Soul Summit and Bob Babbitt: What A Man

In 2007, keyboardist and producer Jason Miles brought together a killer supergroup to perform classic soul hits at the Berks Jazz Festival in Reading, Pennsylvania. The band included vocalists Maysa, Susan Tedeschi and Mike Mattison (Tedeschi Trucks Band), saxophonists Karl Denson, Richard Elliot (Tower of Power), Dave Mann and Barry Danielian, guitarists Reggie Young and Sherrod Barnes, trumpeter Tony Kadlek, and drummer Steve Ferrone.

Lucky for all of them, Bob Babbitt was on bass.

Here’s the group’s performance of Linda Lyndell’s 1968 hit “What a Man.” Though it was originally a Stax track, Babbitt brings his own iconic groove to the song while paying tribute to the original.

In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.

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  1. Mike Matthews

    Now that’s some great bass playing!

  2. Louis

    Thanks for posting, Steve and Bob had the foundation to be sure. What a groove, what a man!

  3. Oh, Yeah !!! That’s what I call a soulful groove that floats along with the vocals .Bob Babbitt …Thank you and RIP.

  4. Gregg

    what a man? what a woman! I think I’m in love

  5. kenzillathor

    Bob Babbitt… there is nothing much to say ..

  6. David Desmond

    Great bassist! I just wish I saw more of him in the video-but isn’t that the thing about being a bassist? We do all the work of laying down the groove and the singer, sax player or usually the overly loud guitarist gets the glory!