# Paul Jackson **Born:** March 28, 1947, Oakland, California **Died:** March 18, 2021 (age 73) **Instrument:** Electric Bass (Fender Telecaster Bass) **Known For:** [[Herbie Hancock]]'s Headhunters, revolutionary funk bass techniques ## Overview Paul Jackson defined funk bass in the 1970s as founding member of [[Herbie Hancock]]'s Headhunters. His basslines on "Chameleon" and "Watermelon Man" became iconic, sampled extensively in hip-hop by J Dilla, Digable Planets, Madonna, and countless others.[^1] ## Signature Sound **"Geraldine" - Modified Fender Telecaster Bass:**[^2] - Four Bartolini Hi-A pickups (one per string) - Each string had individual output channel - Engineer Fred Catero mixed each string to center for unique fat tone - No volume or tone controls ## Technique - **Double-stops (tenths)** - playing two notes simultaneously on bass - **Three-note chords** - rare on bass, revolutionary for funk[^3] - **16th-note grooves** - precise, driving rhythmic patterns[^4] - **Altissimo register playing** - high notes uncommon for bass guitar Jackson's work with Harvey Mason created one of the greatest rhythm sections in jazz-funk history. ## Footnotes [^1]: [Pitchfork: Paul Jackson Obituary](https://pitchfork.com/news/paul-jackson-jazz-bassist-who-played-with-herbie-hancock-dies-at-73/) - Sampled by J Dilla, Digable Planets, Madonna [^2]: [Guitar World: Paul Jackson Interview](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/paul-jackson-on-herbie-hancocks-watermelon-man) - Modified Telecaster Bass with Bartolini Hi-A pickups [^3]: [Wikipedia (French): Paul Jackson](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Jackson_(musicien)) - Three-note chords rare on bass [^4]: [r/Bass: RIP Paul Jackson](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/m7vx46/rip_paul_jackson_most_known_for_his_work_on/) - 16th note grooves, legendary influence #bassist #headhunters #funk #jazzfunk