Bilbo

My first experience of Jaco was on the Al Di Meola LP 'Land Of The Midnight Sun' - the track was 'Suite - Golden Dawn', a three part suite. It was a new sound for me and a real ear-opener. Been a fan ever since. I even remember where I was the day that I heard he had died.

I used to do 100s of gigs with people where I was the best in the band and it sucked the life out of me, in spite of the money. I took the decision several years ago to not do these shot gigs just for the money and, since then, I have nearly always been the worst player in the band. I am not sure whether I have improved but I am certainly happier. I only do about 35 gigs a year but they are with people like Alan Barnes, Pete Long, Mike Gorman, Derek Nash etc etc. Quality not quantity. I am not a pro so my day job pays the bills so it is important to me that the gigs are not factory work.

'The Rite of Spring' is a ballet. If you can dance to that......

I just remembered that Paul Gray of The Damned and Eddie and the Hot Rods fame produced (and played keyboards on) a single I was on with NWOBHM unknowns No Quarter. I would add that the keyboard in question was a nasty sounding Casio thing.

Half size won't be any good as a starter instrument and may even do more harm than good. I would avoid.

It's an interesting topic. My wife and I have a rule that, if a music video is on the TV, we have to turn it over if anyone, male or female, is dancing in their pants. We rarely see a video all the way through. It is something I have noticed in Jazz as well. The sexualisation of ANY female musician, not just singers, is, to my mind, an unfortunate trend. Eg. Diana Krall cd covers. If you see them in order, she is wearing less and less each time. It's so unnecessary. These are talented women who shouldn't have to be presented in this way. As s promoter, I have nevertheless observed that Jazz audiences like a 'pretty girl' as much as any audience. The tend to behave, though, and keep their thoughts to themselves.

I got one in, guys!! Featuring my melodica debut!! I deserve to win for that alone!! [b]https://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/carousel[/b]

I call them acrobats. Amazing but only once. There is a reason Holst orchestrated The Planets for an orchestra and not four basses!

This guy impresses me http://youtu.be/H_TJc5f_urY

I have problems with hand written charts; too small, written in fading pencil, dots indistinct, chord extensions too small etc.

I care not a jot. It's real world stuff. If you work without contracts, you can't get arsey when stuff like this is managed casually. These approaches are generally more about pragmatism than anything. As has been said, there is rarely any money involved, just egos. Hence, I care not a jot.

Fairy Nuff.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1504334972' post='3364124'] I guess there are many levels to reading , and sight reading with no previous knowledge of the feel of the song is another level to using dots and tabs to work something out ahead of time. [/quote] It is not unusual for tunes you have never heard before being put in front of you. The reality is that there is always someone there who DOES know how it is supposed to feel so it is a quick briefing and off. Eg 'two feel ', 'shuffle' etc. Usually sorts itself out by the second or third bar.

No need to apologise. Van Mo is no worse than most other pap artists. It's just the 'Moondance' debacle that gives me the arse.

'Learning the song' is one of the issues, surely. If you read dots and are playing for an MD who writes great charts, you don't need to 'learn the song'. If I do a show, I will often get just one band call/rehearsal before Showtime. No time to'learn the songs'.

Coming at this the other way. I have an AI set up for double bass but it wasn't cutting it on electric /rock gigs so I bought a PJ 4x5 extension cab. Absolutely did the trick. I gig with Brendan O'Neil, Rory Gallagher's old drummer, and the AI PJ mix absolutely cuts it.

[quote name='jacko' timestamp='1503316019' post='3357074'] YES covering S&G's America. [/quote] 100% http://youtu.be/W-062j9dafg

That's correct, Pete, but I recall having a choice when I bought the instrument so anyone purchasing a five string from Gedo Musik can specify a low B rather than a high C at no extra cost. My thread on the process is here http://basschat.co.uk/topic/93958-i-did-it-now-with-photos/page__fromsearch__1

[quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1503737420' post='3360595'] Yep. I think that got answered in the first half dozen replies. Then it grew legs.... [/quote] It's called a conversation. This is what happens

When I was active on the Cardiff Jazz scene, I loaned my Trace Eliot stack to both Miroslav Vitous and Arild Anderson.

I use dots for study, for composing and for writing out charts for others to perform. I rarely read on a gig but can if I need to. Reading takes me to places I may not otherwise go. TAB is not something I have used in decades. Feels like a toy to me when compared to dots. Reading let's me interpret the music of others who may not be writing for my chosen instruments. To quote Marcus Miller: 'why wouldn't you'?

Sargasso Sea and Five Years Later are great LPs. I recently recorded a version of Caminata (as a test piece). Some great work throughout his career.

One of my all time favourite musicians, guitarist John Abercrombie, as died of heart failure yesterday. I had heard he was poorly but it is always sad to hear that one of your inspirations has died. I had a trio in Cardiff called Bass Instincts that was based around the concepts he explore with his Abercrombie/Johnson/ Erskine Trio. Loved the way he played so minimalistically but with great depth and a beautiful, beautiful tone.

It's a five beat phrase played over a four beat grooove so it resolves in the wrong place every time creating a lovely tension. A simple device. I used similar ideas throughout this.... https://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/theres-a-reason?in=robert-palmer-1/sets/rob-palmer-compositions

[quote name='Lazurus' timestamp='1501051905' post='3341998'] Anyone got the score for Fever? [/quote] One/Nil to Peggy Lee