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[quote name='silddx' post='559519' date='Aug 3 2009, 06:54 PM']I knew they were tabla rhythms, but I'd rather hear Swapan Choudary or Zakir Hussain playing them on a tabla, which sounds more musical than it does on a fretless bass. The fact it is ridiculously hard to play is its only merit, a circus act. Agreed he may be wonderfully musical otherwise but I haven't been bothered to check him out. I will at some point though.[/quote] Then I like this circus-act a lot and even consider it music that inspires me. It sure beats seeing those hundreds of King-Wooten-Miller clones that haven't found anything on their own. Trying to find your own individual voice is the hardest thing there is (Karn, Palladino, Jaco, etc..) but although it's not perfect Shri shows passion and energy in his playing and that's more than I can say about a lot of other bassplayers which I find very boring and who have nothing to say, not even enough for a highschool circus-act.

I never wanted to buy a Primus-cd but I certainly want a Shri-cd..It is the sort of music I have been looking for for a long time (I have always been a big Trilok Gurtu-fan (enjoyed playing with him twice)) so this is a great tip, thanks !

[quote name='bubinga5' post='558854' date='Aug 2 2009, 11:35 PM']Urb..i dont agree..Les Claypool doesnt play from his ego...this guy sooo does..and it bores me!! IMO.. i feel that guy is just showing off his amazing chops for the sake of it..dont get me wrong hes good..but hes totally missing the point.. I wonder if his band members are wondering why they are holding up his ego..Les is playing for the music..this guy is playing for himself..Les is better than this guy in a musical sense... Why do people think they can have amazing technique and amaze people..there is more to bass playing than that...Kick Les's butt he sooo doesnt!!! He doesnt come close..[/quote] I took the time to check the other YT songs by Shri and I was really floored by them... shows that he knows how to groove and play in a band situation too. His playing with a bow on the fretless works great too and the whole tabla-atmosphere appeals to me a lot. Great band and this band is for me certainly a revelation (more than Primus which I always thought to be sloppy and harmonically poor)

I still prefer the original version of "The Awakening" by The Reddings...bit surprised that Claypool didn't come up with something composed by himself instead of this cover. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QFv4nq9n9w"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QFv4nq9n9w[/url]

Wish it would rain - Phil Collins No one is to blame - Howard Jones ( the great Mo Foster on bass if I'm not mistaken) On a couple of Annabel Lamb-cd's is a lot of prominent Wal-fretless playing by Steve Greetham (excellent) [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqWBlZcIKh4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqWBlZcIKh4[/url] My camera never lies - Bucks Fizz (!) (great bass-line) Working with fire and steel (China Crisis) Such a pity that a lot of great fretless bass-stuff is connected with the eighties, still the most prolific time for bass, where everything was possible and producers were looking for something different in bass-players. It opened up doors which are closed again. Marketing and recordfirms put a hold on too adventurous experiments which take the focus away from the singer or the band. I have a couple of fretless basses and though I'm freelance I very rarely get called to bring the fretless along anymore. A small studio-session every now and then but no big things. Same thing with slap-bass.. Unless you suggest it yourself (if you dare to) to play fretless, it stays in its case. Except in fusion-bands where you can use different bass-techniques but in the "commercial" world, things have never been so dull and safe as now. It's " shut up and the less you are noticed, the better" where things used to be different when fretless bass used to be on the radio and in the hitparades. I'm talking about the situation in Belgium and Holland. Can't recall that I heard a great fretless bass-line on a hit-record in ages where it used to be "normal". Just think of Paul Simon's popular hits with fretless all over it.

I read the book years ago and it changed my way of thinking of course about this legendary bassplayer.. It's very confronting when you read that Pastorius was pretty often a complete asshole...and that is an understatement. The beauty of " A remark you made" is in contrast with the way he treated musicians and audiences. How great he was as a bassplayer, certainly not a person I would like to have in my band. That manic depression made him an impossible person to be around with, when you look at the way he treated people who took care of him...spitting on audiences, insulting people, disturbing concerts. Such a shame.

That bassline on "Under the Bridge" is played fingerstyle but really clever and very musical. I like his occasional impulsive slides too and his energy is pushing the band forward. Good player, nice sound. And he does indeed inspire a lot of young bass-players in a good way.

Never understood what the fuzz about Flea is all about... he is a good bassplayer but nothing special. Harmonically rarely exciting and those endless grooves in E are okay for half a minute but then it bores me. I think because there are so few bassplayers in his position in a leading rockfunk-band that he gets the attention. Still I love his playing on "Aeroplane" for instance. He is sloppy though so he and the drummer make a good team. Pro tools is used a lot during their recording sessions. I used to have the same envelope filter but it bothered me that it added +10 db when I used it and those volumepeaks were not ok. I have an Emma Discumbulator and that is much better and stays at the same level as the dry signal.

Yesterday I heard that Jeff Beck played in Belgium... I made the trip and sat three hours in the car but it was worth it. What I heard and saw was beyond belief. Jeff was amazing like always (that version of A Day in the Life is just superb) and Vinnie Colaiuta is a monster on drums. I had read various topics about Tal Wilkenfeld, watched the youtube thingies and listened to her solo-cd (didn't really like it, too much musicians' music) but when I saw her play yesterday I was knocked out. That Sadowsky sounds amazing, her timing is fantastic and her bass-fills are tasty and with passion. She fuels this band and though she is only 23 she is one of the best bassplayers I have ever seen.. I went to see Clarke, Miller and Wooten a couple of months ago, saw Michael Manring some time ago and every time I was inspired when I drove home.. Yesterday I was so floored that I wanted to stop playing bass, I haven't touched it all day but I 'm sure it will come back.. Try to check her out in a live situation, things will never be the same.. Small part of her bass-solo yesterday with Jeff Beck on the lower strings :-) [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8DjpGmgpKw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8DjpGmgpKw[/url]

My treasured MKI (jan 89) Wal on a festival this week... great sound that really cuts through in any style of music

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='532319' date='Jul 4 2009, 10:00 AM']IMO the most beautiful timber is our native blackthorn,the heart wood is all the colours of the rainbow, gnarly and gorgeous.[/quote] Sounds cool. Is it somewhere near the Rainbow Diamondwood fingerboard of this fretless Roscoe? Until last week I had never seen anything like it. It was posted on leftybassist.com by a guy who owns this and a fretted Roscoe LG3005 in trans white.

I know what you mean with the black one having a very modern sound but every now and then it comes in handy...I have some other basses that supply a bit more of a vintage growl but for some gigs and situations the Celinder is just perfect. Lowest action I can imagine which makes playing effortless.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='528216' date='Jun 29 2009, 10:34 PM']I don't quite get your point here, were you amused because you confused a great bass player or did you seriously think you could hold down that gig?[/quote] I loved that puzzled expression on his face... I had that same experience with Alain Caron, he did a bass-clinic in Antwerp but he was a little late. When he arrived he apologized and said that he first wanted to wash his hands. When he came back from the toilet he started playing and explaining a couple of things. Then he said "Are there any questions ?" and I asked him "What kind of water do you use to wash your hands ?" (I'll get me coat)

Regrets : not studying bass when I was younger, I learned everything myself and this has its advantages but also its disavantages. I landed in a coverband environment which is well paid but isn't really rewarding musically. To be honest I miss the drive of starting something now since I miss that enthusiasm when you are in your twenties. Third regret : I bought a Wal MKI around 1993, I sold it "because it didn't sound enough like Mark King's basses..." (....!). If I had kept it at the time it would have been my main bass since I ended up (about sixty basses later) on mainly Wal basses which I had to buy again..

A couple of years ago there was a concert planned in Oostende-Belgium with Michael Jackson. It believe it was cancelled at the last moment because of the death of Lady Di. At that time it was with Freddie Washington because a bass-shop over here in Belgium payed him 1250 euros for a bass-clinic which I visited (in fact it was a bit boring since we had to go through a nearly ten minute version of "Forget me nots" with the same lick over and over again and a bass blues shuffle). He could combine it between tourdates with Michael and made an extra buck. When the clinic finished I went to say hello to Freddie and with a straight face I told him "Listen, I play bass too, if ever you can't make it to the Jackson gig and you need someone to replace you, call me !" (and I told him my name and address). He couldn't tell if I was joking or not (he has probably met a lot of freaks in his life) so he answered with a vague smile after which I repeated my name and address and insisted that he would call me. "Yeah, sure, I will" after which he quickly disappeared.