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Bass Grooves
Local musician Jon Liebman
shares knowledge in new book.
M
P hoto by Ran dy ZdroJ ews kl
eeting Gene Simmons — the
rock bassist, vocalist and
founder of the musical group
KISS — last month on a plane was a
unique experience for Jon Liebman. He
spoke with the Israeli performer — born
Chaim Witz — in Hebrew and talked
with him about the bass, something both
men know well.
Liebman, an award-
winning bassist, corn-
poser, arranger, author
and educator from West
Bloomfield, wrote the
recently released Bass
Grooves: The Ultimate
Collection, a thorough
reference of bass grooves
in different genres,
including Blues, Jazz,
Rock, Funk, R&B,
Reggae, Country and
Latin.
Jon Liebman
David Letterman's
bassist, Will Lee, who
wrote the foreword, calls it the most
important bass book since Standing in
the Shadows of Motown, written about
Motown Records session musicians.
In addition to Bass Grooves,
Liebman's four other method books
— focusing on different styles of bass
playing — sold more than 75,000
copies and have been translated into
English, German, French and Japanese.
All five books are published by Hal
Leonard Corporation and are part of
the Hal Leonard Bass Builders series.
Liebman also is the author of a book
of transcriptions of the music of fellow
bassist Stuart Hamm.
Holding both undergraduate and
graduate degrees in studio music and
jazz, Liebman has played electric bass
guitar and acoustic upright bass for
more than 30 years. He has performed
in settings from nationally broadcast
radio and TV shows to full-scale con-
certs at New York's Madison Square
Garden, L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium,
Tokyo's Suntory Hall and bullrings in
Central America.
He has supplied the bass tracks for
major recording projects for Ford,
General Motors and the National
Basketball Association. He performed
with Broadway shows like Dreamgirls,
Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof and
Phantom of the Opera and with musical
acts, including Amy Grant, the Drifters,
the Fifth Dimension, Julio Iglesias, Cleo
Laine, Jose Feliciano, Chita Rivera and
Theodore Bikel. Liebman's arrange-
ments have been performed on TV
shows including The Tonight Show and
The Late Show.
As chairman/CEO of the Specs
Howard School of Media
Arts in Southfield, his
highest priority remains
his active involvement
at the school and in
higher education. He
was appointed by Gov.
Jennifer Granholm to
the Michigan Higher
Education Authority
and by Oakland County
Executive L. Brooks
Patterson to the Oakland
County Business
Roundtable, Workforce
and Education
Committee. He serves as
vice chairman of the Washington D.C.-
based Career College Association.
Last summer, Liebman launched the
Web site www.forbassplayersonly.com .
"I designed it as a resource for bass
players who wanted bass news, forums,
a calendar of bass events, bass player
birthdays, new releases, reviews and
other information," he said. Subscribers
receive Liebman's "This Week in Bass
Player History" e-mail.
The site features bass books, CDs and
DVDs and weekly interviews Liebman
conducts with high-profile bass players,
including those from Whitesnake, Kenny
G, Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan and more.
Don't look for a Gene Simmons inter-
view, though, Liebman said, recalling that
plane ride. "When I asked if I could inter-
view him for my Web site, he said, 'I'm
not a fan of bass players; even though
he is one. After we got off the plane, I
asked him, in Hebrew, why he doesn't like
bass players. Without batting an eye, he
answered in English that unless they're
writing songs or singing, they're just in
the background." Of course, Liebman
takes issue with him and doesn't regard
Simmons' remarks the"kiss of death:'
For Bass Grooves: The Ultimate
Collection and other books
by Jon Liebman, go to www.
forbassplayersonly.com.
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November 12 • 2009
59