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[quote name='Bilbo' post='807650' date='Apr 15 2010, 09:08 PM']Teen Town, Donna Lee, Joe Frazier, Bach, Dixe - tried them all, got nearly there with them all but never hit a home run. To be frank, I know I could if I spent the time with them but what's the point? I even learned Parker's Passport as an alternative to Donna Lee but have never got it down to my own satisfaction. Got a Match by Chick Corea is another one I never nailed.[/quote] I'm with you there Bilbo - I seem to be able to play Donna Lee better when doing it with another lead player - keys or sax - and I have actually played it live a couple of times but I was just noodling around again today with it and it was horrible... I take heart in the fact that Laurence Cottle once said to me "Oh yeah Donna Lee, that's really hard to phrase properly..." so it must be bad if even he finds it tricky - Got A Match is nasty as well... M

[quote name='oldslapper' post='805062' date='Apr 13 2010, 05:04 PM']Love it when drummers only use small kits to make a big noise! I'm thinking of putting flats on my P bass.....is this the sound I can expect?? [/quote] Yes good drummers can work wonders with minimal gear, guys with 50 piece kits are compensating for something - but yes this bass player has a great sound I don't think the video does it justice he sounds awesome on the album and I stood next to him at the gig I was at and it was a massive thumping tone... M

One other Norwegian band whose latest album One Arm Bandit is superb - really Zappa rock with loads of other influences: [url="http://www.myspace.com/jagajazzist"]http://www.myspace.com/jagajazzist[/url] I can't recommend that album enough - all instrumental but utterly bombastic Mike

[quote name='oldslapper' post='803868' date='Apr 12 2010, 04:15 PM']As a newbie to playing "jazz" (still struggling to define the genre) I have discovered some of the most beautifully crafted songs I have ever heard. I must admit to thinking that "Jazz" meant complicated tunes for show offs (just my opinion folks) and could listen to an album like "kind of blue" for 1 minute per track max. But having learned some songs recently for a band, I discovered "Autumn leaves, "Night & Day", "Georgia", "Ain't Misbehavin", "Lullaby of Birdland" from great songsmiths like George Shearing, Fats Waller, Cole Porter. No fret w*****g, just beautiful melodies over equally well thought out chord progressions which relate equally to the lyrics. I do understand why people like the type of "jazz" which involves stunning solo's and weird and wonderful (to me) chord changes/progressions, but just like any "genre", I've discovered a side of "jazz" that appeals to me. Hope this makes sense to someone?? I guess I like a good song s'pose and have too short an attention span to like anything too complicated for my small brain. [/quote] Don't worry - jazz is a vast genre that for such a small word offers almost endless variations - and yes even I as a devotee to the music probably hate more jazz than I love - but once you find the stuff you like then it's just a case of following that one artist, looking at who they are influenced by (or even just checking out the guys in their band and seeing who they have worked with) and you'll discover more stuff like that. All show off stuff is just one side of this music, the classic standards you mention have been played and recorded thousands and thousands of times, each one slightly or very different from the previous one... A great place to really discover the sheer size of the genre and its vast Family Tree is on the All Music Guide: [url="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=73:196"]http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=73:196[/url] Discovering more of what you like often comes from following a particular instrumentalist - I'm into loads of genres of music thanks to just following the work of bassists I like - and it just so happens there are hundreds of amazing bassists in jazz... need I say more? Hope that helps - and don't worry about a lack of knowledge - Youtube and All music guide are phenomenal places to hear endless amounts of great music - and check out the free MP3s on Laurence Cottle's website - he's an absolute monster and his bands totally kick ass.. M

[quote name='discreet' post='799386' date='Apr 8 2010, 12:32 AM']Don't like the SC look myself, and I'm guessing here, but wouldn't all that extra mass fixed to the top of the neck result in a stiffer and more stable neck?[/quote] First off - if I had your lovely looking vintage P I may well consider ditching my Single Cut... that looks gorgeous... secondly the neck is definitely stiffer in feel towards the 'dusty' end - I have to say I love my bass so much, it's so playable and the extra wood does not mean extra weight - I think some players might not enjoy the restriction because of the join at the 12th fret - but I don't really notice it. I know they aren't for everyone but I just love mine - it just works so well for me. Saying that I love my 4 string jazz and my fretless 5 - and if I'm honest I don't want about SC - one is enough for now... though if anyone does happen to have a Fodera SC going cheap...

I take it you're not planning on sleeping with this bass...? Just checking as those sheets seem nice and fresh... congrats on a cool axe. M

Hey peeps Just wanted to recommend this band - I saw this band live in Norway in February and they absolutely rocked it live - just freaky, lairy, funky jazz rock with a serious 60s prog vibe going on - loads of long jams with a killer bassist and drummer and some wild (authentic) Hammond sounds on top: I reviewed their new album [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Walk-Nile-Elephant9/dp/B00361HVAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1270577661&sr=8-1"]'Walk The Nile' [/url]in this month's BGM and I can't recommend it highly enough - one of the best things I've hear this year - it's really very good indeed. Hope some of you dig this Mike

Er - it's actually a very good album as well - not full of complete fret w*** bullmud - a little here and there - but aside from all being great musos, Marcus is a hugely respected producer and Stan is a movie score man of over 30 something films - so all that comes through as well - but this clip is groovy as hell with no drummer in sight! M

[quote name='KERMITNT' post='795050' date='Apr 3 2010, 01:45 PM']it has some orient approach or is my thinking awsome job different music is also good i like your bass tone so deep [/quote] Thanks man - the wonky slide guitar at the start has a little odd (maybe Oriental) sound I'll give you that - glad you dug the bass tone Cheers M

Hi chaps Just managed to get this tune nearing completion - just wanted to get a few thoughts on it as a general tune - it has sveral different sections so I'm not sure they all hang together but there's plenty of fun musical avenues along the way... [b]Kitson [url="http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=137618"]http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=137618[/url] [/b] PS the name comes from Daniel Kitson - the comedian... I think he's brilliant Cheers Mike

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='791009' date='Mar 30 2010, 07:51 PM']You can play properly on any instrument, there's "no need" for bad technique on any decent bass. Sorry I can't see any physical benefit of it. The bass gets heavier because there's more wood, so if anything it's bad for you.[/quote] I totally agree with you - and for the record my SC is amazingly lightweight so it the logic of more equals more weight again depends on the brand of bass - but there are plenty of SCs I've seen that really don't do it for me either. As it happens it was Martin's take on the design that made me want to order a Sei in the first place ... M

Well I love my single cut Sei - and I really don't are if anyone else does or not - but then it is extremely lightweght and easy to play - and having sold my admitedly lovely 1990 original Thumb a while back because it was HORENDOUSLY heavy - I can only imagine that adding even more bulk to the body will make this yukky Wk SC even heavier. Personally I think this is a very cynical piece of design/marketing by Warwick - yet another bass that will cost easily as much as a custom one but be half as playable, good looking or sounding - they are attempting to do 'everything' with their range, including trampling all over custom luthier's terrotory... vote with you wallets people and don't buy this .... IMO obviously!

Two questions: what part of London are you in? And are you looking for a DBer, or would fretted/fretless be cool? Let me know I might be up for trying out... Cheers Mike

[quote name='The Funk' post='785704' date='Mar 25 2010, 12:17 PM']Glad to hear it. I've been living GAS-free for a while now and it's a great feeling.[/quote] +1 - my Seis and Jeff Chapman fretless are all so gorgeous I actually get pangs sometimes just choosing which one I want to play on any given day - I did a recording session with my Sei Jazz last weekend and it sounded awesome going direct via a rack compressor - the engineer at one point turned round and said "I just got to say that bass sounds fantastic..." - it really did too The ONLY thing I want now is a 410 - probably an Epifani - but I just don't need one and I can't justify the space it would take up in my flat... next year year maybe M

Awesome Bilbo - I'm a Manu Chao fan so great choice of song and lovely playing from you all - even with your tongues in your cheeks - it's sounds lovely. Mike

Hi Pete It's looking good man but boy I sympathize with you dude - you've waited a hell of a long time for this - pardon my ignorance but what is going on with the finish? Is is going to be a satin varnish or high gloss? Just looks like that is needing to be finished off as well - let us know. Good luck man and hang in there - I feel your pain - just remember it'll all be worth it in the end Cheers Mike

[quote name='Sibob' post='783889' date='Mar 23 2010, 08:01 PM']Whats the point of trying a bass out and then buying it online?? There's a great probability that the one you buy online will be different enough for you not to be happy than the one you loved in the shop! Support your bricks and morter music shops and do yourself a favour by doing so Si[/quote] +1 - if you can show Alex at the Gallery a legitimate lower price on a website he'll almost certainly try and match it - just talk to the guy - that's why he and the Gallery are the best in the biz... (Mark at Bass Direct is pretty wicked too - props to you as well Mark) M

[quote name='XB26354' post='784153' date='Mar 23 2010, 11:15 PM']Anyone get the latest copy? Quite good actually - I thought the Anthony Jackson interview was very well done - insightful (bearing in mind he's done a handful of interviews in 25 years) and interesting. He gets quite a bit of bad press here for his rather forthright views but I think in an age where technique seems to be more important than the music he is still up there with the very best. After hearing Al Di Meola's Race With The Devil On The Spanish Highway a long time ago I realised what can be done with an electric bass and a pick, but's it was only when I came across the Chaka Khan albums with Anthony's brilliant playing on them that I got inspired to play pickstyle too - and I'm glad I did because it really sounds great for certain things. The only slight flub is that I'm pretty sure Michel Camilo isn't European - I think he's from the Dominican republic? Good mix of other interviewees and always like the Basically Speaking bit.[/quote] hey Glad to hear the Jackson feature reads well - I haven't seen the finished article myself - and I'll claim responsibility for the Camillo mistake - that'll be my bad.... I'm looking forward to seeing this now! Cheers Mike

This is brilliant - I was emailed this when it first happened around 2002 I think - by the head of Sony jazz uk, who Martin was signed to at the time, I just remembered this incident happened after Taylor and Gomez had done a week at Ronnie Scott's - long enough to breed plenty of contempt I would imagine - but on the gig they played great together, Gomez was really awesome - shame it turns out he's a bit of a dick... I've met Martin a couple of times and he's a lovely guy with a great sense of humour who obviously doesn't suffer fools gladly...

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='782821' date='Mar 22 2010, 10:05 PM']The rest of her is pretty easy on the eye to be fair.[/quote] Aye, that's the other thing, I look stupid in a dress M

I saw him live with Jim Hall in Cheltenham a few years ago, he's a wonderful player and has both exquisite tone and taste, i'd say he's the epitome of the ideal modern jazz bassist, that's probably why he's working all the time Mike

+1 to all the insight and advice here guys - good work Pros Respect Mike

[quote name='Faithless' post='782421' date='Mar 22 2010, 10:38 AM']I know, that she's a DBer, but, I'm talking about electric basses.. If I'm correct, that Jazz is fretted..?[/quote] I think it's a fretless actually it just has fat lines on the board, she's using flatwounds so it's a bit clicky, and probably feels a little like a DB. Re your earlier comments about singing and playing while I agree anyone could train themselves to do it a her level, she does make it look easy, and at the end of the second clip you see all the cameras and packed studio audience - not sure I could do that in such an intense environment and on cue... but then you might I know the vocalese thing can be hard to love but I think she's a great talent and is only just finding her direction, and I think she's still only 24 or 25 - I interviewed her three or four years ago she's a cool gal in person. M

Don't know about the rest of you but this young lady makes me feel well - pretty useless on the playing and singing and well, looks front as well - I don't like everything she's done but hell the girl is awesome here... and here on a J bass... ouch - and singing a Wayne Shorter head to boot... Enjoy M

[quote name='jmesa' post='773711' date='Mar 13 2010, 04:49 PM']Mike is such a sick player. Wish I could play even half as good as that! Good on ya, mate[/quote] Thanks man - I appreciate the positive words - but the thing with the MIDI stuff just let's me add melodic things like chords and lead lines that I simply can't do with bass alone - it's realy exciting fir me and I have a whole bunch of new tunes that I can't wait to 'release' soon, not long now! Cheers Mike