Each week in 2015 I’ll be transcribing a different bass groove, including classic lines and more obscure selections. I’ve tried to pick parts that contain little or no variation and emphasise the challenge of holding down a consistent, relentless groove for a whole song.
The first Groove Of The Week is Joe Tex’s ‘I Gotcha’, one of my favourite lines of all time.
The part revolves around the Eb major pentatonic scale and uses various articulations (slides and hammer-ons) which results in a consistently smooth groove. I’m not 100% sure who played on the original, chances are it was either Mike Leech or Tommy Cogbill.
D’Angelo also recorded a version which appears on the outtakes from the Voodoo sessions, featuring the incredible Pino Palladino on bass:
Happy grooving!