Born: March 22^nd, 1946 – Bronx, New York

Jerry Jemmott is yet another player whose name you may not know, but you have definitely heard him.  A player who was noted by Jaco Pastorius as one of his main influencess, Jemmott has played on classic recordings with the likes of Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Nina Simone, Carly Simon, King Curtis, George Benson, Willson Pickett, Gil Scott Heron, Ben E. King, Freddie King, Chuck Berry, Freddie Hubbard, Lionel Hampton, Herbie Mann and many, many more.

With a career that has spanned almost 60 years, Jemmott’s groove has been inspirational to players around the globe.  If you listen to his work with King Curtis’ on the song “Ridin’ Thumb” and other tracks you can distinctly hear his influence on Jaco Pastorius’ playing and rhythmic phrasing.  Jemmott’s rock solid groove is unshakeable at any tempo as you will hear on live recordings such as “Aretha Franklin: Live at the Filmore West” and “King Curtis: Live at the Filmore West.”  Despite the tempos on these recordings being bumped up significantly from their album versions, Jemmott and drummer Bernard Purdie maintain a rock-solid groove with the bass locked in the pocket.  These albums are a clinic in live performance and are highly regarded among groove players.

Jemmott is an active music educator as well and has published 2 books “Jerry Jemmott – Blues and Rhythm and Blues Bass Technique” – (Bass Builders) and “The Bass in You (The Music in You)” –(Self Published).  He also collaborated on the book and DVD collection “Jaco Pastorius: Modern Electric Bass” with Jaco Pastorius, Published by Alfred Music.

Interesting Facts:

• Jerry started performing at the age of 5 as a tap dancer and says that a lot of his playing comes from his experience as a dancer.

Classic Gear:

• “Mona” – 1966 Fender Jazz Bass
• 1985 ESP Horizon Prototype Bass
• 2016 ESP B104

Our Top Five Jerry Jemmott Tracks:

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” – King Curtis – Live at the Filmore West

“Memphis Soul Stew” – King Curtis – Live at the Filmore West

“Ridin’ Thumb” – King Curtis

“The Thrill Is Gone” – B.B. King

“Love the One with Your With” – Aretha Franklin – Live at the Filmore West

Quotes:

• “For me, a lot of my playing is coming out of being a dancer and my experience of playing a lot of dance music. So when you hear me playing, it’s me imagining people dancing or moving.”That’s very important to me. So that’s what I’m tapping into, but if it comes out as a heartbeat, that’s great.

You can find more information on Jerry and his work, past and present, at www.jerryjemmott.com.

There is also a fantastic and incredibly in depth interview with JJ at https://www.duaneallman.info/talkinbluesjerryjemmott.htm

Website: www.jerryjemmott.com

Instagram: @thebassinyou

Photo Credit: www.espguitars.com