Michael Manring
Expanding upon the concepts firmly established by his former instructor, the late bass icon Jaco Pastorius, in the 1970's, solo bassist Michael Manring has pioneered a non-traditional approach to unaccompanied electric bass performance that incorporates unconventional tunings, astoundingly virtuoso technical innovations, and ground-breaking methodologies. By seamlessly merging all of the modern bass techniques including traditional fingerstyle playing, slapping, plucking, chord strumming, and contrapuntal two-handed tapping techniques on fretted and fretless instruments with his amazing and unparalleled work with the EBow, explorations with harmonics, and his extensive use of altered tunings, Manring has completely redefined the role of the electric bass as a legitimate solo instrument and opened the ears of bassists worldwide to all the previously undiscovered textural possibilities accessible on electric bass.
For the past two decades, Manring has honed the proficient command of his instruments on hundreds of recordings as a session artist and collaborator along with thousands of live performances throughout the Americas, Europe, and Japan. His six recordings as a solo artist, Unusual Weather, Toward The Center Of The Night, Drastic Measures, Thonk, The Book Of Flame, and Soliloquy, have earned him international critical acclaim as a visionary from music critics and listeners alike. Although solo projects released by bassists have been traditionally regarded as music strictly targeted for bass fanatics, Manring's solo projects have consistently captivated audiences with their compositional depth and beauty.
Manring grew up in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. where his fascination of the sound produced by the electric bass began at age 9. While attending high school, Manring played both electric and acoustic upright basses in chamber groups, orchestra, and local top 40 bands. Upon graduating, he relocated to Boston in order to attend and further his musical studies at the renowned Berklee College of Music. After completing his freshman year at Berklee, Manring left school to tour the United States with fellow Berklee classmates for the next six months, playing Top 40 radio hits every night at the height of the disco-era.
Still a teenager, Manring returned to the D.C. area where he forged a truly extraordinary chemistry and long-term friendship through a mutual musical vision with the late acoustic guitar genius Michael Hedges, a rewarding collaboration that would continue until the guitarist's unforeseen death in 1997. Upon witnessing one of Manring's inventive solo bass performances, Hedges instantly enlisted his services, and they recorded Hedges' debut solo album on Windham Hill Records. In the early 80's, Manring headed to New York where he studied privately with fretless bass pioneer Jaco Pastorius. After a short time in New York, Manring moved back to D.C. to start work on what would later become Unusual Weather.
After securing his own contract with Windham Hill and debuting Unusual Weather in 1986, the first of several forward-thinking solo recordings, Manring moved to northern California where he continues to reside today. Through the mid to late 80's, Manring served as the house bassist for Windham Hill and appeared on several releases by various Windham Hill artists.
Toward The Center Of The Night, Manring's second solo effort, was issued in 1989. While Manring's first two projects as a solo artist were somewhat conservative and fall directly into the traditional Windham Hill vibe of new age instrumental music, both recordings documented Manring's solo bass proficiency at an early stage of his career.
Released by Manring as his third album in 1991, Drastic Measures was a landmark recording comprised of seven ensemble pieces and four mind-boggling compositions for solo bass that standardized a new level of attainment in the evolution of the electric bass as a solo instrument.
In an artistic departure from the new age sound of his previous discs, Manring unveiled Thonk in 1994. Even though Thonk was similar, at least organizationally, to his previous recordings in that it featured an assortment of ensemble and solo pieces, it was completely different from a stylistic standpoint. For many of the rock-based tunes, Manring plugged his signature-model Zon Hyperbass into an overdriven stack of Marshall amps in an effort to generate feedback-laden tonalities for the most aggressive, in-your-face tracks he had ever composed.
Unfortunately for the latest generation of up-and-coming bass players, four of Manring's six solo releases including the aforementioned Unusual Weather, Toward The Center Of The Night, Drastic Measures, and Thonk have been out-of-print for a number of years.
Four years after Thonk premiered, Manring added another dimension to his growing repertoire of solo work with The Book Of Flame. Not only did this self-produced project showcase Manring's encyclopedia of skills as an eclectic solo bassist who composes music using the electric bass as the medium, but it delved deeper into uncharted territory by fusing elements of electronica with exotic tonalities and rhythms.
Since the mid-90's, Manring has collaborated in a number of diverse duo and trio configurations. Most notably, Manring has thus far contributed to two discs as a member of the improv-oriented, metal-jazz trio Attention Deficit, alongside world-class guitarist Alex Skolnick and Primus drummer Tim Alexander. Manring joined forces with Scott McGill and Vic Stevens to release two sessions as McGill/Manring/Stevens, and he also became one-third of the Seattle-based punk-jazz threesome, Sadhappy. Additionally, Manring teamed up with acoustic guitarist David Cullen to record an expressive outing of intimate duets.
As an educator, Manring has documented his philosophy and cutting-edge style in a number of videos devised to aid both beginners and advanced bassists with material spanning from the fundamental elements of bass playing such as string crossing to pushing the outer boundaries of bass playing potential through the utilization of altered tunings. Videos exhibiting his rudimentary exercises and technical prowess include Bass Essentials, The Michael Manring Performance Study, Michael Manring/Thonk, and The Artist's Profile: Michael Manring. Manring also meticulously notated a book of transcriptions that outlines his playing on Thonk in impressive detail. In addition to these tremendous educational resources, Manring has shared his unique perspectives with students in bass clinics held around the world including annual events such as BassQuake and Gerald Veasley's Bass Bootcamp.
In April, 2005, Manring released his latest solo endeavor, Soliloquy. On Soliloquy, Manring explores the enormously expansive palette of sonorities available on unaccompanied bass guitar and proves it to be a profoundly communicative instrument capable of conveying the entire gamut of human emotion.
Today, Manring is widely-revered as one of the most refreshingly-innovative and original thinkers to come along since his mentor, Jaco Pastorius. To date, Manring has been awarded two gold records, multiple Grammy and Bammie nominations, a Berklee College of Music Distinguished Alumni Award, and numerous readers' poll awards including Bass Player magazine's "1994 Bassist Of The Year." Currently, Manring maintains a hectic schedule as a clinician along with recording sessions and live performances as a sideman and soloist.
For the past two decades, Manring has honed the proficient command of his instruments on hundreds of recordings as a session artist and collaborator along with thousands of live performances throughout the Americas, Europe, and Japan. His six recordings as a solo artist, Unusual Weather, Toward The Center Of The Night, Drastic Measures, Thonk, The Book Of Flame, and Soliloquy, have earned him international critical acclaim as a visionary from music critics and listeners alike. Although solo projects released by bassists have been traditionally regarded as music strictly targeted for bass fanatics, Manring's solo projects have consistently captivated audiences with their compositional depth and beauty.
Manring grew up in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. where his fascination of the sound produced by the electric bass began at age 9. While attending high school, Manring played both electric and acoustic upright basses in chamber groups, orchestra, and local top 40 bands. Upon graduating, he relocated to Boston in order to attend and further his musical studies at the renowned Berklee College of Music. After completing his freshman year at Berklee, Manring left school to tour the United States with fellow Berklee classmates for the next six months, playing Top 40 radio hits every night at the height of the disco-era.
Still a teenager, Manring returned to the D.C. area where he forged a truly extraordinary chemistry and long-term friendship through a mutual musical vision with the late acoustic guitar genius Michael Hedges, a rewarding collaboration that would continue until the guitarist's unforeseen death in 1997. Upon witnessing one of Manring's inventive solo bass performances, Hedges instantly enlisted his services, and they recorded Hedges' debut solo album on Windham Hill Records. In the early 80's, Manring headed to New York where he studied privately with fretless bass pioneer Jaco Pastorius. After a short time in New York, Manring moved back to D.C. to start work on what would later become Unusual Weather.
After securing his own contract with Windham Hill and debuting Unusual Weather in 1986, the first of several forward-thinking solo recordings, Manring moved to northern California where he continues to reside today. Through the mid to late 80's, Manring served as the house bassist for Windham Hill and appeared on several releases by various Windham Hill artists.
Toward The Center Of The Night, Manring's second solo effort, was issued in 1989. While Manring's first two projects as a solo artist were somewhat conservative and fall directly into the traditional Windham Hill vibe of new age instrumental music, both recordings documented Manring's solo bass proficiency at an early stage of his career.
Released by Manring as his third album in 1991, Drastic Measures was a landmark recording comprised of seven ensemble pieces and four mind-boggling compositions for solo bass that standardized a new level of attainment in the evolution of the electric bass as a solo instrument.
In an artistic departure from the new age sound of his previous discs, Manring unveiled Thonk in 1994. Even though Thonk was similar, at least organizationally, to his previous recordings in that it featured an assortment of ensemble and solo pieces, it was completely different from a stylistic standpoint. For many of the rock-based tunes, Manring plugged his signature-model Zon Hyperbass into an overdriven stack of Marshall amps in an effort to generate feedback-laden tonalities for the most aggressive, in-your-face tracks he had ever composed.
Unfortunately for the latest generation of up-and-coming bass players, four of Manring's six solo releases including the aforementioned Unusual Weather, Toward The Center Of The Night, Drastic Measures, and Thonk have been out-of-print for a number of years.
Four years after Thonk premiered, Manring added another dimension to his growing repertoire of solo work with The Book Of Flame. Not only did this self-produced project showcase Manring's encyclopedia of skills as an eclectic solo bassist who composes music using the electric bass as the medium, but it delved deeper into uncharted territory by fusing elements of electronica with exotic tonalities and rhythms.
Since the mid-90's, Manring has collaborated in a number of diverse duo and trio configurations. Most notably, Manring has thus far contributed to two discs as a member of the improv-oriented, metal-jazz trio Attention Deficit, alongside world-class guitarist Alex Skolnick and Primus drummer Tim Alexander. Manring joined forces with Scott McGill and Vic Stevens to release two sessions as McGill/Manring/Stevens, and he also became one-third of the Seattle-based punk-jazz threesome, Sadhappy. Additionally, Manring teamed up with acoustic guitarist David Cullen to record an expressive outing of intimate duets.
As an educator, Manring has documented his philosophy and cutting-edge style in a number of videos devised to aid both beginners and advanced bassists with material spanning from the fundamental elements of bass playing such as string crossing to pushing the outer boundaries of bass playing potential through the utilization of altered tunings. Videos exhibiting his rudimentary exercises and technical prowess include Bass Essentials, The Michael Manring Performance Study, Michael Manring/Thonk, and The Artist's Profile: Michael Manring. Manring also meticulously notated a book of transcriptions that outlines his playing on Thonk in impressive detail. In addition to these tremendous educational resources, Manring has shared his unique perspectives with students in bass clinics held around the world including annual events such as BassQuake and Gerald Veasley's Bass Bootcamp.
In April, 2005, Manring released his latest solo endeavor, Soliloquy. On Soliloquy, Manring explores the enormously expansive palette of sonorities available on unaccompanied bass guitar and proves it to be a profoundly communicative instrument capable of conveying the entire gamut of human emotion.
Today, Manring is widely-revered as one of the most refreshingly-innovative and original thinkers to come along since his mentor, Jaco Pastorius. To date, Manring has been awarded two gold records, multiple Grammy and Bammie nominations, a Berklee College of Music Distinguished Alumni Award, and numerous readers' poll awards including Bass Player magazine's "1994 Bassist Of The Year." Currently, Manring maintains a hectic schedule as a clinician along with recording sessions and live performances as a sideman and soloist.
Soliloquy
Widely-revered as solo bassist nonpareil, Michael Manring has released Soliloquy, his highly-anticipated sixth project as a solo artist. Although Manring has effectively merged solo pieces and music arranged for different ensemble configurations on his five previous recordings as a leader, Soliloquy is his first endeavor comprised entirely of unaccompanied compositions for electric and acoustic bass guitar. While the bass guitar is rarely regarded as a solitary instrument due to its ordinarily perceived role of functioning within a group context, the underlying theme found throughout this project is solitude. With the exception of "Selene," the first piece Manring ever composed using the tuning capabilities of the Zon Hyperbass in 1991 which is captured here during a show at the Noe Valley Music Series in San Francisco in 2001, each electric bass track was recorded live in a single-pass without overdubs by Manring using numerous signal sources to produce broad spatial elements on multiple tracks in his home studio, "Funk & Disorderly." Utilizing a collection of custom-made fretted and fretless Zon electric basses and a Larrivee acoustic bass guitar, Manring fuses many traditional and unconventional bass techniques including standard fingerstyle playing, slapping, plucking, tapping, and chord strumming techniques with his harmonics exhibitions, mesmerizing EBow work, and his unrivaled exploration with altered tunings. By employing the use of special tuners and a unique bridge found on his signature instrument, the Hyperbass, Manring is able to manipulate the extensive palette of tunings possible on his basses during the course of many tracks without stopping to retune. In addition to the 14 audio tracks, Soliloquy functions as an "Enhanced CD" and contains multimedia content accessible from a computer's CD-ROM drive. As part of the enhanced disc, you will find Michael's extensive liner notes in PDF format which details the instruments, tunings, recording equipment, and techniques used in the production of Soliloquy along with information outlining the stories behind each piece. Besides the insight offered within the extensive notes, you will have the opportunity to view, using the QuickTime format, a live solo presentation of "A Morning Star" from a show in 1995 as well as a live video performance of "Diagonal Head Trauma" which was previously released on The Artist's Profile: Michael Manring DVD.
Tracks
"Helios"
"Excuse Me, Mr. Manring"
"Solipsism"
"I Left America"
"Greetings, Earthlings!"
"Makes Perfect Sense To Me"
"The Light Which Puts Out Our Eyes"
"A Morning Star" (for Matt and Al)
"Selene" (live)
"Dabuda's Memory"
"When We Were Asleep In The Earth"
"The Orffyreus Wheel"
"Insomnia Lessons"
"Come With Me, My Love"
The Bottom Line
Soliloquy is a collection of technically-unparalleled, richly-textured, and refreshingly-innovative arrangements from Michael Manring's repertoire that reveal his unyielding passion for creating music comprised of the astonishing variety of tonalities attainable on bass. Disregard the fact that the music featured on this project was recorded by a solo bassist using only electric and acoustic bass guitars. Forget about the virtuoso technical facility required to perform at this level. As Manring explores the enormously expansive palette of sonorities and dynamic textural possibilities available on unaccompanied bass guitar, he has redefined the role of the electric bass as a legitimate solo instrument in contemporary music and proves it to be profoundly communicative and capable of conveying the entire gamut of human emotion.
Tracks
"Helios"
"Excuse Me, Mr. Manring"
"Solipsism"
"I Left America"
"Greetings, Earthlings!"
"Makes Perfect Sense To Me"
"The Light Which Puts Out Our Eyes"
"A Morning Star" (for Matt and Al)
"Selene" (live)
"Dabuda's Memory"
"When We Were Asleep In The Earth"
"The Orffyreus Wheel"
"Insomnia Lessons"
"Come With Me, My Love"
The Bottom Line
Soliloquy is a collection of technically-unparalleled, richly-textured, and refreshingly-innovative arrangements from Michael Manring's repertoire that reveal his unyielding passion for creating music comprised of the astonishing variety of tonalities attainable on bass. Disregard the fact that the music featured on this project was recorded by a solo bassist using only electric and acoustic bass guitars. Forget about the virtuoso technical facility required to perform at this level. As Manring explores the enormously expansive palette of sonorities and dynamic textural possibilities available on unaccompanied bass guitar, he has redefined the role of the electric bass as a legitimate solo instrument in contemporary music and proves it to be profoundly communicative and capable of conveying the entire gamut of human emotion.
Selected Discography
Michael Manring - (Zon Michael Manring Hyperbass, Zon Custom Sonus/Hyperbass Hybrid, Zon Legacy Elite Special 10-String Prototype, Zon VB-4 Prototype, Larrivee Custom 5-String Acoustic)
Record Label - Manthing Music
Record Label - Manthing Music
Michael Manring - Basses, Samples, Loops, Synths, Percussion, Voice, Kitchen Utensils; Paul McCandless; Tim Alexander; Barry Gurley; Dave Tweedie; Michael Masley; Doug Manring; Herman Bartelen; Dustin Cunningham
Release Date - 1998
Record Label - Alchemy Records
Release Date - 1998
Record Label - Alchemy Records
The Artist's Profile: Michael Manring is an introspective look at this world-renowned recording artist. Manring talks candidly about his unorthodox approach to music and composition. Several live concert settings in the program add to the depth of Manring's unique playing style. Live performances include: "No Wontons For Elvis," "Monkey Businessman," "Red Right Returning," "Diagonal Head Trauma," "Snakes Got Legs," "Bouree," "The Book Of Living And Dying," "The Enormous Room," "My Three Moons," "The Fire Sermon," and "La Sagrada Familia." Running Time: 58 Minutes.
