[Spyro]

You almost have to divide it among rock-pop and jazz.
 
As the saying goes, jazz musicians grew up playing pop and rock and are very comfortable in that genre however take a pop rock musician and put him in a jazz element and most are very uncomfortable due to the complexity.  I grew up with Chris Squire, John Entwistle, Geddy Lee, Flea but I don't find any of those guys even close to what I hear in...
 
Victor Wooten
Scott Ambush
Marcus Miller
Christian McBride
John Pattitucci
Tom Kennedy

 

[SundayDriver]

Tony Levin, Justin Chancellor, and Nick Beggs

 

[Bosstooned]

So thus far everyone has failed to notice:
 
Stuart Zender: Jamiroquai's original bassist, his lines are very original, rhythm solid and he's incredibly diverse in his sounds.

Abraham Laboriel: Just listen to Koinonia's Frontline front to back, that'll say enough... This man just ooze's jazz with his sense for rhythm and contrapunction (which sounds technical, but could well be the most play-full way of making music) 

Paul Spencer Denman: Bassist for Sade, NO one understands the grand scheme like he does. He plays exactly what needs to be played and nothing more or less. Also singularly responsible for putting the groove into the Sade sound.

Lee Sklar might just be as innovative as Pastorious was. You become a better bassplayer just by listening to this guy!
 
John McVie was mentioned already but still: rhythm, innovative lines and a sound that blends perfectly with Fleetwood Mac's sound.

What do all these guys have in common? They all know how to position themselves, they both dictate the music AND contradict it when necessary. SO much more important than quickness or possessing the right 'technique'. Playing the bass as though you're Satriani is cool but it isn't playing bass; it's playing guitar with lower notes and thicker strings.

 

[Spyro]

  So thus far everyone has failed to notice:
 
Stuart Zender: Jamiroquai's original bassist, his lines are very original, rhythm solid and he's incredibly diverse in his sounds.

Abraham Laboriel: Just listen to Koinonia's Frontline front to back, that'll say enough... This man just ooze's jazz with his sense for rhythm and contrapunction (which sounds technical, but could well be the most play-full way of making music)

Paul Spencer Denman: Bassist for Sade, NO one understands the grand scheme like he does. He plays exactly what needs to be played and nothing more or less. Also singularly responsible for putting the groove into the Sade sound.

Lee Sklar might just be as innovative as Pastorious was. You become a better bassplayer just by listening to this guy!
 
John McVie was mentioned already but still: rhythm, innovative lines and a sound that blends perfectly with Fleetwood Mac's sound.

What do all these guys have in common? They all know how to position themselves, they both dictate the music AND contradict it when necessary. SO much more important than quickness or possessing the right 'technique'. Playing the bass as though you're Satriani is cool but it isn't playing bass; it's playing guitar with lower notes and thicker strings.

 
Can't argue with any of what you are saying but what you have failed to notice is that THAT's all those players do....give space to their bandmates.  For lack of a better term they are session players.
 
Many of those mentioned previous grew up doing that very same thing but also became virtuosos is their owm right.  They can do it all!   Christian McBride is perfect example. . Google him and tell me John McVie can even carry his jockstrap.
 
Drumming works the same way.  A "Dave Weckl" release will have lots of drumming.  But when Dave plays with Mike Stern or Gary Burton his drumming is much more subdued merely blending in with the vibe of the groove...

 

[Bosstooned]

Ooo, McBride is an extremely good player, he's got lots of feel as well as a nice and groovy touch. He also knows what to play at what moment. Nothing he ever does, though, has made me feel like "Hmm", "wow" or "that's interesting". What he does is cool, yet not even in the same league as the likes of McVie and Sklar (or Pastorius, Clarke, etcetera) in my eyes. They redefined ways in which to play the instrument and it came to them very naturally; it's just how they play. If I listen to Lee Sklar on some Phil Collins songs for example I find it very hard to think of any way he could have done it better. His role is so defined yet so effortlessly intertwined with the rest of the music, and as a head-fi'er I trust you to know better than any 'normal' (it's our freaky side, let's not deny it ) person that the musical representation as a whole is is much more important than constantly hearing either the drums, bass, guitar, vocals... A good band is always a band in which the musicians know what everyone's place is within the whole, and these men know how to fit the role of a bassist perfectly. And of course there's a whole bunch out there that is fabulous as well.
Forgive my fanaticism but the thing that really bothers me is how all the musicians I know and play with (I'm a bass player too) always talk about the clarkes, the Millers, the Wootens and when trying to be hip they mention Flea. No one knows the Zenders or Paul spencers though every time I play a piece of Jamiroquai they all think it's the bomb, yet never try listening to these bands. Same thing goes for jazz, I'm of course nowhere near as good as any of these virtuoso's but I try and learn something off of them and when I use some stuff I heard from Laboriel people act as though I've reïnvented the wheel. I don't need recognition for anything I tried to copy off of some player like Laboriel, what i WOULD like is for the masses to start listening to some of these guys and their bands and respect how well they do what they do so I can play some of these songs with them. 

 

[AJHeadfi]

Everyone has their favorites, Niels Henning Orsted Peterson is no slop on the upright, but I have never heard him on a guitar. He is considered virtuoso jazz bass.

 

[Flindark]

My Top 5
>John Wetton
>Geezer Butler
>David Gilmour (he usually did the more complex bass work for Pink Floyd in the early (my favourite) years)
>Tony Levin
>Geddy Lee

 

[jonyoo]

A vote for Victor Wooten and Abraham Laboriel!