James Brown famously said "every instrument is a drum." Fred Thomas builds on that and says "every instrument is a voice."

Attendees will receive sheet music and audio references for 4 songs in advance of the workshop.

Fred will then demonstrate how to breathe life into the patterns and create interlocking, complex and funky music.

Fred will demonstrate on bass and other instruments, as well as singing the parts and having students sing them back to internalize the sound. 

His guitarist and sax player from over a decade will attend to assist in demonstrating on these instruments, as well.

Examples from past workshops:

Drummers will learn the importance of playing "the 1" and the distinction between Clyde and Jabo's kick. They will learn the 3 go-to beats that embody many James Brown songs;

Guitarists will learn the Cheese Martin stroke along with single note lines of Robert Coleman and Jimmy Nolen;

Horns will learn blend and "spit";

Bass players will see first hand Fred's approach and feel to the patterns;

Keyboardists will learn the "secret funk" that acts as a pad under JB songs;

Vocalists will receive insight into storytelling, phrasing, accentuating within a phrase;

All attendees will learn how to add fire to their solos through phrasing choices.

Fred Thomas occupies a very special niche in the history R&B. As James Brown’s principal bassist since 1971 (the “Make if Funky” era), he participated in one the most prolific periods in the Godfather of Soul’s incredible career as a member of Brown’s band, the J.B.'s.

Fred can be heard on hits such as: “Hot Pants”, “Papa Don’t Take No Mess,” “Make it Funky,” "Get on the Good Foot," "Doing it to Death," "I'm a Greedy Man," "I Got Ants in My Pants," "There it Is," "Stoned to the Bone," and instrumental classics like “Pass the Peas” and “Gimme Some More.” His lines heard on songs like Bobby Byrd's "I Know You Got Soul", Lyn Collin's "Think" have been sampled numerous times.

He's on the seminal "Live at the Apollo Vol. 3 Revolution of the Mind" and can be seen in "Soul Power" (2008) documentary of James Brown's 1974 concert in Zaire, and in the many James Brown "Soul Train" appearances.

In his band, Fred Thomas is front and center singing, playing bass and tearing into a mix of blues and soul classics and the JB hits he recorded on.