bassace

One of the joys of jazz is that bands often come together as freelances. At best, the leader/fixer will set up a PA with leads routed sensibly round the back of everything where possible. But very often each guy will turn up with his own kit: the saxes usually have individual AERs on sticks and mains music stand lights, keyboard player a massive amp twice the size of the bass amp and completely overkill. Mercifully the drums seldom mic up but by the time all this is set up there's spaghetti everywhere. My only priority is to find a couple of square feet on the stage to stand where I don't find a cable under me. And don't get me started on the clown who turns up with a four- way mains splitter - IN WHITE........... I long to go back to the days when I played in a name band with everything all organised and a techy to sort it all out.

Do I win the cuddly toy?

In pitch, not volume.

As in wow and flutter. The music on my telly has been going up and down in pitch recently. Mainly repeats on the minor channels but today the link and trailer music on BBC Breakfast has been a bit painful. I always understood that it was down to unstable turntables and tape machines but didn't happen in the digital age. Can anyone explain why this is happening?

Got mine an hour ago, thanks Alex. I put it under a Puma 500 and plugged the DB in. It's very clear with a lot of bottom, much of which I eq'd out. Early days, everything sounds good in my room only to sometimes disappoint on the gig. I'm playing next Tuesday at a funeral after-party - yes, really - and I'll take it with me. Very much looking forward to gigging it. If it can equal a 12" for power handling and performance it may be my go-to cab. It's amazingly light. Watch this space.

I seem to remember a youtube of Toto doing it live with Lee Sklar. Can't find it tho. Anyone?

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1441879056' post='2862486'] This sort of thing pops up across most of the different decades and musical styles. I was a little taken aback to read about the battle of the trad jazzers vs the modernists at the 1960 Beaulieu Jazz festival: [url="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/jun/19/popandrock2"]http://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/jun/19/popandrock2[/url] You don't get that much of that with Jazz audiences these days! [/quote] Probably not, but in the fifties when jazz was king a toxic mix of squaddies - Brits and USA - and teddy boys meant that fights were not uncommon. We were on the same bill as the Humphrey Lyttelton Band at Oxford Town Hall and the whole crowd broke out into a massive fight. The few that didn't want to get involved got up the stage with the band. Afterwards Humph gave me a thumbs up and said his band always played better when there was a fight going on. A social club in Bracknell had to abandon its Saturday night do because, as one guy wryly put it 'there were too many dances during the fight'.

Great, thanks Bilbo. Quite a while since I've played that tune, great chord sequence to improv on.

Yes, we had a great big band in Reading in the sixties. Lead trumpet was a young Derek Chops Watkins, later of James Bond fame. There's nothing like playing in a BB although of course it's an expensive animal to get paying gigs with. We had some original Buddy Rich charts, one of who's time sigs was 'orgasmo furioso'. When I queried this it was explained that it meant ' go like f**k!

When I've got mine I'll do a back to back with a Wizzy 10 on a DB and post it here. If it arrives in time I'll bring it to the SE Bash.

Well, you nearly had me fooled there, HJ. I was ready to tell about my new chiropractor.

Just ordered no 0001. Been waiting for that for my DB.

I'd be very ecumenical about it and tell him to go forth and multiply. If he doesn't get it just kick him in the goolies.

A few fills, perhaps?

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1432458487' post='2781558'] Seriously dont bother with elaborate solutions, just use this stuff. [/quote] I've just bought a Puma 500, as light as, and some of that was included in the packaging.

I tried one once and although it played like a small 3/4 the sound was unbelievably thin. I'd agree that if portability is the issue an EUB would be the way to go.

Compared to what?

To be fair, Tim, I haven't been in the same band but a series of bands. In between I freelance and find that until recently, due to health issues, I would play with about a dozen bands in a year. Is it because I play DB, Jazz, or a mixture of both, plus the ability to read. Anyway I suppose I should consider myself fortunate and perhaps shouldn't have posted such an arrogant previous comment.

Blimey, that's the downside of forums; everything is dissected and analysed to within an inch of its life. At school we got some guys together, formed a band and got some gigs. The weaker players fell by the wayside and we just got better. And it's how it works for me fifty years later. I just go out and play gigs, don't for a minute stop to think why I do it.

Way back when we booked ourselves a fortnight of gigs and based ourselves in some caravans just along the coast from St Ives. I can't remember too much but we played on a stage made of fish crates at Newlyn fish market, RN Culdrose, Lamorna Cove and lots more. We used to get up just before noon and make our way to the Sloop on St Ives harbour. Happy days, a great place.

Some phrases that fill me with dread when I turn up for a gig:- The acoustics here are great. You wont need an amplifier. We've got a very good piano. The members like the band to use it.

Too right, too bloody right. Parasites all of them. Well brought up, Bilbo, I feel better now.