ESP represented for me a challenge on the bass. The harmony of this great Wayne Shorter composition doesn't follow what might be considered a "normal" progression.

To solo on this tune, I had to practice a long time to figure out various melodic lines that normally aren't available on a bass guitar. By "available", I mean that because the bass is tuned symmetrically, in fourths, ESP is anything but traditional in its harmonic motion through the chord changes.

This is why I chose to play this tune. I was forced to look at the bass guitar differently because the song required a special approach in order to play through it. Plus, I took the tune in an up-tempo manner which presented more difficulties for me. Sometimes it is great fun to just play simple bass parts. But as a band leader, I have found that people expect me to present interesting bass playing. ESP is an example of something that I wished to make interesting and technically exciting for the listeners.