Get out of town!<\/p>\n It was while earning his degree in music at UC San Diego in the late 1970s that budding bass guitar great Nathan East<\/strong><\/a> received perhaps the best advice anyone has given him.<\/p>\n \u201cMy two mentors were Bert Turetzky<\/strong><\/a>, who I rigorously studied upright bass with, and Cecil Lytle<\/strong><\/a>, who really took me under his wing,\u201d East, also a Crawford High School graduate, recalled. recalled. \u201cThey were two of the best teachers I ever had. Bert\u2019s big advice for me was to move to Los Angeles and to jump in with both feet.\u201d<\/p>\n Given how fruitful his subsequent career has been, it might appear to casual observers that East jumped in with far more than just two feet.<\/p>\n After heading to Los Angeles in 1979, he quickly became one of the most prolific, diverse and in-demand bassists anywhere.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a status he has maintained ever since, whether touring the world with Eric Clapton for nearly 20 years, accompanying a slew of legends at President Obama\u2019s inauguration concert or serving as the musical director for music legend Quincy Jones\u2019 recent all-star career retrospective concert at the Hollywood Bowl.<\/p>\n \u201cTo this day, I\u2019m way busier than I ever thought would be possible,\u201d said East, whose recent credits include recording sessions with Stevie Wonder, Michael Bubl\u00e9 and Daft Punk.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the busiest of times, I can remember doing as many as 28 (recording) sessions in a week. Even when I (only) averaged three sessions a day, that still came out to more than 700 a year.\u201d<\/p>\n But it is the quality of his performances, not their quantity, that has helped East stand out for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n \u201cMusically, Nathan is in (my) Top 3 as a bassist,\u201d Clapton said in a 2005 U-T San Diego interview. \u201cHe\u2019s the most supportive and caring musician I\u2019ve met.\u201d<\/p>\n He is also an accomplished vocalist. During East’s long tenure in Clapton’s band, he would perform lead vocals on the Blind Faith classic “Can’t Find My Way Home”<\/strong><\/a> (a role originally handled by Steve Winwood).<\/p>\n East performs two shows in San Diego with the pop-jazz band Fourplay on Friday, Nov. 2, at downtown’s all-ages Anthology. He co-founded the chart-topping group in 1991 with keyboardist Bob James, drummer Harvey Mason and guitarist Lee Ritenour (whose role is now ably filled by Chuck Loeb).<\/p>\n The veteran bassist\u2019s ability to play with skill, sensitivity and just the right touch are key reasons he has thrived for so long. The fact that he is widely regarded as a genuinely nice guy is another. Then there\u2019s his impressive versatility, which has enabled him to shine whether playing with such jazz luminaries as Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter or with Rock and Roll Hall of Famers like George Harrison and Rod Stewart.<\/p>\n Yet, it\u2019s likely that many pop music fans are familiar with East\u2019s impeccable bass playing even if they don\u2019t recognize his name. That\u2019s because he has made indelible contributions to such ubiquitous songs as Clapton\u2019s \u201cTears in Heaven,\u201d Michael Jackson\u2019s \u201cBad,\u201d Kenny Loggins\u2019 \u201cFootloose\u201d (which he performed with Loggins at the 1985 Live Aid concert)<\/strong><\/a> and the 1984 Phil Collins\/Phillip Bailey hit, \u201cEasy Lover\u201d (which East co-wrote).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/fourplay_jazz21.jpeg\" "\\"fourplay_jazz2\\"")
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