What is funk? Bassist Reggie Young (Apollo Theater, Alicia Keys) and KJ (‪@TheOddysy‬) get together to talk about a question that defies all answers. You know how they say it's hard to define pornography but you know it when you see it? The same thing goes for Funk. As Reggie says, you can find the funk in any kind of music. It's an X-Factor, a mysterious ingredient that makes you want to move when you hear it. But a textbook definition? Don't bother writing one-the world will go on just fine without it.
KJ and Reggie start out by talking about Reggie's first solo record, Young Street. When music writers write about that record they tend to call it Funk. But what makes it funky? It's a hard thing to describe, but an easy thing for Reggie Young to demonstrate. It's James Brown's jumpin on the 1. It's Jaco's relentless 16th-note grooves. And it's a feeling you can get from rock, salsa and just about any other kind of music, as long as that music is being played by people who know how to find the pocket and stay there.
Ok, it's undefinable. Fine. But, KJ asks, how did you develop your groove? How did the great Reggie Young get great (and funky)? It turns out that Young's brother (one of 3, plus 4 sisters: "all musical," says Young) had a yellow Fender Mustang bass and some mighty big Peavey amps. Reggie started on drums (always a good thing for a bass player) and then picked up that Fender and started putting his thumb down in a funky way. One of the brothers then bestowed unto Reggie one of the greatest gifts known to bassdom: School Days by Mr. Stanley Clarke. Well, that was the straw that broke the camel's groove. Goodbye drums, hello bass guitar.
The key to Reggie's fantastic feel, however, didn't come from just listening to great records, but from playing along with them for hours on end. "I would record myself playing along to the record." remembers Young. "I wanted to play exactly what the bass player on the record was playing." As it turns out, that's a good way to get your feel together. Sure, you can spend hours with the metronome, and that is always helpful. But it's not the end of the story. The story continues throughout the entirety of a musical career, listening carefully to find out what moves you, and then finding out why and how to replicate it. Ask any great musician and they'll agree.
Reggie Young and KJ have been premier Epifani Artists for many years. They both use a selection of Piccolo and UL 901 bass amps, and DIST dual-impedance bass speaker cabinets. You can catch KJ on the new Public Enemy record, What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down. And you can see and hear Reggie Young at the Apollo Theater playing with myriad super-talented artists. Look for a new records from Reggie Young soon, as well as from KJ's band, ‪@TheOddysy‬.
Audio/Video by 23b Productions
Filmed at La Bella Strings / The Guitar Shop NYC in Brooklyn, New York.
Special thanks to Nick Epifani, Reggie Young, and Eric Coco