Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM
Keeping the Flame at Van Gelder Studio
On the last Sunday of 2024, in the control room of Van Gelder Studio, Don and Maureen Sickler, co-owners since Rudy Van…
“Anthony Jackson was one of the most important people to ever pick up and play a bass guitar (correction: as he always said, ‘It’s a six-string contrabass guitar’),” wrote drummer Dave Weckl on Facebook.
(Photo: Courtesy Fodera Guitars)Bassist Anthony Jackson, a consummate accompanist, renowned virtuoso and ubiquitous session player with more than 500 recordings to his credit, died at his home on Staten Island on Oct. 19 from Parkinson’s disease. He was 73.
An opinionated perfectionist with a dry, biting sense of humor who also possessed commanding technique and impeccable articulation on his instrument, Jackson was a beloved figure among fellow bassists, many of whom eulogized him on social media following his passing. Rising bass star Tal Wilkenfeld called Jackson “My North Star. My bass guru. My confidant. My mentor and friend with one of the sharpest minds and kindest hearts I’ve ever known.” Close friend and colleague Stanley Clarke called him “a great light in the bass universe,” adding, “Our dear brother Anthony Claiborne Jackson was truly one of a kind, a specially gifted soul whose touch on the instrument was extraordinary. He created some of the most joyful, unforgettable bass lines ever heard. I’ve always admired how he crafted grooves that became permanently etched into music history.”
Guitarist Al Di Meola, who featured Jackson on a dozen albums, including such key ’70s fusion landmarks as Land Of The Midnight Sun, Elegant Gypsy and Casino while also performing live with him in his Tour de Force band alongside drummer Steve Gadd and keyboardist Jan Hammer, wrote on Facebook: “Deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend and legendary bassist Anthony Jackson, one of the most extraordinary musicians I’ve ever had the honor to play with. He was a true innovator whose genius reshaped modern music. His sound, precision and soul were unmatched. He brought a power and sensitivity that could move anyone who listened.”
A master of the six-string electric bass, which he tuned in fourths (BEADGC) and preferred to call the “contrabass guitar,” Jackson’s extensive credits included recordings for pop singers Roberta Flack, Esther Phillips, Paul Simon, Carly Simon, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker and Madonna; jazz pianists Chick Corea, Tania Maria, Michel Petrucciani, Michel Camilo, Jorge Dalto and Hiromi Uehara; guitar greats Di Meola, Steve Khan, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Earl Klugh, Lee Ritenour, David Spinoza, John Tropea and George Benson; and drummers Buddy Rich, Harvey Mason, Steve Smith, Dennis Chambers, Simon Phillips and Dave Weckl.
A New York City native, born on June 23, 1952, and raised on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Jackson began on piano and by age 12 switched to guitar. A year later, his mother bought him his first bass, a nameless medium-scale single-pickup model. Initially inspired by Motown Records’ house bassist James Jamerson and the Jefferson Airplane’s Jack Casady, Jackson began playing in local clubs by age 16. In 1972, he joined Billy Paul’s band, later appearing on the singer’s Gold Record “Me And Mrs. Jones.” Further work with Philadelphia-based production team of Gamble & Huff led to a 1973 session with The O’Jays. It was Jackson’s pick-driven, phase-shifted bass riff on the opening to their 1974 funk-soul anthem “For The Love Of Money” that put him on the map. One of the most heavily sampled bass lines in music history, appearing on over 130 records including by such artists as Mary J. Blige, Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five, A Tribe Called Quest, N.W.A., Dr. Dre, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and Bones Thugs-n-Harmony, “For The Love Of Money” later became the theme song for The Apprentice, the reality show starring Donald Trump that aired on NBC for 14 seasons from 2004 to 2017.
As a first-call New York session bassist for more than five decades, Jackson set a new standard in precision bass playing through his unwavering commitment to excellence and his fearless, take-no-prisoners approach to his instrument.
After suffering a series of strokes and being diagnosed with Parkinson’s (health issues had prevented him from performing since 2017) he was feted at a benefit concert, “For the Love of Anthony,” held at Brooklyn’s Shapeshifter Lab on Feb. 27 of this year. Fellow bassists in attendance included Ron Carter, Victor Wooten, Christian McBride, Matt Garrison, Mike Bub, James Genus, Steve Bailey, Lincoln Goines, Divinity Roxx and Stanley Clarke. Other musicians on hand for this outpouring of love were Di Meola, Dennis Chambers, Bob Franceschini, Gene Lake, Mino Cinelu, Omar Hakim, Rachel Z, DJ Logic, Simon Phillips and Vinny Fodera of Fodera Guitars (the Brooklyn-based luthier that introduced the Signature Series Anthony Jackson contrabass guitar in 1984, followed by the signature single-cutaway model Anthony Jackson Presentation contrabass guitar in 1989).
As Phillips wrote on Facebook following Jackson’s passing: “I heard Anthony on so many records but it wasn’t until 1982 that I got to meet and play with him on Al Di Meola’s Electric Rendezvous tour. From the first rehearsal I knew that he was an extra special player. His precision alone was a huge lesson for me and every time we played it made me strive to play the best I could. During that tour each night before the show, Anthony would not be in the dressing room but sitting in the wings of the stage with his Walkman and headphones, listening to Rachmaninoff. When it was time to play he would take his phones off and walk onstage, pick up his bass, sit down (as he always did) and play the most ferocious performance. At the end of the show, while we all walked to the front of the stage to take a bow, AJ would walk quietly offstage, put his headphones back on and continue listening to Rachmaninoff.”
And as drummer Dave Weckl recalled on Facebook: “Anthony Jackson was one of the most important people to ever pick up and play a bass guitar (correction: as he always said, ‘It’s a six-string contrabass guitar’). Incredibly unique, solid as a rock, treating space like the note itself with such precision, I learned so much from this man. And I could never thank him enough for all he did for me.I first heard him on a Buddy Rich record, Very Live At Buddy’s Place, in a small group setting. Then came the Chick Corea record The Leprechaun. Then the pop records with Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones and so many others, followed by all those great recordings with Steve Khan’s Eyewitness band. In so many instances, he was paired with one of the legendary Steves — either the great Steve Ferrone, Steve Jordan or Steve Gadd. Hearing those records, I was being molded early on, without knowing it, to understand this kind of feel, precision and pocket. It was so awesomely inspirational.” DB
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