Most ICONIC bass break of all time? 🤔 #scottsbasslessons #sbl #basslesson #paulsimon

When Paul Simon’s You Can Call Me Al first hit the radio in 1986, there wasn't a bassist on the planet whose head wasn't turned by Bakithi Kumalo’s two-bar slap bass solo — a bass break that turned out to be almost physically impossible to play live!
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For today’s new video, we’ve prepared the ultimate crash course in how to play it. Plus, you'll get the free Tab & Notation so you can see exactly how Bakithi did it!

[pmdinaz]

If you ain't cheatin' you ain't tryin'! LOL

[TheMightyKingzuru]

That's an iconic baseline by Bakithi Khumalo. Legend has it that it was on his birthday and Paul Simon allowed him to do his thing and he did it.

[gking]

Yes, you can play it live. He played live in a Paul Simon concert. Even though the original was done in studio.

[soulessshadow]

Khumalo, Flee, Geddy Lee, Les Claypool, man there's so many legendary bassists who changed the game. Bass is actually what got me into music and I've loved the bass ever since even though I'm a drummer by nature. There's just something special about what it adds to music.

[johnelphinstone]

Ha! Never realized till now that it was the first phrase play back in reverse

[danielmurphy]

There is a graceland documentary. The base player described it as the other instruments speaking to him and he was speaking back through his base. Came up with the lick in one attempt through feeling the music.

[anonymousanonymous]

Fantastic bass player! Doesn’t get as much recognition as he deserves

[dumisa]

I watched Bakhiti Khumalo play this part live every night on the 1987 Graceland Tour. You should invite him on to show you.

[willstar]

A kid at my son's school did it when the band played this banger at the prize giving assembly.

It was so bad ass and all the Dads were looking at eachother like "This kids a fuckin G!"

[Shred_The_Weapon]

Sure, he’s “cheating”, Scott. He’s basically employing a condensation of the same technology that was used both to record the solo and play it back backwards. Touché, especially after the tidbit you shared about playing those staccato ticking-clock notes whole covering the Pink Floyd song “Time”.

[freddyheadbite]

I really like that song for some reason. It makes me smile😊.
Fun music-video too.

[russelhorwitz]

One of my peak moments in life was watching Bakithi Kumalo playing in a small trio (Morris Goldberg Trio) in a small restaurant in Cape Town a long time ago - he must’ve taken six or seven solos that sounded like six or seven different bass players - all world class, of course.

[chasemartin]

Is there anything better than a best friend to jam with? Haha thanks for postin the video guys yall rock!! Keep uhhhh…..slappin the bass yess♥️♥️🤠🤟🏻

[MarioStamegna]

That was a pro move!! Didn’t see that coming!

[SemiDad]

Graceland Album is pure genius. Bakithi Khumalo a genius on bass. Ray Phiri a legend on guitar, Ladysmith Black Mambazo an awesome choral group put together by Paul Simon.

[hoot]

As a little boy in the 80s this bass break blew my tiny mind!

[simonrano]

Not surprised as some people still think that each Entwistle random pentatonic breaks on My Generation is as difficult as Charlie Parker full records.

[wukket]

One thing I’ve learned about music is that it’s not cheating if it works 😂

[tylerthompson]

This made me laugh lol. Technically not impossible to play live indeed. Well done. Ian the man

[robertborden]

Bakithi used the same producer, Steve Palmer, for his solo stuff as my band for our demo CD back in 2003. Steve was a bass player too and was the first person to swear by the “tone is in the fingers” philosophy. He would set up the whole rig for recording and it would sound like Bakithi. When Steve played through it he sounded nothing like him. Not even a little. He was such a fan of Bakithi. Ultimate pro.