Bassic Explorations With Michael Manring

It's an argument this West Coast bass virtuoso has ripped to shreds with his last two solo albums. They've lifted the low frequency instrument to new heights with unconventional rhythms, harmonics, tunings and textures. And composition-wise, they've created an unlikely alliance between folk, new age, jazz and thrash. That's right -- thrash. It's not a misprint.

"I take an almost adolescent delight in trying to challenge preconceptions," he said. "If we hold on to preconceptions we're doing music a disservice -- you're concealing a whole lot of creative choices. I'd like to see music evolve beyond genres and niches."

Unlike later efforts, Manring's first two albums fall firmly into his record label's niche. Windham Hill's laid-back rootsy, new age instrumental vibe was felt throughout 1985's Unusual Weather and 1989's Towards The Center of the Night. Although Manring's supple but sinewy playing shone through the soothing soundscapes, he admitted they could have been more adventurous.

At the time of his second album, Manring was deeply involved with the new age supergroup Montreux which also featured pianist Barbara Higbie, fiddler Darol Anger and mandolin-man Mike Marshall. He said the group's influence rubbed off on his own work.

"I didn't get a chance to listen to much music or anything that was going on in the outside world," he recalled. I was pretty much living in my own little world at that time."

Manring, 34, departed from that world with 1991's Drastic Measures and his latest release, 1994's Thonk. The former was an understated, yet exploratory, work which found Manring with one foot in a new age/jazz puddle and the other caught in a rock tidal wave. With Thonk, he let the wave carry him away.

Featuring players as diverse as rock-fusion guitarist Steve Morse and Primus' wacky, thrash-compacting drummer Tim Alexander, the album showcases Manring's fiery side. With many compositions concentrating on the thrashy rock side, Manring won over a new league of fans and critical support. It even won him Bass Player Magazine's 1994 Player of the Year award.

"There are times where taste is no longer tasteful," Manring laughed. "But there's all kinds of bass playing on the record and that's really important to me. There's a real split between bassists about whether you should be a groover or a soloist and I'm just really uncomfortable with that dichotomy."

His more sensitive side is found on Thonk's four solo tunes. One piece, "My Three Moons," even finds him playing three basses simultaneously. Some might expect a wank-a-thon, but Manring has managed to create an evocative, melodic piece.

"The real appeal about doing that to me is what goes on in your brain," he explained. "It's a really amazing feeling to feel all that happening and hear those rhythms at the same time. In cultures like Africa and South America, they think of that sensation of polyrhythms as a very high, spiritual state. And I can see why."

It's Manring's sense of rhythmic adventure which endears him to folkie singer-songwriters like Michael Hedges, Patty Larkin, and John Gorka, among others. He's performed and recorded extensively with all three. He said those experiences are just as important as anything else he's done.

"Working with people like those really enriches the other things I do," he said. "I've learned so much from John Gorka in particular. It's amazing to perform with him. It's never just a show for him. He is really living though his experiences. It's because his music is so direct. That emotional directness and honesty is painfully missing from the jazz background I grew up with. In jazz there's a tendency to hide behind technique and all the notes. Playing with John reminds me how important emotion is and I try to always remember that when I work with other people."

Gorka's last album, 1994's Out of the Valley, found Manring experimenting with a 10-string bass. The monstrous instrument's extensive palette of sounds is the rhythmic centerpiece of the track "Furniture." But what made Manring want to tackle such a behemoth bass in the first place?

"There's so much within the regular four-string bass to do and I sometimes feel silly playing instruments like this," he confessed. "But to me it's too tempting. There's so many new sounds, colors and expressions out there that it would be such a crime not to at least try to explore them. People have different needs for their soul, life and art. For me the need is exploration."

Return to the back issue page.