Two of my favourites Stanley Clarke and Mark King from level 42. Jazz funk takes bass playing to another level.
Who invented the slap bass style? I have been told that it was Stanley Clarke is this right?
I once helped set up gear for Return to Forever in Edinburgh 1973. (Chic Corea, Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola and Lenny White)
Awesome band left me with a lot to think about. Stanley played five string bass. I had never seen one before let alone heard it being slapped.
Chic had a huge Korg synth with a large board full of knobs and sliders which actually "effectively controlled" the different sounds. I had never seen anything like it (1973 remember) I'd only seen mini moogs which were temperamental PLUS you never got the same sound twice.
I barely had time to watch Al on guitar and Lenny's awsome drumming. MEMORIES.
40 years later and we see boy bands lip sync Yuch!

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=687727&songID=5238055