Bilbo

[quote name='KevB' post='1343137' date='Aug 17 2011, 02:12 PM']I suppoose we should respect Waters for not writing overly complicated bass lines just because he was the bass player but sticking to the golden rule of creating what was right for the song.[/quote] Or, alternatively, we could call his lines predictable, boring and lacking in imagination Never got into the Floyd. Never played any of their songs. Unlikley to

Which PF tribute band, barney? There are so many?

I guess the weight thing is lost on me as I haven't really played anything else for so long. But, on the other hand, I have also never finished a gig thinking 'oooo! Me poor shoulder(s)'. I am 6'1'' so that may have some bearing on it but, as I said, the weight thing is a non-issue for me. I always think things like neck profile only matter for about an hour and lots of the 'playability' stuff is about working with what you have rather than expecting an 'off the peg' players dream. For the record, the set up on my Wal is entirely stock and it has only been in a workshop twice: once with Pete The Fish (when he built it) and once with Paul Herman. The last 'visit' was pre-Millenium, IIRC. It fits me perfectly and I can reach every note on it, there are no bits digging in, the bridge is perfick, as are the machine heads, the pick-up and the pots. I nornally put it in a gig bag in tune and take it out still in tune.

I have a version of Cubase Stonehenge v.1 which meets my needs in terms of home recording. I use Sibelius Orthapeadic, Transcribe Quill © and Band in an orange Box and they do everything I want them to. I get the motivation for providers to up-date software (primarily commercial) but have never really bothered with it as the core purpose of the earlier versions is working perfectly well. I still only use 'play' on a dvd player, one setting on a washing machine and 'on/off' for the central heating. Is it just me?

A lot of software lets you download a trial version taht doesn't let you save more than a small amount of data or some other built in data capture flaw that means you will need to buy if you want to use the product properly. Have you tried to download Reason?

Depends. When I play gigs, it is now unknown for me to not know the tune as it is being counted in. One chorus later I have a sense of it, two chorsus in, I'm pretty much there and aat three, we are home and dry.

Wal don't sponsor/give basses to anyone. If someone, even a celebrity bass player like Geddy Lee etc, plays a Wal, they bought it.

Try anything by Brand X (Product, Nobody Goes to Sweden, Wal To Wal, April). For me, it is the bass that allows you to sound like you. I have played my Wal Custom Fretless (4-string) pretty much exclusively since 1986 and have to say that I can't recognise a distinctive 'Wal' sound at all (but, then again, I can't tell the difference in sound between a Jazz Bass and a Rickenbacker 4001). What I do know is, if I hear myself playing, I know its me (so does my wife). For a jazz player, that's pretty important. Its reliable (no breakdowns (or broken strings) in 25 years), versatile (jazz/blues/funk/rock/shows. big band/duos/ live/studio) - it just delivers. Everyone who I play with is complementary about the sound and I pretty much always get called back. Some examples of the bass di'd into my PC (noodles, not proper pieces) [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=150684&st=0&p=1340108&#entry1340108"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...p;#entry1340108[/url] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=42836&hl=wal+street+crash"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...al+street+crash[/url] Other stuff on my Soundcloud page (See below). If its me on electric bass, its all the Wal.

It doesn't change tempo at all but the first bar is a semibreve, the second two minims, the third is a triplet minim, the fourth 4 crotchets, the fifth 5 crotchets against 4 beats, the sixth two sets of triplet crotchests, the seventh is 7 against 4 and the eighth bar is eight quavers. |it then does kind of does the same thing in reverse but only half as much . Its a Jeff Tain Watts arrangement and it was done in 1986, 25 years ago. A simple but effective idea but one that cannot be replicated because it is too obvious.

I have used bags for 25 years on my Wal - it has fallen sideways, forwards, backwards, been left unattended on the road in a car park (for 45 minutes minimum) and been banged, wedged, stood on and spilt over. My bass is still in full working order although the pots are a bit scratched - serious mojo! Its a bass not a rare antique. Its gonna get bished and boshed. But that's all superficial. Hardcases are a pain.

Ugly little whatnots. They appear in Felixstowe occasionally, in a tiny little shop near the train station.

We are all actually in agreement but I just wanted to urge people not to deify the bebop/hardbop school of jazz - its potentially as cliche-ridden as any other genre. There is a lot to be gained from standards but more to be gained by looking outside of the cloisters of neo-classicism and out into the wider music world.

There are a while raft of influences bearing down on Jazz that could not have happened before 1965. A lot of the world jazz influences are new, hip hop rhythm stuff has come in, new instruments are being explored - I guess it depends on what you value and what you consider to be Jazz.

1.Do we need an agent/agency? No but it can't hurt (don't sign exclusively as they won't get you enoughwork) 2.How do I find a good agent/agency? Lift up any drain cover...... 3.What are the essentials for a website? Soundclips and contact details. Make it look classy. 4.What type of events book Jazz bands? Weddings, birthday parties, retirement dos, corporate stuff.. 5.Is it OK to do Jazz arrangements of Pop tunes (Kings of Leon, Killers, Gaga)? Yes, as long as you do it well. 6.What are the top tips for doing functions/events? Be on time and look clean and professional. Keep a clean band area (put cases in cars/out of sight). Always make sure the customer is getting what they want. Always discuss payment in advance (cheque or cash) so no uncomfortable silences on the day.

[quote name='risingson' post='1338962' date='Aug 13 2011, 06:12 PM']Wow, a lot of these guys couldn't be further away from what is collectively known as acid-jazz, I don't know where you got the list from but it ain't really right![/quote] That's the trouble with labels. Different strokes for different folks. You create the label, the next guy steps over the line. Many genres expand until they encompass sub-genres and sub-sub-genres. I grew up with Rock which morphed into Heavy Metal before it sub-morphed into death metal, speed metal, prog metal etc. Its all academic to 99% of the population, including the bands. Wikipedia, by the way.

There is a myth around that you have to start at te beginning at work your way through it all to get to the stuff we hear today. There is some value in the idea but it is not the only way to make sense of the concept of improvisation or of swing etc. As the path from King Oliver to the Glasper's of this world gets longer, its harder to absorb it all before you get to play something of value. The great American Songbook is not the only source and the fact that it is held in such high esteem is as much commercial as it is aesthetic. Some of those songs are bl**dy awful

Those kinds of frantic lines are seldom worth the effort, IMO On the age thing, I have to disagree. I am playing better now than ever (age 48). There are some things that I used to be able to do that I can't now (only because I have forgotten them) but, where there are recordings available, it would be fair to say they weren't nearly as good as I remembered them to be. I was clearing out some old cassettes recently and found several live recordings of some fairly heavy fusion/jazz rock tunes we used to do in days of yore. My playing was [i]very[/i] raggy and, although the tunes I was trying to play were hard, my playing of them was nowhere near good enough. Nowadays, I am much more aware of what is working and what is not and my playing is generally more musical as a result. And because it is more musical, the bits that involve technical flourishes tend to be more integrated.

Its hard because we are all compromised by the amounts that venues can afford/are willing to pay but I rarely play above a 5-piece and ususally 4. Some venues only pay for duos and trios. We can always make music but the choices around the size of an ensemble are seldom musical.

Did a doubler on Friday; jazz set in the afternoon (double) followed by two funk sets (double and electric) in the evening. The thrill of the day was playing funk tunes on double bass with a 5-piece band and having a great sound. THe electric parts of the sets were slammin'. Good charts, great drummer, good sound - what more can a guy ask for?

Knock yourself out, Faithless. I never buy standards cds and am reluctant to buy any cd with even one standard on because its lazy programming. If anyone has anything new to say on Autumn Leaves, let me know. Until then, I stick with 200 versions I already have and listen to some of the new stuff!

What happens if I press this.......

Eden Metros are going for £500 second hand and, if you ever want to gig it, it will do anything you want it to.

[quote name='lobematt' post='1334979' date='Aug 10 2011, 01:32 PM']But as you said, if I learn them changes well I can gig for the rest of my life on them and in a toss up between earning money for playing my bass and the risk of boring seasoned jazz musicians I know which way I'm going to go with it.[/quote] I was being facetious. The material we are discussing is getting more and more tired and there are fewer and fewer places that will tolerate it. Most credible jazz venues are turning their backs on this 'model' of jazz in favour of more contemporary forms. All you will be left doing is playing retirement dos and 80th birthday parties. If your motives are entirely mercenary, form a tribute band.

[quote name='lobematt' post='1334953' date='Aug 10 2011, 01:21 PM']Not that I'm particularly well educated in jazz but I'd have to disagree with that. Surely making the changes your own and what and how you choose to play through them is what jazz is about?[/quote] Yes and No. In the course of researching my Paul Chambers biography, I interviewed a guy called Dan Pliskow from Detroit who had the same teacher as Chambers. He sent me his own biography which included the set list from his very first gig in 1953. It consisted of Stella By Starlight, Autumn Leaves, All The Things You Are etc etc. THe model of taking standards and 'making them your own' has some legitimacy historically but the reality is that most people who play these tunes are regurgitating cliche after cliche. As a listener and jazz fan, it bores me rigid. For the lay person, I can see why they would walk away. The best traditions of jazz are of improvisation, innovation and exploration. The 'repertory' movement will turn Jazz into a museum tour.

You will, of course, bore everyone senseless and become part of the problem that is killing jazz in the provinces: stagnation. Learn them then never play them again.