Nathan East: Family Matters

The session legend joins his son Noah on their new album Father & Son

Chris Jisi / May 27, 2025

Photos by Sara East

The session legend joins his son Noah on their new album Father & Son

In his 46 years as a first-call Los Angeles session bassist and globe-trotting groovemaster, Nathan East has played with exceptional artists including Eric Clapton, Quincy Jones, Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Lionel Richie, Kenny Loggins, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. But none is more special than keyboardist Noah East, the 24-year-old son of Nathan and his wife, Anita. The piano-playing progeny joins his dad on Father & Son [EasternStar Media], a stylish jaunt through jazz, R&B, and classical covers and originals with crafty arrangements and guests such as Clapton, Hubert Laws, Greg Phillinganes, Jack Lee, Seiko Matsuda, and Merry Clayton.

At its core, the 12-track album is built around Noah on piano and Nathan on his 250-year-old acoustic bass. Though he has fewer man–hours on the upright than on his Yamaha signature electric 5-string (which is also featured on the record), Nathan’s style is firmly in place, marked by deep-pocketed grooves, fat tones, and melodic movement at every turn. The Philadelphia-born, San Diego-raised East was gracious enough to present Mohini Dey with her Future of Bass Award at our Bass Magazine Awards show in late January. From there, he’s been on the go promoting Father & Son and helping to celebrate Eric Clapton’s 80th birthday in late March, preceding a world tour that will span most of the year. We pinned Nathan down ahead of Clapton’s May run at Royal Albert Hall to discuss the record in depth.

Let’s begin by talking about how Noah chose keyboard as his instrument, and who his main influences are.

Noah and his twin sister started with piano lessons at age 5, and right away Noah showed real promise. I’d play a note on the bass and ask him to find it, and he’d go straight to it on the piano, no fumbling. That’s when I realized he had perfect pitch and amazing ears. He later dabbled with guitar and played bass in his middle school band, but he kept developing his piano skills. Then during COVID, he got a Hammond B-3 organ, and that really opened things up — he blossomed on it. His godfathers, Bob James and Greg Phillinganes, were always around, and he soaked up so much from them. David Paich would also come over and show him songs. His keyboard heroes include Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, Jimmy Smith, Billy Preston, Lyle Mays, and Joey DeFrancesco, to name a few. He guested on my two solo records Nathan East and Reverence [YEG, 2014 and 2017] when he was just 13 and 16. He also sat in with Fourplay over the years, so we got him going early, and I couldn’t be more proud.

How did this record come together, and what was the concept?

It started as a recurring dream: How cool would it be to make an album together? Over the past year and a half, we turned that dream into a reality. The concept was simple: play songs we love. Noah studied at a great school near us in Sherman Oaks called Piano Play Music Systems. We recorded a few of the pieces he was working on there, reimagined some covers, and wrote a few originals. The two of us started tracking at our favorite studio, EastWest Studio 2 on Sunset Blvd., with legendary engineer/producer Moogie Canazio. We were going for a duo vibe, like Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro or Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden. After a few days we craved a drummer, so we brought in Donald Barrett, who was recommended by Greg Phillinganes, and the chemistry was instant — like we shared the same DNA. From there, we invited a few special guests to join where it felt right. Every song was tracked live, and we finished recording in just over a week.

Let’s talk about basses on the record and how they were recorded. Obviously, your upright bass plays a major role.

Since it’s primarily a jazz record, paying homage to the classic acoustic combos, I leaned heavily on my upright bass. I used my 250-year-old German 3/4 upright, which I purchased from Stein On Vine and which may have once belonged to the late Dave Carpenter. It’s strung with Thomastik Supers and has a custom bridge pickup by Carlos Juan of Spain. I use a French-style bow. To record it, Moogie miked near the ƒ-holes, took a direct signal from the pickup, and miked my new Laney rig. I also played my Yamaha Silent Bass [SLB300 PRO] on a track and my Yamaha BBNE2 signature 5-string. Those were recorded direct and through the Laney.

How did your Laney signature amp happen, and what are the key features?

A friend of mine in Tokyo, Jason McNamara, was a Laney representative at the time and introduced me to the company. We were rehearsing with Eric Clapton for his U.K. tour in May 2023, and Laney came and set up a rig for me, which was their Digbeth 500-watt head. I loved the rig right off the bat and used it for our Royal Albert Hall shows. From there, I got together with Laney’s design team, met their founder, Lyndon Laney, who is also bass player, and met his son James. They asked me what I would want in my dream amplifier. I provided them a wish list, headlined by my request for two inputs, because I play electric and upright bass on most gigs, and they went to work. The amp was released at the end of March, and I couldn’t be happier. It has two inputs with separate outputs, at 500 watts each. Multiple settings include tube simulation and FET, which is like solid state, and you can blend the two. There are two DIs on the back with three modes: pre, which is just the direct bass signal; post, which is through the amp settings; and what Laney calls LA•IR [Laney’s Advanced Impulse Response], which connects to an app loaded with my signature sounds — or you can create your own sounds. On the front, there’s a 3-band EQ, which I keep mostly flat with a bit of bass boosted, and a “tilt” knob to further shape the EQ. I use their 410 + horn and 212 + horn cabinet configurations. Overall, I love the amp’s musicality, versatility, and sound, and I love that Laney is a family-owned business founded by a bassist.

Turning to the music, your covers of “Close to Home” by Lyle Mays and “Hard Times” by Ray Charles both feature Eric Clapton. What can you share about those tracks?

“Close to Home” opens the record. It’s is an homage to the late Lyle Mays, whose music and Noah and I adore. Eric discovered the song, and we played it as an intro to “Cocaine” on tour. One night, it hit me that it’d be perfect to record with Noah. The song is in G but it resolves unexpectedly to E, which came from transitioning to “Cocaine” in live sets.

“Hard Times” goes back to Journeyman [1989, Reprise], where we first recorded it with Eric. Noah plays both organ and piano on it, in the Ray Charles tradition, and Billy Valentine delivers a beautiful vocal. We cut both tracks during a day off between shows at the Hollywood Bowl and the Kia Forum. Eric came down to EastWest Studio 2 and nailed it.

“Utopianoah” captures the essence of the album and has a little bass step-out.

That one’s special. It’s a nice duo piece, just the upright bass and piano, and it really reflects our musical connection. Noah wrote it, but I asked to name it. I blended “utopia” and “Noah,” and noticed the word “piano” is right there in the middle of the title. There’s a short bass feature before the piano solo, a father–son moment like we’d play live. [See music below.]

What’s your take on the acoustic bass?

I always aimed to play both electric and upright. My high school band mentor, Gunnar Biggs, gave me my first upright, and at the University of California San Diego I studied with Bert Turetzky. Most of my career has leaned electric, but I’ve tried to keep my acoustic chops up, especially inspired by players like Christian McBride, John Patitucci, Stanley Clarke, Ron Carter, Esperanza Spalding, and Michael Valerio. Upright is all about your sound, intonation, and control. It’s humbling and rewarding. The exposure in a duo setting like “Utopianoah” is a little scary, but I try to keep the pitch true and stay in the pocket. The New Cool [YEG, 2015], my duo record with Bob James, is a good representation of my upright work, but I was definitely praying my way through it! [Laughs.]

How much do you bring from one instrument to the other?

Not much overlaps. With the acoustic bass, you’re playing this giant house full of sound with its many nuances, including the added dimension of the bow. It’s like comparing a piano to a Hammond B-3. They’re both keyboards, but the experience is totally different. That said, I do think upright phrasing informs my feel on electric. On “Killer Joe,” I used electric bass because that’s what I had in my hands when we captured a run-through, and we kept the take. But I played it with an upright player’s mindset with regard to touch, tone, and note duration.

Your covers of the standards “My Favorite Things,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and “On the Sunny Side of the Street” all surprise with their keys, reharmonizations, crafty arrangements, and tasteful playing.

Noah’s perfect pitch allows him to explore songs in every key. We recorded “My Favorite Things” in F# minor, up a whole-step from Coltrane’s version. Noah wrote the bass vamp in his left hand [see music below] and added organ overdubs.

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is in D and opens with a rubato section that nods to Keith Jarrett. “Sunny Side” is one of the songs Noah learned at Piano Play, and we brought in the great swing drummer Gregg Field, who’s played with Count Basie, Sinatra, and Ella. For me, Noah’s harmonic choices, his use of space, and his restraint truly sets him apart from a lot of young players.

You and Noah covering “Yesterday” traces back to your solo debut album and has become a staple of your duo sets. This version boasts a new key, a gospel-infused 5-string groove, and a closing bass solo.

This version is definitely organ-driven. Noah’s developing his voice there, and it has a gospel feel for sure. He chose the key of Db and wrote the vamp changes that close out the arrangement. I always say he “hears around corners.” The bass solo follows his changes, which I couldn’t resist blowing over. I tried to be melodic, to tell a story — what Jaco used to call “singing through your instrument.” [See music below.]

Noah’s samba “Reminisce” and a cover of the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love” feature international artists you’ve collaborated with.

“Reminisce” is a samba Noah wrote as a nod to Pat Metheny, and it features our friend, Korean guitarist Jack Lee, who I collaborated with on an album called Heart & Soul [2023, Bandcamp]. Noah played organ on that album, and we toured Asia with Donald Barrett on drums.

“How Deep Is Your Love” is Noah’s arrangement beautifully blending pop and jazz, featuring our dear friend Seiko Matsuda, the legendary Japanese pop and jazz singer. I produced her most recent album, Seiko Jazz 3 [2024, EMI], and I got Kenny G and Jack Lee to play on it.

“Reminisce” also has an interesting new section near the end that’s a sing-and-play bass feature.

Pat Metheny often takes a left turn in the middle of his tunes, goes somewhere new harmonically or texturally, and then brings it back home. What we did is a sort of hybrid between a solo and a melody over a new set of changes that I could scat over while playing bass. Jaco always said, “If you know the melody, you know how to solo on a tune.” The melody reveals the harmonic map, and you just follow it. I was fortunate to hang with Jaco once at Devonshire Studios in L.A. I was recording with [legendary arranger] Gene Page, and Jaco was in the next room working on Word of Mouth [1981, Warner Bros.]. He was excited about Toots Thielemans coming in to play the melody on “Three Views of a Secret.” Just being around him was unforgettable!

Nathan East and Jack Lee Full Concert:

Your cover of “Killer Joe” has flautist Hubert Laws, who played on the original Quincy Jones version, on 1969’s Walking in Space.

Yeah, Hubert is still crushing it! There’s a lot of history wrapped up in this version. We lost both Quincy and Benny Golson, the song’s composer, late last year. But Quincy was still with us when we finished the track, so I sent it to him. We also pulled some ideas from his 1995 version, “Cool Joe, Mean Joe,” from Q’s Jook Joint [Qwest], which I had the honor of performing with him live multiple times. One of those performances was at Quincy’s 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl, where Stevie Wonder sat in and played the melody on harmonica. I actually sent our version to Stevie, too, and the next day he called and said, “I want to overdub harmonica on this!” Unfortunately, our schedules didn’t line up in time. Greg Phillinganes, who played on Quincy’s ’95 version, joined us, as well. He and Noah sat back-to-back in the studio on piano and organ and had a blast trading parts!

Speaking of Stevie Wonder, you cover his song “Until You Come Back to Me,” which Aretha Franklin made famous, and you capture Chuck Rainey’s vibe on the original.

That came about while I was doing a bass clinic in Detroit. I was talking about Chuck Rainey and how much he influenced me. I started playing that song to demonstrate the kind of phrasing and feel he brought to the bass, and the audience loved it. That reaction made me think, Hey, this could work on the record. To sing it, we brought in one of our favorite singers, Merry Clayton. She’s featured in the documentary 20 Feet From Stardom, and I’ve worked with her a bunch, including her [NPR] Tiny Desk Concert in 2021. As for the Rainey-isms, as I call them, I definitely had his phrasing, syncopation, and fills in mind. The trick is, most of the song is in G and we don’t hit the original key of A until the final key change. That made for a fun challenge.

The record-closing “Postludium” moves from classical music to a classic jazz waltz vibe.
That’s a beautiful early-20th century piano piece by Hungarian composer Ernő Dohnányi. I used to hear Noah practicing it around the house, and I thought it would be perfect to rework together. We kept the classical essence but added a jazz waltz feel and turned it into a trio performance. It brings a different dimension to the record, stylistically and emotionally. That variety is important in today’s landscape of playlists and streaming. I played my Yamaha Silent Bass on the track.

How is 2025 shaping up for you?

Noah and I played some dates in Germany in support of the record, and the promoters want us back. We’re planning more U.S. and overseas shows this summer and fall, working around Eric Clapton’s tour schedule celebrating his 80th birthday. I also recently played on new music by Eric, Barbra Streisand, Stephen Bishop, and Kazumasa Oda. In April I was honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 San Diego Music Awards. But there’s no slowing down — Noah and I are on a musical mission!

Father Time

Nathan East showcases his son Noah’s considerable gifts on Father & Son, but he also displays his wide array of bass skills. That includes deep, swinging upright grooves and step-outs, filthy 5-string funk feels, and sing-and-play melodies and solos. Example 1 shows Nathan’s upright step-out at 1:49 of “Utopianoah,” which is a vamp leading into Noah’s piano solo. Note the Ron Carter-like left-hand index finger pull-off in bar 1, the increased syncopation through bar 4, and the introduction of a melodic figure in bars 5–6, which is further developed in bars 7-8. Keep in mind you’re still anchoring the pulse, and be strong on the one.

Example 2 shows the opening upright groove of “My Favorite Things,” at 0:32. The hammer-on in bars 2 and 4 is key to the swing phrasing, and the shortened note on beat two is key to its character.

Example 3 contains the first eight bars of East’s 5-string solo on “Yesterday,” at 4:10. Dig the harmony in the Noah-written vamp, which basically moves between Db and D using the I or the Vsus chords. Nathan chooses a melodic, vocal, through-line approach to the unconventional changes instead of alternating between consonance on the I chord and tension via altered tones on the V chord. The result is smooth voice-leading, usually by playing the next nearest chord tone when the chord changes. He offers, “I thought about the solo beforehand, looking at the big picture and wanting to tell a story. From there I did a few passes, trying to be linear through the changes without really thinking of them — kind of singing my way through and seeing what the heart tells me to do.”

“Utopianoah”:

“My Favorite Things”:

“Yesterday”:

Dad’s Root Gear

Electric basses Yamaha BBNE2 Nathan East Signature 5-string; Yamaha Custom Shop BB 6-string

Acoustic basses 250-year-old German upright with Thomastik Supers strings, Carlos Juan Custom bridge pickup, and a French-style bow; Yamaha Silent Bass SLB300 PRO

Strings Dunlop Super-Bright Stainless Steel (.045, .065, .085, .105, .130)

Amps Laney BCC-DB-East Signature head, Laney DBV410-4 and DBV212-4 cabinets

Other Klotz cables; 64 Audio N8s Signature in-ear monitors

A Dozen Great Lesser-Known Nathan East Tracks

Think Nathan East, and a host of hit singles come to mind: Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose,” Phil Collins’ “Easy Lover,” Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You,” Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire,” Patti Austin and James Ingram’s “How Do You Keep the Music Playing,” Michael Jackson’s “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” and the Unplugged “Layla,” Babyface’s “Change the World,” Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” and East’s own Fourplay classic, “101 Eastbound.” But here are a dozen more top-notch performances by the baddass bassist–vocalist.

(* = written by)

1 *“Wildfire,” Hubert Laws, Family [1980, Columbia]