Groove – Episode #121: Michael Manring on Redefining the Bass and Lessons from Jaco Pastorius

Michael Manring is not just another bassist. He’s a true explorer who has spent decades pushing well beyond the conventional boundaries of what the instrument can do, carving out a unique path that’s as much about curiosity, physics, and emotional resonance as it is about low notes and grooves.

Growing up in the late 1960s, at a time when music seemed to crack open and reinvent itself daily, Michael was that rare kid who became enamored with the bass itself, right down to its tonal core and the visceral feeling it evoked. By age nine he’d latched onto the electric bass, pulling from the chaotic, culture-shifting energy of Woodstock, and learning his way forward through a mixture of hunger, instinct, and voracious reading. This early fascination broadened into an obsession with tuning systems, fretless intonation, and new sonic vocabularies. He dove headlong into the complexities of just intonation, psychoacoustics, and the science of sound, studying with remarkable teachers and even dabbling in the esoteric brilliance of pioneers like Harry Partch.

Yet even at his most theoretical, Michael never lost touch with the physical joy of playing, whether comping notes on a rented bass as a child or evolving into the kind of musician who wields hipshot tuners, E-bows, and cleverly mapped fingering systems to unlock endless possibilities.

From embracing the challenge of fretless strings to learning directly from Jaco Pastorius in early ’80s New York clubs to forging new paths as a solo artist and collaborator, Michael has steadily charted an original course. He’s performed tributes to his friend Michael Hedges, worked alongside young virtuosos who discovered him from obscure YouTube clips, and approached every new project with both reverence and restless imagination. While many bassists are content to anchor the band in traditional ways, Michael stands out as a rare mind willing to ask: “what if the instrument can do more, say more, and still feel utterly human?”

All of this leads us to the present moment – catching him in Montreal, reflecting on decades of sonic experimentation, still as fascinated as ever by the notion that we’ve barely scratched the surface of what this low-end beast can do. In his hands, the bass transforms from a mere supporting player into a shape-shifting storyteller capable of delivering soulful melodies, impossible harmonics, and rhythmic textures that feel like entire ensembles condensed into four strings. We all benefit when a musician like Michael shows us just how far we can push against the edges of possibility. This is his second time on the show.

Enjoy the conversation…