About The Show
The Lowdown on the Low Notes
The McBass on Bass radio show highlights the best of bass in recorded music, profiles the famous and not-so-famous bass musicians, past and present, who hold down the bottom in all manner of music. We illuminate how fundamentally important bass is to the music we all enjoy. Your host Michael McBass has played bass for 50+ years and continues to play bass in most every form of music, enjoying collaborations with many musicians, in all settings from studio to stage.
Cecil McBee
First arriving in New York City in 1964 where he's remained one of the most in-demand bassists in jazz over a 5-decade-long career. Cecil McBee celebrated his 90th birthday on May 19th. We paid tribute to him on the May 18th episode.
Charlie Haden
A childhood polio survivor who turned down a college scholarship to pursue becoming a jazz bassist in the mid-1950’s..pioneering the "Free Jazz" movement with Ornette Coleman. We profiled his career on the Aug 17th episode.
Phil Lynott
"The Boys Are Back in Town" singer & bassist fronting the Irish band Thin Lizzy whose roller coaster career ended abruptly in 1985 at age 36. We listened to his bass playing on the August 31st episode.
Michael Rhodes
One of the most prolific but lesser known session bassists in contemporary recording...working primarily out of Nashville from the early 1970's until his passing in 2023...some of his discography was highlighted on the September 21st episode.