5 Reasons Pino Palladino is the greatest

Like Motown’s James Jamerson, Pino Palladino has spent most of his incredible career hidden from the spotlight – until now! Having worked with everyone from Adele to Elton John, Nine Inch Nails to Harry Styles, the Who to D’Angelo, Pino has come to encapsulate everything that a sideman should be. But lost in the cult praise for his multi-genre chops and studio wizardry are 5 secret weapons!

Reason 1: Fretless Meets Fretted

No one did more to promote expressive bass playing back in the '80s than Pino Palladino. His big break came as a member of Paul Young’s band, culminating in a truly amazing piece of fretless bass accompaniment to one of Young’s biggest hits, his 1983 cover of Marvin Gaye’s Wherever I Lay My Hat.

Some years later, Pino resurfaced in R&B groove mode with D’Angelo. Having met in 1997 while recording for BB King’s Deuces Wild, Pino went on to provide many of the flatwound-swinging bass lines on his 2000 landmark album, Voodoo.

Reason 2: Multi-Genre Wizardry

The sheer number of records that have been sold featuring Pino’s work is astonishing. He played on not one but two of the biggest selling albums of the 21st century: Adele’s 21 and Ed Sheeran’s Divide. Palladino’s bass playing is also the thread that links the John Mayer Trio with jazz/fusion trio PSP and Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails.

Reason 3: Secret Chops

Lesser-celebrated, but nonetheless awesome are Pino’s chops when it comes to taking a solo. Check out his slick fretless lines with the Manu Katché Band, alongside Dominic Miller, at the 1999 Montreux Jazz Festival. The song is Truco, which appeared on Dominic Miller’s 2003 album, Second Nature.

Reason 4: Groove Genius

Of course, Pino is a technical master, but on such epic groove tracks as The Line by D’Angelo, he combines finesse and remarkable originality into an undeniable groove. “My roots are in Motown, reggae, R&B,” says Pino. “I didn’t get much of an opportunity to express that side of music and then I met D’Angelo – how lucky was that?”Reason 5: The Song Comes FirstPino is often regarded as the pinnacle of the instrument, but no matter the sheer size of his expertise, it’s his devotion to the song that has provided the sure-footing he needed to reach the summit of the bass world. And while it’s no secret that he doesn’t read a note of music, and he’s never been one to rely on charts either, his intuitive understanding of the role of the bass and the responsibilities that go with it have ensured his standing as one of the most important bass players of all time.