Miles Davis

Ron Carter’s name is listed in every jazz encyclopedia as a major influence on the bass.  He recorded and performed with many of the greatest players in modern jazz and spoke with great detail about the instruments he uses and the style he has developed.  At the end of the interview he listed what he feels are the three most important things for a young bass player to consider: practice long and hard, get to know your instrument, the strings you play and all other parts of the sound you make, and listen to other bass players.  

Billy Cobham is the acclaimed drummer who was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society’s Hall of Fame in 2006. Billy was born in Panama but moved with his family to New York where he performed with his father as early as the age of 8. His long list of performed back by Billy’s beat include Horace Silver, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson and the Saturday Night Live house band in the 1980s and Peter Gabriel for a tour in the 1990s. His smooth style can be heard on the Roberta Flack recording of “You’ve Got a Friend."

Herbie Hancock’s career as a musician and performer spans six decades. He was a member of the legendary Miles Davis Quintet and super group Weather Report, and gave the world “Head Hunters” (jazz’s first platinum album) and other crossover hits such as the Grammy winning “Rockit.” Interestingly enough, what Herbie wanted to talk about most was his love for technology and how he has used electronic musical instruments to create new and different sounds.