My job is to bring your projects to life, and most of all, make you dance! Whether it’s a solid funky bass groove or thoughtful piano melody, you shouldn't have any trouble connecting with me. My passion is creating music that people will remember for years to come!
Greetings! My name is Jackie Clark, and I'm a professional session bassist and composer located in the soul music hotbed of Memphis, Tennessee!
I'm here to offer quality and creative bass guitar to producing top notch, full music tracks for clients covering multiple genres.
I've recorded, toured, or just held down the bass chair on one nighters over 30 years with artists like The Jacksons, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kirk Whalum,Bob James, Larry Carlton, Angie Stone, Howard Hewett, Shalamar, and Jonathan Butler to name a few.
I believe people hire me for my honesty and integrity to the creative process. I treat every song as a new opportunity to make people feel the soul of the artist I'm working with.
My goal is to always enhance, interpret, and deliver the right parts so you can truly feel the artist's intention for the song.
Feel free to contact me when you're ready to have this for your next project!
Send me a note through the contact button above.
Credits
Interview with Jackie Clark
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I was proud of working with the great Dee Dee Bridgewater on her first soul album...she is known for her rich jazz background. Had so much fun in those sessions!
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm working on completing my first full album release...hoping for a spring release date!
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Bassist Jamaal Andrews...great player! I'd hire him if I didn't play! Lol!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I grew up on the rich and natural sound of analog. I love it because of its organic and warm characteristics
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: To have your tracks back to you in a very timely manner!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Meeting and creating with people I don't know, but getting toknow themby the way they communicate through song.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: How long will it take? Lol! I'm usually really quick with turnaround times...no more than a couple of days or faster.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That I always get it completely right on the first take...most times I do, and it's usually the best, but I always look to improve if given the chance.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I usually ask about the origin of a song to help me connect even more with the lyrics. It really determines my approach and what instrument I choose for the track.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: I don't try and change clients ideas, but I'd like for them to be open to change if I hear something that will enhance it. At least give it a shot to see if it works...if not, we can go back to the original without any animosity. I'm easy to work with!
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My fretless bass, an acoustic guitar(I'd teach myself to play since I'd have nothing but time!) Lol! An oil lamp for reading, My computer and a portable interface to record ideas!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been a professional musician since 1994.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: On bass, I'd say I'm really laid back and in the pocket, with a few tasteful licks sprinkled throughout a track... On piano, I try to create simple, yet vibrant melodies, with subtle, but very interesting chord progressions.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I always dreamed of working with Sting(if he didn't play bass) Lol! Stevie Wonder as well. Mainly because of the depth of their music lyrically and sonically.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Always play from the heart, and leave the ego at the door....do what's absolutely necessary for the song so the artist can really shine!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: R&B, Blues, Smooth Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Gospel, Pop, Country, Hip Hop, Funk
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is my ability to learn songs quickly by ear, but I also read charts.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring creativity, passion, integrity, joy, love, sensitivity, and professionalism to any song I'm asked to record.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: My typical work process consists of following written charts (if applicable), or creating bass parts from scratch. I have pretty quick ears since I was blessed with perfect pitch, so learning a song from an mp3 is just as cool for me. I never overbook myself to ensure I have a quick turnaround!
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use several DAWs including: LUNA, ProTools, Logic X, and Studio One 7. My main interface is the Apollo 8 Quad with over 35 UA plugins, along with various high quality 3rd party plugins and top tier virtual instruments from Spectrasonics, Spitfire Audio, Vienna Symphony, Kontackt, VI Labs, etc...
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, James Jamerson, Anthony Jackson, Bill Withers, James Taylor, Arif Mardin
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Mainly bass guitar (fretted and fretless), but I also produce full music tracks for artists as well. Not just beats, but fully arranged songs.
I was the Composer, Bassist, Pianist, Producer in this production
- Bass ElectricAverage price - $200 per song
- Bass FretlessAverage price - $200 per song
- Programmed drumAverage price - $200 per song
- Full instrumental productionAverage price - $500 per song
- PianoAverage price - $200 per song
I can provide a 2 day turnaround for bass and keyboard work. 3-5 days for full music tracks.I'll allow 2 revisions without any additional costs. Require half the fee upfront, balance on completion.
- Apollo 8 Quad
- KRK V6 Monitors
- Slate VSX Headphones
- AT M50X phones
- DAWs include LUNA
- ProTools
- LogicX
- and Studio One 7
