L.A. studio veteran talks major recording projects and what he learned from Burt Bacharach about playing bass
Exclusive video interview with FBPO’s Jon Liebman
February 27, 2023
L.A. session musician Dave Marotta has been surrounded by music his entire life. His father owned a music shop in Monterey, CA. After seeing Noel Redding and Duck Dunn performing with Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding, respectively, Dave became a dedicated bass player at just 12 years old.
Marotta, a longtime staple of the Los Angeles studio scene, is known for touring and recording with artists like Colbie Caillat, Kenny Loggins, Burt Bacharach, Gino Vannelli, Phil Collins, Manhattan Transfer, and Bruce Hornsby. His bass playing can also be heard on numerous television and movie soundtracks, including Home Improvement, Happy Days, Dharma & Greg, Anger Management, and The Longest Yard.
Watch our interview with Dave!
See Jon’s blog, with key takeaways from this interview here.
great interview.
Thanks Dan! I hope you got a lot out of it.
Thanks to Dave and Jon for an interesting interview! Really enjoyed this and I appreciate Dave emphasizing the importance of playing clean, letting the song breathe and seeing what the song needs, if anything, before playing “busy.” Excellent advice that I need to hear and heed often! By the way, I taught myself piano decades ago playing along with Burt’s songs! Saw him at the Greek Theater in the early ’70s and learned so much from him!
Cool! Thanks for weighing in, Skyflyer. I’m glad you enjoyed the interview.
The club mentioned with drummer Mouse Johnson (Mouse and The Toyband) was called Josefinia’s. Was in the Valley and was quite the hang back in the day.
Ah, yes! I remember those nights very well, back in 1991-92. Thanks, Mike!