El incomparable James Jamerson

Durante los años sesenta grabó entre muchos otros más con: Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Los Jackson Five, Diana Ross, The Supremes, etc. A diferencia de las estrellas para quien grababan, los Funk Brothers nunca adquirieron renombre, pasando desapercibidos para el p˙blico en general. Nunca grabaron bajo su propio nombre, con la excepción de un disco de versiones instrumentales de los Èxitos que habÌan ayudado a crear y bajo el nombre de ìEarl Van Dyke And The Soul Brothers Albumî (no se uso la palabra ìFunkî porque no querÌa asociarse a Motown). En los años 70 Jamerson se trasladó a la costa oeste de EEUU sin los Funk Brothers, como parte de la reestructuración de Motown. Por desgracia, esta aventura acabó en fracaso. Los momentos mágicos de Detroit no volvieron a repetirse y Jamerson puso su talento al servicio de otros artistas fuera de Motown: Tom Jones, Robert Palmer, Joan Baez, Bill Withers y a grabar bandas sonoras para pelÌculas y televisión (es el quien toca la lÌnea de bajo de "los hombres de Harrelson" una de mis favoritas). Se le puede oÌr en cerca de treinta números uno en la decada de los setenta. La muerte de su amigo y baterÌsta Benny Benjamin fue un gran golpe para Èl. El alcohol mermÛ paulatinamente sus facultades, apartandole de la Èlite. En los ˙ltimos aÒos de su vida, Jamerson fue vÌctima de una profunda amargura, sintiendose maltratado y olvidado por la industria discogr·fica . Falleció de neumonÌa y cirrosis hepática el dos de agosto de 1983 en Los Angeles. Muchos que le conocieron dicen que murió de la pena que llevaba dentro. Diecisiete años despuÈs, en marzo del 2000 fue admitido en el Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, dentro del nuevo apartado para m˙sicos acompañantes (sidemen). Los mÌticos Leiber y Stoller hicieron los honores. Para aquellos de vosotros interesados en la vida y m˙sica de James Jamerson existe el libro ìStanding in the shadows of Motown: The life and music of legendary bassist James Jamersonî (Hal Leonard) gran trabajo recopilado y escrito por Allan Slutsky, ìDr Licksî. Este libro adem·s de una biografÌa muy extensa contiene mas de veinte transcripciones de lÌneas de Jamerson, interpretadas por todo un elenco de bajistas de Èlite. Solo está editado en inglÈs, que yo sepa. Existe también una edición deluxe con remezclas de los temas originales con la pista de Jamerson aislada. Asimismo se ha estrenado hace pocos años el documental "Standing In The Shadows of Motown", galardonado con dos Grammys. A raiz de este Èxito, los supervivientes de esa formación han regresado a los escenarios despues de treinta años con Bob Babbitt (otra leyenda de Motown) al bajo. Dada la dificultad de encontrar a Jamerson en los créditos he intentado hacer la discografÌa lo mas extensa posible. Aun asÌ está muy lejos de ser completa. Merece muchÌsimo la pena conseguir las grabaciones de estos temas, aunque algunas son dificiles de encontrar.

DISCOGRAFIA PARCIAL (Albumes). Aretha Franklin Aretha Arthur Adams Home Brew Bonnie Pointer (disco rojo, disco violeta) Bill Withers Making Friends Boz Scaggs Hits! Buddy Miles All the Faces of Buddy Miles Deborah Washington Any Way You Want It Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band Instant Coffey Dennis Wilson Pacific Ocean Blue Diana Ross Diana Ross Diana Ross And The Supremes Love Child, Diana Ross And The Supremes Join The Temptations Dirk Hamilton At Last Edwin Starr Hell up in Harlem Geoff Muldaur Motion Gladys Knight And The Pips Everybody Needs Love Hamilton, Joe Frank & Dennison Love & Conversation High Inergy Shoulda Gone Dancin' Houston Person The Real Thing Hubert Laws Land of Passion Isley Brothers This Old Heart Of Mine Jackie Wilson Higher And Higher, Jerry Butler The Power Of Love, Soul Goes On Jimmy Ponder White Room Joan Baez From Every Stage Joe Sample with David T. Walker Swing Street CafÈ John Handy Carnival Jr Walker And The All Stars Home Cooking, Shotgun, Road Runner Lamont Dozier Right There

Martha And The Vandellas Heat Wave, Dance Party Martha Reeves Martha Reeves Marvin Gaye Moods Of Marvin Gaye, I Heard It Through The Grapevine,What's Going On , Let's Get It On, Live 1974 Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell United Mary Wells My Guy Paul Butterfield Put It in Your Ear Quincy Jones I Heard That! Robert Palmer Pressure Drop Shirley Bassey Nobody Does It Like Me Shorty Long Here Comes The Judge Smokey Robinson Away We A Go Go, Love Breeze Stevie Wonder Down to Earth, Uptight , I Was Made to Love Her, Someday at Christmas, Eivets Rednow... Alfie, For Once in My Life, Greatest Hits (1968) My Cherie Amour, Live at the Talk of the Town, Signed, Sealed & Delivered, Live Stevie Wonder

Where I'm Coming From, Fulfillingness' First Finale Terry Callier Turn You to Love The Crusaders Street Life The Dramatics Shake It Well The Four Tops Second Album, On Top, Reach Out, Still Waters Run Deep, Nature Planned It The Jackson Five Third Album The Marvelettes The Marvelous Marvelettes The Mighty Clouds of Joy Changing Times The Pointer Sisters Special Things, Having a Party The Spinners Second Time Around The Supremes The Supremes A Go Go, The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland The Temptations The Tempting Temptations, Getting Ready, With A Lot Oí Soul, Cloud Nine, Truly for You Wah Wah Watson Elementary Water & Power Water & Power Standing in the Shadows of Motown: EdiciÛn de lujo BSO. Bandas Sonoras: Cooley High, Tema de Starsky y Hutch, Tema de SWAT (Los Hombres de Harrelson). TEMAS GRABADOS POR JAMES JAMERSON (una vez mas la lista es parcial, algunos temas son reclamados por otros bajistas de la Època. Los temas en negrita son de escucha muy recomendada): A Place In The Sun - Stevie Wonder. Agent Double O Soul - Edwin Starr. Ain't To Proud To Beg ñ Temptations. Ain't No Mountain High Enough (2 grabaciones) - Marvin Gaye/Tammy Terrell, Diana/Supremes.Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing - Marvin Gaye/Tammy Terrell. Aint That Peculiar - Ain't That Asking For Trouble - Stevie Wonder All in the Game - Four Tops Angie Girl - Stevie Wonder. Ask The Lonely - Four Tops. My Girl ñ Temptations. Baby I Need Your Loving - Four Tops. Bernadette - 4 Tops. Beauty Is Only Skin Deep ñTemptations. Boogie Fever ñ The Sylvers. Boom Boom ñ John Lee Hooker. Can I Get A Witness - Marvin Gaye. Cloud Nine ñ Temptations. Come ëRound Here (Iím The One You Need) - Smokey Robinson And The Miracles. Come See About Me ñ Diana Ross/Supremes. Contract On Love ñ Stevie Wonder. Cool Jerk - The Capitols. Dancing In The Streets - Martha & The Vandellas. Darling Dear ñ The Jackson Five. Don't Mess With Bill - The Marvelettes. Every Time I See You I Go Wild - Stevie Wonder (de la reediciÛn Motown Legends). For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder. Fingertips (pt2)- Stevie Wonder. Get Ready ñ Temptations. Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue) ñ The Temptations. Going To A Go-Go - The Miracles. Groove Thang ñ Jr Walker. Heart Breaking Guy ñ Supremes. Heat Wave - Martha & The Vandellas. Hey Girl - Stevie Wonder. Hitch Hike - Marvin Gaye. Hold Me - Stevie Wonder. Home Cooking ñ Jr Walker And The All Stars. Honey Chile - Martha & the Vandellas. How Long Has That Evening Train Been Gone ñ Diana Ross/Supremes. How Sweet It Is - Marvin Gaye. I Can't Get Next To You ñ Temptations. I Get The Sweetest Feeling ñ Jackie Wilson. I Hear A Symphony ñ Diana Ross/Supremes. I Just Wanna Testify - The Parliaments. I Heard It Through The Grapevine (2 grabaciones) - Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight & Pips. (I Know) I'm Losing You ñ Temptations. I Second That Emotion - The Miracles. I Want A Love I Can Feel ñ Temptations. Itís A Shame ñ The Spinners. It's The Same Old Song - Four Tops. I Was Made To Love Her - Stevie Wonder. I Can't Help Myself - Four Tops. If I Were your Woman - Gladys Knight & The Pips. I'll Love You Forever - Edwin Starrs. I'll Turn To Stone - Four Tops. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me ñ Temptations. I'm Wondering - Stevie Wonder. It Takes Two - Marvin Gaye/Tammy Terrell. It's Growing - The Temptations. Jimmy Mack - Martha & The Vandellas. Just A Little Misunderstanding ñ The Contours. Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart ñ Diana Ross and Supremes. Little Darling (I Need You) - Four Tops. Love Child - Diana/Supremes. Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart ñ The Supremes. Love Is here And Now Youíre Gone ñ The Supremes. Mickey's Monkey - The Miracles. Music Talk - Stevie Wonder. My Baby ñ Temptations. My Baby Loves Me - Martha & The Vandellas. My Baby Must Be A Magician - The Marvelettes. My Cherie Amour - Stevie Wonder. My Guy - Mary Wells. My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left) - David Ruffin. My World Is Empty Without You - Diana/Supremes. Night Foí Last ñ Shorty Long. Nothing But Soul ñ Jr Walker. Nothing's To Good For My Baby ñ Temptations. Nowhere To Run - Martha & The Vandellas. Ooh Baby Baby - The Miracles. Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes. People Sure Act Funny ñ Shorty Long. Pride & Joy - Marvin Gaye. Quicksand... - Martha & The Vandellas. Roadrunner - Jr. Walker & The All-Stars. Reach Out...I'll Be There - Four Tops. Reflections ñ Diana Ross/Supremes. Respect - Stevie Wonder. Rock The Boat ñ The Hues Corporation. Save The Children ñ Marvin Gaye. Seven Rooms Of Gloom - Four Tops. Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over) - Four Tops. Shoo Be Doo Be Doo Da Day - Stevie Wonder. Shop Around - The Miracles. Shotgun - Jr. Walker & The All-Stars. Show And Tell ñ Al Wilson. Since I Lost My Baby & Temptations. Standing In The Shadows Of Love - Four Tops. Still Water (Love) The Four Tops. Still Waters Run Deep ñ The Four Tops. Stop Her on Sight ñ Edwin Starr. Stop! In The Name Of Love - Diana/Supremes. Strange I Know ñ The Marvelettes. Stubborn Kind Of Fellow - Marvin Gaye. Sunny - Four Tops. Sunny - Stevie Wonder. Take Me In Your Arms (And Rock Me A Little While) - Brenda Holloway. The Bells - The Originals. The Girlís Alright With Me ñ Temptations. The One Who Really Loves You - Mary Wells. The Tracks Of My Tears - The Miracles. The Way You Do The Things You Do ñ Temptations. Theme From S.W.A.T.: - Rhythm Heritage. Then Came You ñ Dionne Warwick And The Spinners. The Power Of Love ñ Jerry Butler. This Love Is Real ñ Jackie Wilson. This Old Heart Of Mine - Isley Brothers. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby - Marvin Gaye. Too Many Fish In The Sea - The Marvelettes. Two Lovers - Mary Wells. Up The Ladder To The Roof ñ The Supremes. Uptight (Everything Is Alright) - Stevie Wonder. What Are You Gonna Do When I'm Gone - Kim Weston. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted? - Jimmy Ruffin. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye When Your Young And In Love ñ Marvelettes. Where Did Our Love Go ñ Diana Ross/Supremes. Which Of Us Is The Fool? - Robert Palmer. Whispers (getting louder) ñ Jackie Wilson. You Can't Hurry Love ñ Diana Ross/Supremes. You Donít Have To Be A Star (To be In My Show) ñ Marylin McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. You Met Your Match ñ Stevie Wonder. Your Precious Love - Marvin Gaye/Tammy Terrell. You've Really Got A Hold On Me - The Miracles. You Keep Me Hanging On - Diana/Supremes. You Beat Me To The Punch - Mary Wells. Yor Love Is rated X ñ Johnnie Taylor. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher ñ Jackie Wilson. You're All I Need To Get By - Temptations

Mi interpretación de una línea de James Jamerson. "I heard it through the grapevine".