Bilbo

Nearly there. Patitucci's bass part on 'One Hand, One Heart' from the same 'West Side Story' recording. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/one-hand-one-heart-dave-grusin/

Only five more to go. This is the tune 'Maria' from the Dave Grusin 'West Side Story' recording - I love the transition from ballad to swing but watch the tempos as they are clearly directed in the studio by someone conducting. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/maria-dave-grusin/

And here we have Patitucci's complete bass part for the tune 'Tonight' from the same album. Listen to Gloria Estafan's phrasing and then go back and listen to Patitucci's. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/tonight-dave-grusin/

An easy win from the 'West Side Story', the tune 'I Feel Pretty' is essentially a duet between Grusin and flautist, Dave Valentin but there is a 90 second montuno groove in 6:4 at the 1:34 mark that is fun. Not massively difficult to play but, as with the 7:8 sections in 'America', you need to internalise the count and then it makes sense. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/i-feel-pretty-dave-grusin/

Great fun. Some nice stuff going on there.

Everyone everywhere speaks English because we can't speak anything else. I can't even speak Welsh and I am a Welshman.

I post everything on there already, Dave, so they should know about it already. Maybe the Russians or Chinese have discovered it!!

I am so excited to get this one down at last. This is the complete John Patitucci performance of the Leonard Bernstein tune 'America' as performed by Dave Grusin for the 1997 'West Side Story' album. A stunning recording that I hope to get to transcribe in its entirety (this is the longest piece so the rest should be easy enough). Coming in ay 8:20, there is a lot to take in but, stick with it. The bulk of the piece is in 7:8 but, once you get inside the groove, the reading gets easier. The logic seems to present itself as you internalise the rhythm. Great stuff. The fact that the harmony is relatively stable helps massively too. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/america-dave-grusin/

Yeah - but they aren't allowed the internet in prison.

Something weird has happened today. My website has averaged around 130-150 hits a day from about 40-50 people but today it has had 400+ hits from 330 people. Did someone mention it on TV somewhere 😆

A brilliantly fresh arrangement of Tito Puente's #Oye Como Va, this Hans Glawischnig bass part comer from the 2004 album by percussionist Paolo Meijas, 'Mi Tambor'. Some really creative ideas in here showing us what great musicians can do with 'standards' by completely reworking them. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/oye-como-va-paolo-meijas/

Just came across this genius AI generated biography of a friend of mine, Paul Ford. 'In the progressive rock scene, he was a member of the band Multi-Story, known for their neo-prog style. Multi-Story was formed in the early 1980s, featuring Paul Ford on vocals and guitar along with Rob Wilsher on keyboards. They reunited after a brief period apart, inspired by their meeting in a multi-story car park, hence the band's name. Multi-Story released their debut album, "East West," and later returned to the scene in the 2010s with new material and a reformed lineup. In the meantime, Paul Ford also had a successful career on Broadway as a music director and pianist, working with legendary composers like Stephen Sondheim'. I think the Sondheim connection (and the previously unknown pianistic acumen) will be news to Paul.

He certainly ain't.

Another Bob Mintzer chart, this is the complete Will Lee bass performance of the Wayne Shorter tune 'Elegant People' from the 2015 Mintzer Big Band recording, 'Get It'. Lot of gaps between the notes so a challenging read until you 'get it' (see what I did there?). PS that's 600 charts up there now! https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/elegant-people-bob-mintzer-big-band/

Another special request, this is the complete John Mole performance of the tune 'Castles' from the 1977 Colosseum II album, 'Wardance'. Standard Rock-ballad fare but a lovely tune (I love these ballads Gary Moore wrote during this period - much better that that Blues stuff he gravitated towards later in his career. I guess he had to go where the money was, like most of us). https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/castles-colosseum-ii/

Steve Rodby's complete bass part for the tune 'Every Summer Night' from the 1989 Pat Metheny Group album, 'Letter From Home'. A nice chart evidencing Rodby's profound musicality. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/every-summer-night-pat-metheny-group/

A horn part to have a crack at. I actually did this transcription in the late 1980s on paper and found it this morning when looking for something else. It was all wrong but, hell, I was new to transcribing back then and there was no slowing things down on computers in those days. I have corrected my original errors this morning and put in into Sibelius and here it is. A great exercise and a way of really getting a sense of what Marsalis is doing to the melody. There is one tough passage that you will struggle with but, if you are inclined, it is worth spending some time of these kinds of things as it gives you a lot of insight into what is going on with these kinds of soloists. The head and trumpet solo on Gershwin's 'A Foggy Day (in London Town)' from the 1987 Wynton Marsalis album, 'Standard Time Vol. 1'. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/a-foggy-day-wynton-marsalis-trumpet-solo/

Another easy one in the main but there is a stunning little solo in the middle that requires a huge amount of sensitivity and concentration - don't be deceived by what you think you are hearing, this is tricky stuff. This is a Faberge egg of a performance from Steve Swallow on the 1987 Carla Bley album 'Septet'. The tune is called 'Lawns'. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/lawns-carla-bley-septet/

Another Metheny ballad for beginner readers, this is the tune 'Wasn't Always Easy' from the 1990 Gary Burton/Pat Metheny 'Reunion' CD. A fairly easy read but some ledger line nonsense (just a hint, they are all tenths). https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/wasnt-always-easy-gary-burton-pat-metheny/

Another Metheny ballad (great tunes for beginner reading practice), this is the bass part to 'Don't Forget (Renato's Theme)' from the 1995 Pat Metheny soundtrack to the Italian film 'Passaggio Per Li Paradiso'. The discographies say that Metheny played everything on this recording. The tone isn't strong enough for Rodby and he is not credited anywhere so I can only assume it is, as they say, Metheny himself. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/dont-forget-renatos-theme-pat-metheny/

Another simple transcription but not as easy to play as it looks due to the push and pull of the pulse. This one is all about the tone and the ensemble playing. Steve Rodby's bass part to the tune 'Letter From Home' from the 1989 Pat Metheny Group album of the same name. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/letter-from-home-pat-metheny-group/

Another bucket list transcription - this is the complete John Patitucci bass part for the opening 'Prologue' on Dave Grusin's 'West Side Story' album. Highly, highly recommended. I hope to get the whole album down if I can and the recordings allow - I have loved this album since I first heard it in the 1990s. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/prologue-to-west-side-story-dave-grusin/

Another short but strangely satisfying chart, this is Mo Foster's bass part to the tune 'Bijou Pleasurette' from the eponymous 1980 album, 'The Michael Schenker Group'. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/bijou-pleasurette-michael-schenker-group/

I am not 100% sure, but I don't think I have ever played a Fender Jazz or a Fender Precision. Copies, yes. Bitsas, yes. Even a Strat. But I have never got my mitts on a proper grown up Fender. I saw one at a jam session I attended yesterday and remember thinking ' I have never been this close to a Fender Jazz bass before'. I may be wrong as I have a brain like a sieve.

For those who have never seen this, musical AND comic genius. Listen to the swing and MM's exquisite phrasing but it is DM's scat that wins the day.