ARTIST OF THE MONTH



JOHN PATITUCCI

David Avenius: Do you remember the "aha" moment when you realized you wanted to dedicate your life to music?

John Patitucci: I started playing electric bass (at age 10) and I think at age 12 I had my "AHA" realization. I met a Bassist/Arranger named Chris Poehler who became a mentor to me and who taught me about Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea with Stanley Clarke, Willie Weeks with Donny Hathaway, Jerry Jermott with King Curtis etc............ I was inspired and made a decision to be a musician not even knowing what it entailed.

DA: Do you feel differently toward music now than you did then? When we first discover that we can create music it's exciting. Without ruining the magic - do you have any thing that you do to keep the music fresh?

JP: I am still very much excited and driven to practice,play and compose music. It is a blessing and a joy!!!! I feel fresh as long as I am moving torward and getting better. I get inspired by listening to music of all genres by my heroes, whether it is Coltrane, Donny Hathaway, The Beatles, Fred McDowell, Bach etc.......... Listening can freshen up your musical spirit when you feel you are in a rut.

DA: You've been working on a new album that is pretty diverse. Is there a common theme or inspiration?

JP: The new recording is called " Line By Line". Each persons' life story, musical compositions, poems, paintings etc..... all are being created "Line By Line". I guess it is about the process and journey that each person is involved with. The reason it is diverse is because I am a bit of a musical Schitzo!!!! Actually, I think it is important to be honest and transparent as an artist . If your music covers a broad range of styles, and you are a composer, the common thread is you and what makes you ( your influences,life experiences etc....)

DA: Your tone on this album, whether upright or electric, is very rich and organic. What equipment have you been using and are there any favorite settings you'd like to share?

JP: On electric, I always use the Aguilar DB 680 tube preamp to record. We usually pump the gain a little so the tubes give the bass a really thick sound. I am also using D'Addario Half-Rounds on my signature Yamaha 6 string bass. The combination of the warmth of the strings, a medium to high action, and the tube sound from the Aguilar give the electric a warm and acoustic feeling. When I am on the road I also use the Aguilar direct box on the Acoustic Bass pickup to the house engineer. He loves it !!!

DA: You were one of the first Aguilar endorsers - what has kept you using Aguilar all these years?

JP: Because I grew up in the 1960's I heard a lot of Fender P-Bass and Jazz Bass with flat wound strings through tube amps on recordings. This thick and natural sound is what drew me to the electric bass. When I first started playing I used flat wound strings for years. After that, even though I used round wound strings for many years and played through a lot of solid state amps when the styles and trends changed, I always love that organic and tube oriented sound. In recent years I have returned to "my first love". Aguilar has the perfect combination of techno- innovation and rootsy warmth that I need for my music, no matter what style I happen to be dealing with.

DA: What equipment will you be touring with?

JP: With the rigors of touring and the size and portability restrictions the airlines have imposed on us, I have to scale down so I have been using the new AG 500 amp which is remarkable. It sounds like a tube amp even though it isn't!!!! It is smaller but still powerful and it sounds great for Electric and Acoustic bass. I love the Aguilar speaker cabinets and mostly use the GS 112 cab around New York and request the GS 410 cab for the road. When I did some reunion gigs wtih Chick Corea a couple of summers ago I used a larger rig (THERE WERE ROADIES). I used the DB 750 and the GS 410 cab.

DA: Thanks John!