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[quote name='paul h' post='1350767' date='Aug 24 2011, 09:32 PM']To be totally honest? Weakest of the three. Great technique and chops etc. but no real magic. Nothing to make you sit up and take notice.* Steve Smith on the other hand was AMAZING. He did a great solo and has got some mighty fine stick tricks up his sleeves but his playing all night was spot on. Incredibly musical and tasteful and a great stage presence too. It is an expensive night out. Made cheaper by the fact we blagged free tickets and a free hotel for the night too! *Still a million times better than me. [/quote] Having seen that gig as well (and it was an amazing gig for sure) I have to disagree about AJ, while he's never been a flaboyant player - and Smith is certainly that (and is without doubt one of he finest drummers on the planet today) - I loved AJ's playing - he nailed everything, his note choice was impessable and his improv behind Hiromi's solos was stunning - he plays a B string like no other player I know, it's like that is his 'high end' - while some guys can run chops for days AJ's command of the low end is unmatched IMO - I don't know what you were expecing in terms of magic but to my ears AJ played beautifully and his tone was jaw-dropping. Just my take on it but I have to say after this gig I really felt a lot of love for Anthony and his style - he's very unique - and not to everyone's taste I know. However I do agree that the gig was phenomenal - I've seen Hiromi live maybe 6 or 7 times (last time I saw her was with Stanley Clarke at Ronnie's) and I have to say I thought she played better than ever with this rhythm section - and yes Smith was on fire - have you ever seen his band Vital Information with Baron Browne on bass? Now that is a killer rhythm section and band right there... anyway I just had to stick up for AJ as I really thought he gelled the whole trio together beautifully - which when you have two crazy chops merchants like Hiromi and Smith is what you need - not someone like Vic Wooten throwing in yet more chops insanity - anyway - it's one of my gigs of the year and I'm pleased you saw it too. 'Rant' over Cheers Mike

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='1349930' date='Aug 24 2011, 09:20 AM']Good one. Sophie puts down some great drums. Must be ace to play bass alongside her.[/quote] She's my favourite drummer - amazing strong groove and just a wonderful feel too - the girl is super talented and it's always a pleasure to play a gig with her - I've been fortunate to play with her for about 6 years now - I'm a lucky bass player

[quote name='Skol303' post='1349731' date='Aug 23 2011, 11:56 PM']Nice recording Mike, I can see where you get your groove from now! Very tight funk outfit you have going on there. The drums & percussion in particular; oh and the bassist ain't too shabby either [/quote] Thanks kindly fella - here's another one - this time with our singer Julia [url="http://soundcloud.com/munkio/boogie-on-reggae-woman-live"]http://soundcloud.com/munkio/boogie-on-reggae-woman-live[/url] Hope you dig - there's a little bass solo after the sax.... Cheers Mike

[quote name='Blademan_98' post='1349089' date='Aug 23 2011, 03:40 PM']That sounds funky Really good considering it's off the mixer![/quote] Thanks dude - the sound engineer installed the whole PA system and desk which is all hooked up to Logic, so that's probably why it's such a well balanced and clean recording, and this just a stereo out from the desk - he can do full multi-track recordings which I can only imagine sound amazing, for a reasonable price - so maybe we'll record stuff properly at some point Cheers for checking it out Mike

Just wanted to share this recording of my 7-piece funk band Groove Digger - we played the Hideaway in Streatham about three weeks ago and it was a pretty cool gig, I got the sound engineer to record the mix off the desk and it sounds alright - I've given it a little polish in Logic - hope you like: [b] Windjammer by Grant Green[/b] [url="http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=167039"]http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=167039[/url] If you prefer a Soundcloud version then listen here: [url="http://soundcloud.com/munkio/windjammer-live"]http://soundcloud.com/munkio/windjammer-live[/url] We're playing there again on Sat 3 September if any of y'all like the sound of this - it's a great club - should be a good night EDIT - here's a link [url="http://www.hideawaylive.co.uk/groove-digger-0309"]http://www.hideawaylive.co.uk/groove-digger-0309[/url] Cheers for listening Mike

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1348740' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:50 AM']Completely agree. Any credible, professional standard instrument is good enough. Its the music that counts.[/quote] +1 - pretty much every 'pro' bassist I've seen recently has a good bass - not a stupidly OTT designer one (like mine ) - EG Laurence Cottle mainly plays his Yamaha TRB 5-string - and gets a seriously sweet tone, but as others have said it's the bass player and not the bass that counts - I played the same Warwick for 18 years and finally got around to buying a new bass (OK so I have three good basses) but all I think about now is playing, practicing and gigging - I am absolutely not thinking about new gear right now... PS everyone who reads this thread should go and do at least half an hour's practice - just to balance out more 'online noodling...' M

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1347466' date='Aug 21 2011, 08:26 PM']I've had several basses made for me by Gus and Sei (and also some guitars from various UK luthiers). IMO the trick to getting what you want from a custom instrument is to pick a luthier who's already making something similar to what you want and the tweak the design to fit your specific requirements. As has been said there are plenty of UK based luthiers turning out excellent work, but if what you want is already being produced by someone abroad then maybe need to weigh up the financial and control options (it's great if you can go in person to see your bass as it progresses) before making your final decision. When it comes to the specifications, don't get bogged down on the details. Some things like the weight are obviously important to you, but don't feel that you need to dictate every detail in advance - a lot of that is where the experience and skill of your chosen luthier comes in to guide you into getting the right bass built for you. For example when I specified my Sei I knew which shape I wanted and for the bass to be 5-string fretless but as far as the other details went I just wanted an orange and grey colour scheme and to able to get as close to Mick Karn's classic Japan sound. Martin at Sei chose all the woods and pickups and the result was exactly what I wanted. Also be brave. You may get some people on here talking about resale value. IMO if you spend to much time worrying about this you will probably compromise too many design details and may well end up with an instrument that isn't quite what you need and you will probably end up selling it...[/quote] Excellent advice - re the OP I think you'll find UK prices very competitive especially when factor in import duty, as another Sei owner I would agree that if you want a lightweight bass Martin has made me two Seis and both are very light but still sound, play and look great - but hey look around there are loads of very talented outboard in the UK - chech out the Build Diaries forum here and you'll see loads of examples of myriad bass styles and specifications - realistically you are looking at about 2k to 3K for a nicely spec'd bass - again check price lists on the various luthier websites. Hope that helps Mike PS it really helps if you know what you want the end result too look and sound like before you start the build process - as you may be aware there can be waiting times of up to a year to 18 months to finally get your base so think long and hard about it

Hey Scott Two very cool lessons here - really looking forward to incorporating these ideas into my own solos, and get part three up soon Keep up the good work Cheers Mike

Sounds wicked Rob - great playing and tone - do some more, get creative, do some harmony stuff - you know go a little nuts... Bet you could do something like this: [url="http://mikeflynnsurb.bandcamp.com/track/sing-your-own-anthem"]http://mikeflynnsurb.bandcamp.com/track/sing-your-own-anthem[/url] Seriously - you're a great player Rob - would love to hear some more of your stuff

[quote name='funkypenguin' post='1340995' date='Aug 15 2011, 06:56 PM']Beautiful playing Mike im not usually much of a fretless fan but that sounds lovely[/quote] Thanks fella - I'm pleased how this came out - first take and all, recorded in a bit of a rush on a hectic Thursday afternoon last week - thanks for listening Cheers Mike

[quote name='owen' post='1340692' date='Aug 15 2011, 02:15 PM']I quite fancy this but am wondering about doing it by train. How far is the station? What is the nearest mainline station? The route suggested to me by train line.com is into Euston and then out again. I figure it would be easier to hit a bigger place the night before and truck across by train from there on the morning. It would be a 6/7 hour haul by car with the Friday night traffic and it would be lovely to avoid that. TIA[/quote] I had to get there by train last year from London, I got a cab to the venue and it cost me just shy of a tenner, and I got a lift back to a convenient bus stop which got me all the way back to Brixton, but the taxi guy who dropped me off said he was happy to do the return trip to the station later. Either way it was easy enough to get a cab and it didn't take long.

Mmm, tricky one this - speaking from experience it's good to do the standards/covers stuff for a more commercial type of approach, and obviously there's nothing wrong with earning some decent money from going that route - all I can say is the standard of music and presentation is very high among more 'function' type bands these days and to get that right can take a lot of work - which will be duely rewarded but it's definitely not the approach of playing 'jazz' for serious musical kicks. This is almost certainly the way to go if you really want to explore the music and write and play your own material - but again from experience this isn't the road to regular or well paid gigs - even if you get extremely good and get the aproval of the real jazz fans out there. My advice is keep the two things separate - the function type stuff is fun but can get dull and irritating, especially if you're playing your umpteenth wedding and all they want to hear is 'Girl From Ipanema' and 'Fly Me To The Moon' etc etc - but on the other side only getting a handful of gigs with your cool nu-jazz outfit can equally frustrating. Essentially there's very little money in 'real jazz' though playing it can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your musical life - if you want a list of cool, current bands let me know and I'll add them here later - but going the slick corporate function band route can be lucrative and fun, but you really have to be super slick, look and sound the part and really sound the business to get those high-end bookings. Hope that's helpful Cheers Mike PS here's an example of a good high-end standards/covers band - check their 'Clients' list: [url="http://www.jazzbomb.com/player/music.html"]http://www.jazzbomb.com/player/music.html[/url]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1338613' date='Aug 13 2011, 11:55 AM']Who made that fretless bass again?[/quote] It's this guy in Brighton called Jeff Chapman - no relation to the Chapman Stick fella - it's based on a Tobias Classic owned by Frank O'Shea and it really is a great bass - the tone (even without the effects I used here, which were a smidge of reverb and chorus) is stunning. The wood came from an old shelf in a school - Jeff spotted it and realised it was a prime piece of African mahogany - he saved it for the right commission and that just happened to be this bass. I've owned this bass for around 8 years now and it's the oldest of my current basses, and as it's a custom it's interesting to see how it's aged and it's aged well but the fretboard needed some work on it. I took it to Martin Petersen and he 're-shot' it i.e. plained it off again and it now just feels amazing, it's so responsive it's made me fall back in love with this bass. It's great down the low end as well and I really want to use it more, I really caned the fretless when I first got it and I'm pleased my intonation hasn't suffered too much from not playing it much in recent years - but since it's had a little TLC it's now diverting me from my Sei basses big time! I've lost touch with Jeff and would love to see how he's doing - he's a great luthier who makes classical guitars, and acoustic guitars and a few basses - he's a real craftsman and he's a very unique person - if anyone has seen or heard from him recently I'd love to know how he is, I hope he's alright - he doesn't have a website or email so it's hard to get in touch. Cheers for all the positive cooments - I'm hoping to record and play more with this bass - I'll keep you posted. Mike

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1339054' date='Aug 13 2011, 08:08 PM']Amazing stuff, Mike. Top class.[/quote] Thanks man - I appreciate that M

Hey guys and gals I just made another attempt at recording my favourite Bill Evans standard 'Very Early' - on fretless - it's a tricky on to solo over but I love the changes - as they are mostly major chords, anyway hope you enjoy some of it: Cheers Mike

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1326752' date='Aug 4 2011, 12:21 PM']I have used that Band In A Box shortcut thing to demo tunes too, Mike. I take the midi file over to Cubase and then change the sounds to various Halion samples or Absynth, Massive, Juno - whatever is on there, really (I am no tech-head) . Great way to demo things 'convincingly' although, as I can only play bass and guitar, my options for melodies are limited. I try to sing to 'get the feel' of a song but my voice is weak and often does more harm than good!! I have also done the same with Sibelius charts; written out the part and copied the midi file into Cubase and changed the samples to better quality ones. I'll post some later, if I remember. PS - my Paul Chambers biography is in the later stages of editing but, equally exciting, I have been put forward to write a monthly jazz column for a local arts magazine. May come to nothing but I can only keep trying!!![/quote] Great man - I look forward to hearing some of those tunes Rob and keep me posted on the book - good news about getting some work writing about jazz locally please keep in touch if you want to post the odd review on the Jazzwise website Cheers Mike

[quote name='mcgraham' post='1326722' date='Aug 4 2011, 12:09 PM']Forgot to mention, I watched this and liked it, as I do all your vids![/quote] Thanks for the supportive comments - just messing with some ideas - got lots more to be go and work on! I need to get writing some new material - been too damn busy doing other stuff lately - playing gigs and work... urgh! Cheers guys Mike

[quote name='Sibob' post='1326446' date='Aug 4 2011, 07:49 AM']Ooooof, simply amazing gig! Words can't describe! Man I hope they do a live album!! Si[/quote] Yeah absolutely - really great and such a brilliant pairing of two stupendous talents - pure musical enjoyment from first to last. Glad you made it Si M

Excellent work - loving the Sei 6 as well... I like Sei basses

Now that was an amazing gig - they split the set between their material - and Bona was just brilliant at locking in and playing for the song, they also did a mad version Teen Town with Midon singing the melody AND playing it (fingerstyle) on the guitar... and then they swapped solos, and for all Bona's technical brilliance Midon was ahead of him in terms of phrasing and fresh ideas, but saying that it was amazing stuff from both of them. If any of you guys can make it you will not regret it - a great band - there were only four guys on stage but it sounded like about 6 musicians in all... truly brilliant.

Just had a hassle free item sale to John - no worries with payment - good to deal with Mike

Little bump for this - should be cracking - anyone else gonna be there...?

Really liking the version of New York - my only comment is really to do with the recording - try hooking your bass and the vocals up to something like Logic/Garageband/Cubase etc - then sync up the high quality audio with the video - I mean you can hear the nauances of what you are both doing and it sounds great but with a smidge of reverb on the voice/louder vocal/better mix too - would really make this a lot better. You might actually consider filming it in a slightly less cramped setting too - a nice room or studio - as the music is great but good presentation would really kick this up a notch. Very nice playing and singing by you both though so well done on all counts there. Hope that's cool and keep it up - you both sound good. Mike

Cool interview with Hadrien here with Janek Gwidala - they have a great jam at the end. He's a very laid back guy Hadrien and I personally think he's just one of those payers, that can do this stuff effortlessly, OK it's not always the best thing you've ever heard but no one's perfect - I think he gets labelled the chops guy for obvious reasons but he's a deeply groovy bassist and I think we've yet to hear the best from him - he's still insanely young for a guy with his talent - but he's light years ahead of a lot of people regarding technical and harmonic abilities on the bass... I dig him and look forward to hearing his new album - whenever it's finished: [url="http://gwizmon.podbean.com/2011/02/25/hadrien-feraud-video-interview-part-2/"]http://gwizmon.podbean.com/2011/02/25/hadr...terview-part-2/[/url] Like others have said - if this were on a sax or trumpet no one would bat an eyelid - since it's played on the bass with such facility etc it is exceptional - BUT there are a zillion other players out there, just as good who play differently - it's all about taste at the end of the day...

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1322237' date='Jul 31 2011, 04:10 PM']Some nice sounds in there, Mike. Do you programme everything yourself? Or are they stock backing tracks? More to the point,. I had that Cool struttin' lp cover on a t-shirt years ago, when Jazzwise started. Its long gone but its a great LP for hearing Paul Chambers [/quote] Hey Rob - thanks for listening - re the backing I did this one pretty quickly using Superior Drummer drum module and some pre-programmed MIDI parts - and dare I say it for sheer convenience I exported the chord sequence from Band In A Box then re-imported it back into Logic but used a nice synth plug in - Absynth 5 - to get those synthy swells - it came out OK. Re the T-shirt I'm no big Blue Note nut (I love 99% of the stuff on that label though) but I actually got the shirt along with the vinyl of the album - I do have a turntable at home but to be honest I've worn the t-shirt way more time than I've played the record! Something I must rectify...! Thanks for checking it - hope all is well with you Cheers Mike