Cover photo © 2025 Rapha El
Bass players can sometimes seem like ghostwriters, failing to be credited for their crucial role in a great work. While their contributions can often be overlooked by non-musicians, they have been called the “heartbeat” of the band, and “the glue that holds it together”. In fact, jazz bass virtuoso, Charlie Haden, once said that “when the bass stops, the bottom kind of drops out of everything”.
Bass player (and producer and songwriter), Dean Zucchero, is one that is not overlooked. He is highly sought-after, (for example, he has toured Europe with The HEALERS (feat: Thomas Buck-Nasty), toured Africa with Cyril Neville, produced, played bass and co-wrote songs on four of Ghalia Volt’s albums, and also toured Europe with Volt, just to name a few of his collaborations. And the respect that other musicians have for him is evident by the number of remarkable artists who have been interested in being guests on his albums. Blues Blast Magazine had the opportunity to catch up with Dean recently by video-chat.
Dean is originally from New York and played clarinet as a child before eventually finding his way to the bass.
“I was always fascinated with music and dreamt about playing an instrument, and as a kid I played clarinet, but I wasn’t really into it. I didn’t connect with it. I’d go to school dances where there was live music and see my cousin playing guitar and he was an inspiration. At around the age of fifteen, my best friend started playing drums and he told me they needed a bass player. I told him I could play, but I didn’t even own a bass at the time. I talked my mother into buying me a bass and an amp for $35, biked back to my friend’s house and he showed me some songs. I still remember them—“Rock and Roll” and “The Ocean” by Led Zeppelin, and “My Sharona” by The Knack, which was the number one song at the time. I just put a lot of time into it and was able to pull it off.”
Dean originally pursued his career through several academic efforts. He entered college but then dropped out at the age of 19 to form a band called Major Domo. He later went back to school to obtain an associate’s degree in classical music (also studying jazz at the same time) but was one course shy of completing the tenure due to a paper in English literature which he was unable to complete because of competing musical rehearsals for industry showcasing. He hence ended up dropping out again. He later attained a degree from NYU in pre-law and philosophy and planned to go to law school to become an entertainment lawyer. Dean even stopped playing music for a few years to work at a law firm, gaining experience with the laws related to intellectual property. However, he found that he simply lost interest in that plan and felt a strong drive to return to playing music. So, he returned to the music world by practicing eight hours a day, did some studio work, and some work for commercials.
Throughout the 1990s and into 2000, Dean had the opportunity to play with numerous artists and also had the opportunity to see the world.
“In 2004, I went to China with Carlton J. Smith. We played a three-month residency in Shanghai and then played for three months in Zurich at The Casa Bar, the oldest jazz club in Europe. As we were getting ready to head back, the owner of the club told me that the next band needed a bass player and offered to give me an apartment if I stayed. I ended up staying five years in Switzerland and then moved to Piacenza, Italy to play with Sugarpie & the Candymen. I later went to Paris for a period while they completed their upcoming record. Then I went home for three months, but I had given up my place in New York, so I just stayed at my brother’s house awaiting an upcoming tour in Italy with Sugarpie, but that ultimately fell through. So, I decided to check out what it would be like to live in New Orleans. I went for a month and canvassed the whole place. People were very friendly and inviting. Musicians asked me to get up and play and within a week I had work playing with Troy Turner. I decided to make a stay here in Nola, so after I went back and fulfilled some obligations in Europe, I did just that.”
“When I returned to New Orleans, I joined the Caesar Brothers, who are Cyril Neville’s nephews, and they pushed for me to get in Cyril’s band. Of course, everybody wants to play with Cyril! Working with Cyril is great. I loved it. He is a total professional. He gives you a lot of freedom to play and you can ham it up, but you have to truly know the material. The day of one particular Jazz Fest was the day after Prince had died, so Cyril decided he wanted to do a Prince song. He said, ‘figure it out’, and we had to play it that afternoon at Jazz Fest. That’s the kind of level he expects. I also got to play with people like Ghalia Volt, “Sunpie” Barnes, Johnny Sansone, and Jonathan ‘Boogie’ Long.”
With so many venues shutting down during the pandemic, Dean was instrumental in organizing and hosting one of the very few exceptions–an acoustic blues series in the beer garden of the German bistro, Bratz Y’all, that met all requirements of the Covid guidelines. The popularity of that series grew, and when Jazz Fest was cancelled, Dean hosted a mini jazz fest in the garden, offering two weekends of admission-free live music during which he was house bassist for all 17 bands.
“Everybody was eager to get out. They came out and it broke the silence. Everyone had been so cooped up. People were generous—the tips were crazy. We added another day and at the end of the pandemic the owner asked me if I wanted to keep it going. By that point it had become my day job. It’s a boon to the business and it’s fun—I get to play with all of my favorite players. People come in from other cities and contact me because they want to play. If I have to go on the road, for example five weeks with John Nemeth this year, I just book everything and come back and it’s there.”
Dean is also a collector of vintage bass guitars and referred to himself as “a collector who plays”.
“In 1985 I bought my first vintage (1964) Fender jazz bass. One night I threw it around and the head stock snapped off. I had it fixed, and later on Meshell Ndegeocello’s partner bought it for her. Then I bought a ’63 Fender Jazz, a 1966 custom Olympic white Fender Jazz, a 1968 and a 1974 Fender Jazz, a 1975 Precision Bass, and a 1993 Fender Precision Bass. I have a fascination with the vintage instruments. I buy a bass a year and then usually sell one off.”
Dean was asked to help non-musicians understand the difference between a Jazz and a Precision Bass.
“The Precision Bass came first, with a split-coil pickup and is really meant to emulate the acoustic bass. It has a big open hollow sound and a fat neck. The Jazz Bass has a thinner neck and two single-coil pickups and a little more tonal ability. Some people swear by the Precision while others love the Jazz Bass. Some people play both to get different sounds.”
Dean has been recording extensively since the pandemic, and his 2023 album Electric Church for the Spiritually Misguided debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues chart. It included some of the finest singers and musicians in the blues, including Johnny Rawls, Johnny Sansone, Joe Krown Jason Ricci, Jonathan “Boogie” Long”, Ghalia Volt, John Fohl, Johnny Burgin, Waylon Thibodeau, Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, and Terence Higgins.
“I had been thinking about doing a record for a long time. I met a drummer friend, Doug Belote, and he had a friend with a reputable studio who was an excellent engineer. I used a different way of recording. Typically, I would have us go in as a whole band and record as live as possible. This particular way was a very slow process of layering the music and ultimately took a year and a half. I decided that I wasn’t going to do the vocals. I can sing, but I have too much respect for the “vocalist.” I love a great singer even more than an outstanding guitarist. So, I had numerous guests singing on the album. I then tried approaching a couple of labels, but they weren’t interested because they said with all those guests, I couldn’t really ‘tour’ the record. So, I just formed my own label, Pugnacious Records, and hired the very industry people I’d worked with in the past to get it out there internationally and on the radio. And then surprisingly I saw it debuted number one on the billboard blues album chart.”
Less than two years later, Dean released his second album, again with amazing guest artists. His latest album is called “Song for the Sinners”. It topped the blues chart Luminate at #1 (National sales only) and hit #8 on the Billboard charts.
“My digital marketing director said I had to go to the BMAs and just hang out the week my first album was #1. It was cool, and I saw Bobby Rush there. He was very approachable. I told him I wanted him to be on my next record, and he said ‘sure’. A week or two later, I finished the first song for my second album, and he played harmonica on it. This new album is 100% me—no co-writers. It didn’t come easy. I put a lot of time into it.”
One of the most beautiful songs on the album is called “Never Fade Away” and features impeccable vocals by both John Nemeth and Tiffany Pollock.
“That song means a lot to me. It’s about my mother. She had passed away the year before. It’s the story of a boy saying goodbye to his mother and her consoling him in the process, saying ‘forever ain’t long—but a day away’.”
Another song that held special meaning for Dean was “Crawfish No More”.
“I wrote that for John Boutte to sing. He came in and just killed it, with only one or two takes—no fixes. He’s a very charismatic and a very physical singer. The lyrics might sound kind of humorous at first, but it’s really about the end of good times and the communal experiences that two people had eating crawfish. I’m using metaphors for when a long-term relationship ends. Eating crawfish is a festive thing in New Orleans, but you don’t do it alone. That’s the symbolism. I remember going to the store when I was in the mood for crawfish, but I realized I can’t even eat crawfish anymore, and I thought that was an interesting line for a song”
With exceptional vocals by John Boutte, the poetic lyrics about the breakup demonstrate why English was Dean’s best subject in college: “The bitter hour has come. It tastes just like no-one. A starving soul cannot endure such shame. Malt beverage to chase the pain. Empty plates held in vain. As joyful years have turned to saltless tears. Because it’s us you no longer adore. Since our love has washed upon the shore. I therefore don’t eat crawfish anymore.” Those are not the only Zucchero lyrics that are beautifully poetic. Guest artist, Jimmy Vivino, sings a harder rock-type song written by Zucchero which references the Taoist concept of ‘biting through’ to overcome obstacles.
“Nowadays a lot of blues songs are just the set up for the guitar solo, but I wanted the emphasis to be on the song. ‘Biting Through’ has a cool rock ‘n’ roll riff, but I tried to make the lyric kind of interesting. I like to rock out but I think you can incorporate both. I’m a lit major. It’s what I was exposed to. Lennon was a great writer, maybe because his aunt made him read all the English classics. In the beginning of ‘Biting Through’, the hero is confident that his persistence is going to pay off: ‘these walls you shield, you can’t conceal—I’m biting through.’ But in the last verse, the revelation occurs: ‘the walls you shield are forever sealed—I take my cue.’ Metaphorically he breaks through with the revelation that his persistence isn’t going to break through because her walls are too high and too strong.”
Dean’s next goal is to improve his vocal ability. He also plans to put out a book capturing the poetry of his lyrics.
“I’ve been working on the vocals. Now I want to do a show where it is just me singing the songs from my two records, plus more recent unreleased compositions. I’ve been working a lot on singing and playing. It’s hard, at first. It’s like patting your head and rubbing your stomach—you need that kind of coordination to sing over playing the bass line. Paul McCartney was a brilliant bass player.” Danielle Nicole makes singing and playing bass look easy—she’s just been doing it forever.
Hopefully, you will have the opportunity to see Dean Zucchero perform live soon. If so, you’ll see why he says that being a bass player “is an unassuming position, but we’re kind of the middle player connecting the earth to the sky”. As an audience, we will look forward the opportunity to hear Dean sing more often and will continue to anticipate new elegant and meaningful lyrics from him. And, if you are in New Orleans when the weather is nice, stop by his Blues in the Biergarten (or any of his other shows around town). You can check out his schedule at www.deanzucchero.com and his record label at www.pugnaciousrecords.com.
