Freddie Washington
A master of groove on the road with Steely Dan … and SWR!
Reelin' in the ears: Washington and friend.
Photo courtesy steelydan.com
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Freddie Washington lays down an utterly severe groove, which is exactly why he has such an extensive and impressive list of credits. It’s also exactly why, when Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen went into the studio in late summer 2004 to record third solo album Morph the Cat, he knew exactly who wanted on bass.
Washington, for his part, was thrilled to finally get a chance to work with one of his idols, and, c’mon, you just knew it’d lead to the bass spot on this year’s 32-date Steely Dan tour, mirthfully billed as the “Steelyard ‘Sugartooth’ McDan and the Fab-Originees.com Tour.”
So, as an official Fab-Originee, “Ready Freddie” Washington can be heard and seen on the road this year with the big Dan from July through early September, pumping out the infectious grooves at the heart all those hits—“Babylon Sisters,” “Deacon Blues,” “Do It Again,” “Hey Nineteen,” “Peg,” “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” et al. He really is the perfect guy for the job, and his old-standby SWR gear is on the road with him, as always.
Washington grew up in Oakland, Calif., and was always attracted to music, bass in particular. He was studying bass by his early teens, becoming so proficient so young that he landed a gig with jazz legend Herbie Hancock at age 19 that lasted for several years. There was no stopping him after that, as he quickly became the go-to funk, pop, jazz and rock stage-and-studio bass guy for a dizzying array of artists: Michael Jackson (with whom Washington played on the gargantuan History tour in 1996), Al Jarreau, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Aaron Neville, Elton John, George Benson, Lionel Richie, Keb’ Mo’ and about a zillion others.
A particularly gratifying and successful project—not just as bassist, but also as songwriter and producer—came with longtime friend Patrice Rushen’s 1982 Forget Me Nots album, which went gold and was sampled by Will Smith for his mega-selling “Men in Black.” Another Washington/Rushen collaboration, “Haven’t You Heard,” was sampled in the Kirk Franklin’s smash “Lookin’ For You.”
As you can see then, Washington is quite a busy bassist; Fagen’s Morph the Cat album and tour and the subsequent Steely Dan tour are just the latest of his many musical adventures. Busy though he is, Washington very graciously called SWR News from the road in New York in mid-August. You know, just to check in …
SWR: Looks like your bass has a few miles on it …
FW: (laughs) Yeah, it’s a ’72 Precision. I’ve had it since I was in the tenth grade. I’ve played on so many records—so many hit records—with that thing. When I got it, I vowed never to part with it.
SWR: As a kid, what drew you to bass?
FW: When I was in the eighth grade, me and a friend joined the school orchestra, and I started on upright bass. I don’t know; that’s just what I wanted to play.
SWR: Do you come from a musical family?
FW: No, I’ve just always been interested in music. My family wasn’t really musical; it started with me. One of my teachers told my parents “There’s something about him and music …”
SWR: What was it like to be 19 and playing with Herbie Hancock?
FW: Oh, it was like a bass player’s dream!
SWR: Your later collaboration with Patrice Rushen was particularly successful …
FW: Patrice and I go way back. I first met her in ’77 when I was playing with Herbie Hancock, and I kept in touch with her. When I wanted to move to L.A. and get established there—I’m from Oakland—I basically stayed with her for six months until I got set up. She’s like a sister to me.
SWR: And to the present, how did you hook up with Donald Fagen and Steely Dan?
FW: In 2003 I was touring with the Crusaders, and one day I get a call from Donald Fagen’s manager. Donald had requested me for a tour; I was doing the Crusaders tour at the time and I couldn’t do it, so I told him “Keep me in mind.” And they did—later, when he was getting ready to go record his solo album, they called me again and said, “Donald’s going into the studio and he wants you to play bass.” And that was it …
SWR: Were you familiar with his work?
FW: Oh, I’ve always been familiar with his work. He was one of my heroes. In 2004 I played on the Simon and Garfunkel tour, and after that I went to New York to do Morph the Cat.
SWR: Did you have a lot of leeway with the bass parts, or was he (Fagen) more specific about it?
FW: He’s pretty specific about what he wants. He had a lot of the parts written out, but the groove is the thing …
SWR: Well, he did call you …
FW: (grins) Yeah.
SWR: Had you played with (drummer) Keith Carlock before?
FW: No. I’d heard of him, but I’d never played with him.
SWR: Good chemistry?
FW: Oh, yeah. I went in there and sat down, and it was an instant lock.
SWR: With such an extensive list of credits, what stands out as some of the work that you’re most proud of so far?
FW: Forget Me Nots has to be at the top. That’s a bass player’s song. And not just as a bass player, but as a songwriter. That was one of my special ones.
SWR: You’re also a devout SWR user …
FW: I’ve used SWR for quite a while now. I’ve used it since ’87 or ’88, during the Steve W. Rabe days. I always had a 400, but I never used the cabinets until the Michael Jackson History tour in ’96, when I got the two Goliath cabinets, which is what I still use today. I just love it—it’s such a tight, punchy sound.
Keep up with Freddie Washington on the road with Steely Dan online at www.steelydan.com.
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