Yesterday, the world lost an incredible musician, as bassist Rob Wasserman lost his life at the age of 64. Wasserman had quite the prolific career, mostly known for his upright bass playing. Using a bow, Wasserman’s lingering tones were wholly unique and truly indicative of his enormous talents. Wasserman continually challenged himself throughout his career, playing often with Bob Weir but also working on duets with famed musicians like Lou Reed and Aaron Neville.
Among Wasserman’s many great jams, this one from the 1994 Bammy Awards takes the cake. Wasserman is here with fellow bass played Les Claypool, as well as Ratdog/Primus drummer Jay Lane behind them. It’s only fitting that Lane and Wasserman would link up once again in RatDog years later.
Dubbed 3 Guys Named Schmo, this short lived supergroup was one of Les Claypool’s many side projects featured in the 5 Gallons Of Diesel DVD release in 2005. The Bammies, hosted by BAM (or Bay Area Magazine), brought together some of the region’s best artists for many years in true celebration. It’s this bass-on-bass jam that has us funking along and remembering the great contributions that Wasserman gave to music.
Without further ado, you can enjoy this 3 Guys Named Schmo performance below.