Photos by Henry Heinitsh
In this in-depth video interview we sit down with Oteil to talk all things bass
With stopping points in such landmark bands as The Allman Brothers and Dead & Company, and cult ensembles like Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit and Tedeschi Trucks Band, Oteil Burbridge has had the platforms to showcase his highly innovative style as a groove god, chordal master, fearless improvisor, and straight-to-the-heart communicator on 6-string bass. Not to mention his gifts as a composer, arranger, vocalist, bandleader, and solo artist. We sat down with Oteil at the rehearsal for The Brothers, the Allman Brothers sold-out, two-night reunion at Madison Square Garden this past April to discuss his career and playing style, past, present, and future. But first, being as humble and down-to-earth as he is about it all, we decided to ask a couple of his collaborators to share their thoughts on Burbridge.
“Oteil is special. He’s one of those rare musicians who has the technique and the vocabulary to play anything that pops into his head, but he also has the emotional depth to let himself go and let the music take over. He’s one of the best at surrendering to the moment and seeing where it goes, without worrying about failing. There’s always a confidence with him that we’ll get back to dry land eventually. He understands that the journey is more important than the destination. The joy he experiences playing music is infectious to everyone else onstage. He cherishes continual experimentation and opening a new chapter each time to an extent that’s inspiring. When I play with him, my solos depend from a direction standpoint on what I hear him playing. I’m responding to him, which is not always the case with other bass players. He’ll always play something that causes me to take a sharp turn. There’s a lot of deep listening and communication going on, which is much more rewarding than taking a solo and having everyone else fall in line behind me.” – Warren Haynes (The Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, Dickey Betts Band)
“Oteil is the embodiment of music the way Michael Jordan is the emodiment of basketball. He’s a natural. With ARU he would play something different every night that would leave us flabbergasted onstage. If you need a groove, there’s nobody with a better feel. If you want a bass solo, he’ll play the best one you ever heard. If you want someone to infuse your music with spontaneous reharmonization, he’s a master at that. If you need someone to play it totally straight, he’s your guy. If you turn him loose and let him be himself that’s where all the best stuff is. He understands chords in a way that most bassists do not because he grew up under his late brother Kofi, who was one of the most harmonically advanced musicians on the planet. In addition, Oteil has a unique writing style that people haven’t heard enough of yet. He’s also a kind and beautiful person who is absolutely hilarious.” – Jimmy Herring (Widespread Panic, Aquarium Rescue Unit, Phil Lesh and Friends)
By: Chris Jisi
