Big New York may have six strings, but heās leading from the low end.
Bandleading on bass offers a unique challenge. Hereās how one player rises to the occasion.
Bassists are natural leaders, both rhythmically and harmonically, but filling the foundational function doesnāt always lend itself to becoming an actual bandleader or solo artist. For most of us, thatās just fine. Weāre perfectly happy holding it down and creatively keeping things together. (Of course there are plenty of exceptions: Stanley Clarke, Les Claypool, Meshell Ndegeocello, Thundercat, and Victor Wooten, to name a few.)
But for those who do envision themselves centerstage, making the shift to leader requires a new way of thinking. To get some perspective, I wanted to talk to a bassist with recent experience transitioning to being in charge. I immediately thought of Big New York.
I met Big New York nearly 20 years ago at Bass Player LIVE!, back when Bass Playermagazine held its annual event in Manhattan, before moving it to Hollywood from 2008 to its final act in 2017. Christian de Mesones told me people only started calling him Big New York after he moved to Virginia, where his stature and distinctive accent stuck out. āIn New York, thereās about a million guys who look and sound like me,ā he laughs. It turns out that he lived in my sorta-hometown of Woodbridge, Virginia, where he recently retired after nearly two decades driving school buses.
Following his late ā70s graduation from the Bass Institute of Technology, Christian played in dozens of bands over the years. Then, ten years agoāwith his wifeās firm encouragementāhe decided to start leading his own project. Though he grew up listening to hard rock and heavy metalākids loved it when he played AC/DC and Black Sabbath on his busāhis own sound blends soul and jazz with Latin feels. After steadily releasing singles and holding high-profile performances with special guests, Christian released his debut album in 2020, They Call Me Big New York. The following year, his track āHispanica (Instrumental),ā featuring legendary pianist Bob James, climbed to No. 1 on Billboardās Smooth Jazz Airplay charts. This spring he released his sophomore album, You Only Live Twice.
As a leader, Big New York is a composer, an arranger, a marketer, a strategist, a people manager, and a showmanāall while still being a bass player. Hereās what he says about these different aspects:
On whether being a leader means always playing the lead: āIāve always been writing music, from the day I first picked up the bass. I write everything on the bassāmelodies, grooves, and chordal structures. I do almost all my writing on my Alembic Epic, but I donāt feel like everything I write has to be played on bass. There are only a few songs where Iām playing the lead melody on bass. If youāre coming into the market brand new, you canāt focus only on yourself or even be the best musician in your band. Believe it or not, the narcissism shows.ā
On the critical importance of low end: āIf you play lead bass, you have to have another bass player backing you because without it, the music drops. I donāt like that. Thatās why I hire a keyboard player that doubles on bass. He keeps his bass nearby for when I play lead.āāI try to make that connection with the audience so theyāre with us all the way.ā
On having a leadership personality: āYouāre taking care of so muchāthe payroll, the bills, and so many things. So youāve got to deal with people in a way that they donāt take any energy from you. You may not want to hear someone say, āSorry, my car broke down,ā or āMy dog ate my homework,ā but thatās what youāre going to get, even from the best musicians on the planet. Itās up to you to bite your tongue, not flip out, and just say everythingās going to be alright. Youāve gotta have backup players, so if one horn player is gone for the gig, you can still do the show. Youāve always got to think of a way to not lose your cool, but it can be hard when itās your money on the line.ā
On showmanship: āWhen it comes to the dynamics of the show, I know where the lows should be, where the highs should be, where the climax should be. I create it; thatās part of the job. I usually put the bass-led songs near the end. On a recent show I brought in Bill Dickens and Al Caldwell as bass guests, and after the show they paid me a great compliment. They said they really loved watching me leading the band and communicating with the audience. I try to make that connection with the audience so theyāre with us all the way.ā
On the biggest challenge to being an artist and a bandleader: āThe fight to stay relevant. Iām mature enough to realize if I get my few minutes of fame, someone else should get theirs. But when it happens once, you are hoping itās going to come around again for you. You donāt want to fade away.āThe bass wiz and author shares deep wisdom about bass, music, and more.