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John Bazz
John Bazz (born July 6, 1952) is an American bass guitarist known for his long service in The Blasters. Bazz's credits also include work with various other notable musicians, including Charlie Musselwhite, Marc Ford, Mike Eldred, Top Jimmy, Ryan Bingham, and Lynwood Slim.
Bazz grew up in Downey, California. He was one of four children. His father, Jack, was born in Wyoming in 1923. The 1940 census shows Jack living in Los Angeles. He lived in the L.A. area for the rest of his life.
The family name was originally Bazzanella. His grandfather, Giacomo, emigrated to the United States in 1905 and the surname was shortened.
Bazz's neighbors in Downey were his future bandmates in The Blasters: Phil Alvin, Dave Alvin, and Bill Bateman. In a 1985 interview, he remembered that his family lived across the street from the Alvins, and that their mothers were friends before any of the boys were born. He said that in a sense, they were all brothers.
In Make the Music Go Bang! (1997), Los Angeles music journalist Chris Morris described The Blasters circa 1980 and the "brute energy" that the band generated, including "the pump of bassist John Bazz." Dave Alvin echoed Morris in another history of the L.A. punk scene, Under the Big Black Sun. Pointing to their mutual education in old American music of all kinds, he noted how "John Bazz pumping decades-old walking bass lines like they were brand new" contributed to the band's "undeniably manic, energetic magic." A 2018 review of the band found that "[t]he hard-hitting rhythm section of drummer Bill Bateman and bassist John Bazz is propulsive and relentless.”
Alongside frontman Phil Alvin, Bazz has been one of the two enduring members in the various lineups of The Blasters over their more than 40-year history. As of 2022, he continued to be part of the rhythm section, alongside Bill Bateman.
Bazz plays upright bass in addition to electric bass. One description called his approach "unwavering and relentless" and remarked on the "passion" and "unmistakable push" in his playing that prompts high demand for his services in sessions and gigs.
One such assignment from a high-profile frontman came in 2002–03, when actor Bruce Willis handpicked Bazz to be in one of his musical side ventures, the Accelerators. Willis and band played for American troops in Iraq in September 2003 as part of the USO's "Touch of Home" tour.
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John Bazz
John Bazz (born July 6, 1952) is an American bass guitarist known for his long service in The Blasters. Bazz's credits also include work with various other notable musicians, including Charlie Musselwhite, Marc Ford, Mike Eldred, Top Jimmy, Ryan Bingham, and Lynwood Slim.
Bazz grew up in Downey, California. He was one of four children. His father, Jack, was born in Wyoming in 1923. The 1940 census shows Jack living in Los Angeles. He lived in the L.A. area for the rest of his life.
The family name was originally Bazzanella. His grandfather, Giacomo, emigrated to the United States in 1905 and the surname was shortened.
Bazz's neighbors in Downey were his future bandmates in The Blasters: Phil Alvin, Dave Alvin, and Bill Bateman. In a 1985 interview, he remembered that his family lived across the street from the Alvins, and that their mothers were friends before any of the boys were born. He said that in a sense, they were all brothers.
In Make the Music Go Bang! (1997), Los Angeles music journalist Chris Morris described The Blasters circa 1980 and the "brute energy" that the band generated, including "the pump of bassist John Bazz." Dave Alvin echoed Morris in another history of the L.A. punk scene, Under the Big Black Sun. Pointing to their mutual education in old American music of all kinds, he noted how "John Bazz pumping decades-old walking bass lines like they were brand new" contributed to the band's "undeniably manic, energetic magic." A 2018 review of the band found that "[t]he hard-hitting rhythm section of drummer Bill Bateman and bassist John Bazz is propulsive and relentless.”
Alongside frontman Phil Alvin, Bazz has been one of the two enduring members in the various lineups of The Blasters over their more than 40-year history. As of 2022, he continued to be part of the rhythm section, alongside Bill Bateman.
Bazz plays upright bass in addition to electric bass. One description called his approach "unwavering and relentless" and remarked on the "passion" and "unmistakable push" in his playing that prompts high demand for his services in sessions and gigs.
One such assignment from a high-profile frontman came in 2002–03, when actor Bruce Willis handpicked Bazz to be in one of his musical side ventures, the Accelerators. Willis and band played for American troops in Iraq in September 2003 as part of the USO's "Touch of Home" tour.