass was on me and I would go places, DJ, friends, and do many gigs. But the bass was always on me for that ear, and I got deep into scales, just to get the chops right and become faster.

Emon: What are 3 of the best tips you’ve learned:

a) from someone who plays the bass

Yossi: I guess how to control your hands and mind, that was Rael Wesley Grant. He is a very intense bass artist from NY.

b) someone who doesn’t

Yossi: Women, and dancing crowds. I started noticing women responding to the deep sound and how it made them move, and that is more real then any musician’s comment.

c) and from yourself.

Yossi: To play my self at the moment. It’s about the expression and delivery that a live person can still generate.

Emon: What was the first composition you wrote? How did you work through that process? Is the process much different now than it was that first time?

Yossi: I always wrote funk grooves, since I can remember. I would record my self, muti-tracking from tape to tape and such. All those years later I do the same thing, but this time on stage. But in the studio you can get into details. Technology today is so great that it is a much broader picture than it was back then, but it’s the same thing.

Emon: Your list of collaborations with other musicians is noteworthy. Why do you think so many of them – covering various genres – want to work with you?

Yossi: I love connecting with people on a musical level. Good musicians are always on that frequency. So as long as you send a clear vibe trough the music and playing, you will always get noticed and work with another good musician. (Concludes Friday with another video.)

Second video from the festival.

Check out Part 1.

I’ve tried reaching out to all the bands who played at the African Guitar Festival, hoping to interview them. Yossi’s the only one who responded and gave me an interview. He’s been extra cool. And extra cool people deserve more coverage on this blog.

The following video is a warm-up, if you will, and will follow two more on the 15th and 16th accompanied by the interview.

Tune is edited for length. All videos recorded at the fest were my trusty Panasonic GS180. Have you caught any of his performances?

All I could get from this was ‘Emiliana’. So if you know who he is, please leave a comment.