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 funk³
• 16th-note grooves - precise, driving rhythmic patterns⁴
• 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

#bassist #headhunters #funk #jazzfunk

Footnotes

1. Pitchfork: Paul Jackson Obituary↗ - Sampled by J Dilla, Digable Planets, Madonna ↩

2. Guitar World: Paul Jackson Interview↗ - Modified Telecaster Bass with Bartolini Hi-A pickups ↩

3. Wikipedia (French): Paul Jackson↗ - Three-note chords rare on bass ↩

4. r/Bass: RIP Paul Jackson↗ - 16th note grooves, legendary influence ↩