Page 87 - ION Indie Magazine MarchApril 2018 Issue

They often say that bass players are the underappreciated foundation that holds a band together. Scientists
even recently theorized that the bass player is the most important sound to a listener’s ear. So, it goes
without saying that one of the best bass players around must have many great friends in music. When bass
guru OTEIL BURBRIDGE gets a break from his demanding tour schedule, he pulls together some friends and
calls it “Oteil & Friends.” Together, they perform concerts featuring top-notch musical skill that would be
difficult to rival. Meanwhile, this ensemble of friends manages to simply enjoy themselves and have a lot of
fun. The combination of masterful musicianship and a relaxed jam session gives its audience a great chance
to see what immense talent can be like when those who possess it just want to enjoy the music.

Oteil’s history of making musical friends spans several notable groups. His longest tenure was as the bassist
for The Allman Brothers Band for their final 17 years – by far, the longest run of any bass player for the hall
of fame group. His jazz chops and driving funk-feel gave the southern rock band a new pulse in their final
decades that pushed the boundaries of their sound to new places. Prior to joining The Allman Brothers, Oteil
was an integral part of some groups widely admired in the jam music scene -- like Bruce Hampton’s
Aquarium Rescue Unit and Frogwings. When his Allman bandmate Derek Trucks formed a blues super group
with his wife, the Tedeschi Trucks band, Oteil joined on bass for its first few years. He was on their first
couple of recordings, including the Grammy-winning debut album. Later on, he would continue to spread
his network in the jam scene as part of the side-project of Phish key-man Page McConnell, Vida Blue. Their
rd
3 studio album is now in the works. Being the diverse player that he is, Oteil didn’t spare his collaborations
from other types of music as well, recording and touring with the Zac Brown Band, fellow bassist Victor
Wootin, and even working with jazz master Herbie Hancock.