peteb

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1450779888' post='2935728'] This is the one question I always ask. I'm sure there must be really good keys players out there, but in forty years I've not had the good fortune ever to meet one of them. [/quote] I know (and indeed have played with) a few excellent keys players. They are all barking mad of course… Not necessarily bad guys but massively eccentric, even by the high standards set by most musicians playing in bands...!

My four questions would be: 1) What audience are you targeting and do you have an idea of a coherent set list to play to them? 2) What’s the deal with PA and transport? 3) How’s the money split – is it an equal split or is there a principal and the rest of the band get wages? 4) Whose round is it? There is no right or wrong answer to any of those questions but it is always best to know up front what you are getting into to avoid any possible misunderstanding. If it was an original band that had any possible chance of success I would also want to know about songwriting credits / publishing / copyright, etc.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1450030877' post='2928953'] As peerlessly talented as he was, loads of what Jaco does is IMO unlistenable noodling... it's just there for the sake of it. I've got no interest in listening to it because it's technically clever. It just doesn't sound very good. Mr. Jaco & I are in it for different reasons, basically. [/quote] I would agree that Jaco was certainly guilty of occasional coked up noodling – just see the various clips of his Weather Report solos! However, the good stuff (the first solo album, Heavy Weather, the Chicken, the Joni stuff, etc) more than makes up for it. It may be it 'technically clever' but it goes deeper than that, it is worth checking out...

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1450006680' post='2928658'] Will you please give it up with the "if you don't like Jaco you should give up" stuff? It's demeaning and more than a little insulting. Added to which we've heard it (more than) once and it's getting tedious. Yes I'm tetchy this morning. [/quote] I am afraid that I have to disagree – everyone is entitled to have an opinion. Maude seems to be of the opinion that he is a highly respected musician, that he can disregard every influential bass player of the past 50 years and dismiss whole genres of music as worthless. Blue seems to think that some people should not be allowed within 50 feet of a musical instrument! I’m with Blue on this one. This is very little to do with Jaco. I don’t like country music but I can appreciate that there is a lot of good stuff in the genre and a lot of great players playing that type of music, so I occasionally watch the odd YouTube clip on country bass players to see if there is anything I can learn from them. I certainly do not dismiss all the great country players and make stupid statements how I can pull better country songs ‘out of my ass’ than some of the most highly regarded figures in that genre! No one is above criticism, Jaco or anyone else. Coilte makes a perfectly reasonable point in post 335, as has Bilbo in the past. But just disregarding the most acclaimed and influential bass players for the hell of it is just the equivalent of a surly teenager wanting to paint their bedroom walls black. It’s all a bit dumb really, this is supposed to be a community of musicians after all…

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1449927296' post='2928058'] Did you get asked back? That's the acid test. [/quote] 14 bands in a year - he is probably too busy to be able to accommodate requests for repeat gigs...!

[quote name='Old Man Riva' timestamp='1449938461' post='2928205'] I always assumed Paul Chapman had played the intro to Anyday?! [/quote] That has been suggested in the past but it was kinda denied by the UFO camp (probably true though)

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1449938073' post='2928198'] Or more likely a genre thing. [/quote] Not really - I've been playing hard rock with the occasional foray into blues for the past 35 years. Fusion (and particularly jazz) is not really my thing...

[quote name='Maude' timestamp='1449927798' post='2928068'] And another insinuation that if you aren't a fan or don't appreciate Jacos contribution then you can't even be a half decent player. The comments of others, in and out of the music business, would suggest I'm at least a half decent player yet Jaco has never registered on my radar. I have, since this thread, listened to him but along with Stanley Clarke his music makes me whince. Whether he's 'all that' or not I don't care, but you don't have to to be a 'half decent player'. Most of the players held up as 'bass gods' on heres music ranges from being strongly disliked by me to making me recoil when I hear it, bar a couple, but that's not a problem as there's masses of other music for me to enjoy. [/quote] If you are as accomplished a player as you seem to be insinuating, I am genuinely surprised that you are that unaware of JP. I am not suggesting every bass player should have to take a test or be able to play a flawless version of Teen Town before they are allowed to take a gig, but I thought that they might at least be aware of one of the most influential and celebrated bass players ever! Might be an age thing…!

When it comes down to it, I have never met a half decent bass player (regardless of genre) in the real world who isn’t a Jaco fan or at least appreciative of his contribution to music / modern bass playing.

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1449855813' post='2927601'] [media]http://youtu.be/TgntkGc5iBo[/media] [/quote] He’s wearing the tea cosy rather than the headband, so good choice… From the sublime to the ridiculous – here’s a couple of offerings from Pete Way…! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmoabKcA4Cc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKlaVpacsos

[quote name='ians' timestamp='1449699325' post='2926176'] I think by 1970 his drinking and depression was taking a heavy toll and Babbitt was new, could sight read on the spot and was reliable..u can see why he got the calls. [/quote] In the link Olhsson seems to suggest that Babbitt was actually more influential and that he "quickly became the next step in the evolution of funk bass as we know it” … [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3] [/size][/font][/color]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1449694937' post='2926123'] It seems Jamerson was even having trouble finding work at Motown. According to one of the engineers Bob Babbitt was doing more sessions than Jamerson, "By 1970 Bob Babbitt was doing more than half of the sessions simply because he was more willing to leave his ego at the door." [url="http://bobolhsson.com/bob-says/on-motown/"]http://bobolhsson.co...says/on-motown/[/url] [/quote] Bob Olhsson seems to be suggesting that Bob Babbitt was a better bass player than Jamerson! I've got a gig at the weekend - am I still OK to do it??

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1449521651' post='2924368'] John Rutsey, "at last!"... * rubs hands together.... * [/quote] I'm afraid not - he passed away in 2008

[quote name='SteveK' timestamp='1449316836' post='2922501'] Meant something entirely different in some bands I worked with in my younger days. [/quote] My exact thoughts when I saw the thread title...!

Playing probably the best live music pub in town with the rock band. Getting a fair bit on top of our normal fee and free beer, which along with the fact that it should be bouncing (we always get a good crowd there) hopefully means that it should be a great night...

Can I just say that some people here are a touch too eager to write live (rock) music off! There is still a pretty decent audience out there and a good band will still pack a big pub / club out. It's just not the dominant entertainment option for most people that it was 20 or 30 years ago...! I know plenty of people who gig as much as Blue. However most of the bass players in that category are not on Basschat or if they are, don't post. There are also loads of guys (like me) who probably gig about half as much, but can't take every possible gig due to work or family commitments. Then again there are guys (especially who post on forums) who just want to keep their hand in and play once a month or so - and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! Actually I think that all rock bands should have that 'boys night out' feel - I grew up with bands like Thin Lizzy and that was definitely part of their appeal...!

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1448733736' post='2917766'] Is it colaiuta on the drums? [/quote] It's Chad Wackerman...

Has anybody seen a GruvGear GigBlade in the flesh?? I'm thinking of getting a decent single gig bag and this looks a bit different to its competitors...

I've had Jon do some work on all of my basses, but not had him build me anything. Lovely guy and a great craftsman...

I've got an iGig double bag - not cheap but done hundreds of gigs and still going strong. Top quality bag with plenty of storage. The problem with double bags is that they are a bit cumbersome and almost impossible to carry on your back for too long. However this has the advantage of making them difficult to knick - not easy for potential thieves to pick up and do a runner without being noticed.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1447368563' post='2907227'] A friend has a Retro (could be J or U not sure) in a self build bass - he's a luthier- id say the Retro had more range in the EQ. As for basic sound though the basses and the pickups were very different so not great for a bass v bass comparison. The retro had a higher output, if that is important to you. (it's not to me) [/quote] I've got a jazz with a J-Retro and it sounds great but if anything, it perhaps has too much range in the EQ (especially in the bass). i have another bass with a Tri Logic circuit and that is really good as well but without the excessive tonal variation...

Done - this survey is obviously about live performances, which doesn't bother me at all. I get more nervous when I'm going into a recording studio...!

I always have a small amount of compression live, so that you only miss it if it’s not there.

I think that the point is that Warren Huart is saying that although reading is an important skill if you want to play in an orchestra pit, when it comes down to what he looks for when he hires players it doesn’t really come into it. Bear in mind that he is a very busy and successful producer who has had lots of hits (including American No 1s). What he is looking for is guys who can listen to a new track they have never heard before a couple of times and are then ready to start tracking. He says that technique and being able to speak the language of music (i.e. music theory) are great, but having the ears to be able to get to grip with a new piece of music straight away trumps everything (along with groove and a bass player who can lock in with the drummer).

Just been looking thru YouTube and found this clip of Scot Devine doing a blog / online session with top producer Warren Huart. I thought that it is a pretty interesting look at how recording sessions work these days. I was also interested on Huart’s take on what he looks for when hiring musicians and what it takes for a pro player to get work these days and the relative importance of having good ears, groove, feel, technique and being able to read music, etc (about 38:10 on the video). Seeing as the importance of being able to read compared to be being able to groove and related issues are often debated on this forum, I wondered what others made of Huart’s opinions?? [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8opX_-lZ_BA"]https://www.youtube....h?v=8opX_-lZ_BA[/url]