Bilbo

Played a quartet gig last Sunday with Sara Dowling, Kate Williams and Mark Cecil. It's a hell of a job but someone has to do it.

I have hundreds of Jazz books and this one has passed me by. I guess I should give it a go.

I don't care. I want one. It's a long held dream. End of. Don't be getting all rational on me! And, while I am at it :-D, I keep reading on here about how great a 1957 Fender Jazz is or how great Wals are etc. Why does 'improved' technology have to mean that the technology that has gone before has to be dispensed with? Vinyl vs. downloads? I want my Ovation Custom Legend. You young upstarts can kep your 'advances'.

£1600. I am reliably informed that there are different ranges of ES175s and mine was the budget model. I know the purchaser well and he knows his guitars.

Have sold it. Ovation Custom Legend here I come!!

You guys need to join a Jazz band. The audiences are never big enough for us to NEED a PA or soundman.

No idea :-D

A close run all the way. Paul and I were both only one vote each away from a four way tie. What this says to me is that, whatever gear is available to us, it is the ideas that matters and that, with a little thought, anyone can come up with a credible composition. Well done all.

My set up is essentially an old version of Cubase SX, Sibelius 2, some Vst instruments I can barely use, an audio interface, a mic, five guitars, two electric basses and a double bass. I increasingly find I am leaving the VSTs alone and just recording real acoustic and electric instruments. The IT based stuff just takes me so long to bear fruit compared to a straight guitar.

I used to run a Jazz jam session at the Four Bars Inn years ago. It moved to the Sandringham Hotel but I don't know if it is still running. Why not approach the Cardiff music shops and ask if they know of any sessions?

Different tune every gig.

What gear do you all use? Whatever I can find. Do you use a pro studio at work, or is it done at home on a studio held together with string and chewing-gum? The string and chewing gum model in my case. How long do you spend on it? It varies but usually several hours. What's the creative process and how do you put it together? I walk around for days mulling over ideas until something plausible presents itself and I then try and manufacture something that sounds like my original idea. How can somebody do this on a shoe-string budget? Guerilla Recording. I have submitted everything from one take on a Zoom H1 to stuff I emailed to a friend to add real drums on HIS home studio. SKol has gone international at times. It's all part of the fun.

Discipline, my friend. Discipline.

[quote name='keeponehandloose' timestamp='1485605038' post='3225230'] My internet is a bit slow !@@ [/quote] I actually laughed out loud.

Voted. Me too. I always look for a soundtrack.

http://youtu.be/LcHIvCTyeWo

http://youtu.be/9_Ab0ci6UGQ So many to chose from.

Lee Sklar.

You are always welcome at Jazz East events, mate. Come down any time and we can talk sh*t 'live' instead of on here!!!

That Suitcase album is absolutely superb. AJ is so far in advance of most players in terms of harmony and note choices, it's unreal.

My wife bought me a Harley Benton electric acoustic for Christmas. It's great. I am really enjoying it.

Andy Watson is down that way. I would recommend him highly.

Bass. It's a f***er.

Most musicians continue to play long after they have moved away from any limelight, however dim, they may have once enjoyed but there are some that just walk away. I remember loving Andy Mccullogh, the drummer from prog legends Greenslade. He left the music industry and went into sailing, running some sort of maritime tourist thing in the Med (or something like that). Seems a shame to me but I guess he had his reasons. Any other players you liked who disappeared?

I never understood why Tales of Topographic Oceans was so vilified.