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Hey chaps/chapesses Just thinking of re-jigging my smaller set up and selling my trusty Baby Baby Blue combo and traiding it in for a BG Shuttle - then running that through an Epifani 112 - it's a no brainer really but I'm quite attached to the BBB but it lacks the power I want in a smaller set up and I also need a slightly bigger cab/speaker for that as well. Any thoughts on the subject would be welcome - the BBB is still in great nick and sounds wonderful (the tube action is super sweet) so it may well become available in the BC marketplace soon. Thanks for your time on this Mike

[quote name='Ray' post='656328' date='Nov 16 2009, 08:05 PM']I heard that Lenny White's mobile phone rang during Stanley Clarke's solo![/quote] Yeah - he looked sooooooo embarrassed - Chick had gone to the back of the stage to let Clarke have the spotlight for a bit and then this phone starts and then Lenny W got up and ran to the back of the stage to hide his head in Chick's shoulder... he was laughing and Stan took it well and made a joke but it was a bit like... er dude, leave your phone in the dressing room... I managed to meet Vic after the gig - he had come to the stage door and was signing a few things for people - I've met him before and I was pleasantly surprised he remembered me - in person he's one of the coolest and nicest guys on the planet and one of the best of all time too. M

I was at the Wooten/Clarke gig - was great to see them together and the Flecktones won out the battle of the bands as the Corea trio was a bit 'jammy' but Chick is still one of the greatest living pianists - and Wooten's solo on the Sinister Minister was pure class, 360 degree spin and bass chucking and all - a really fun couple of hours. More bass gigs this week (I previewed the lot in BGM this month BTW) - but here they are: Janek is playing at Zigfrid von Underbelly tomorrow Dom Dipiazza at Charlie Wright's on Wednesday Dave Holland at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on Friday Esperanza Spalding at Ronnie Scott's on Saturday (but it's sold out) Marcus Miller at the Barbican on Sunday I'm so glad there's this lot in town as I'm missing Bass day - should be wicked! See you there M

Hey Folks Just wanted to give my last big gig of the year a plug - it's with this superb band led by solo artist/producer Niraj Chag. While the music has a strong Indian flavour to it - and all the vocals are sung in various Indian dialects - the music covers just about every er, base - so there's some beautiful melodies but also lots of funk, drum and bass and rock grooves. Plus we have an eight piece choir with us on three songs - and it sounds wicked - [b][url="http://www.cbso.co.uk/?page=concerts/viewConcert.html&cid=2034&m=11&y=2009"]link here[/url][/b] Some of you may have seen the vid in Recordings - the vocals are a bit 'rappy' but it's the only one like it: Anyway if some of you feel like hearing something a bit different but very good then it'd be great to see some of you there. Cheers Mike

I have to say I tried the 3.0 Shuttle and it knocked my socks off - I was an EBS user for years and didn't like the box-y sound that I was getting - I've since moved to Epifani and they suit my sound loads better and are by far my fave amp overall - however... I tried a Shuttle out through a Epifani 110 and the sound was BEAUTIFUL... it had that crisp EBS top end but with greater warmth - and my Sei 5 string sounded wonderful through it - and I kept all the settings flat - straight up and down as they say. So now I'm thinking of getting a 3.0 and a small Epi 112 cab for club gigs - as the power of the amp and the Epi cabs - which sounds more focused than my SWR baby baby blue (and louder) - as for an amp of its size I don't think I've heard anything as sweet and powerful (much nicer IMO than any of the MarkBass stuff I've tried too). Just have to find the dosh to do it - which won't be any time soon - it's the one bit of kit I really want right now! M

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='652076' date='Nov 11 2009, 10:36 PM']Well, he does the clinics, and he tours with Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller - excuse me if I assume that that's another gig where the audience is 100% bass players but I don't think it's an unreasonable assumption given that nobody else in the world would know who they are. He's got the Flecktones gig I suppose, but is there anything else he does where the music comes first? It seems his 'day job' is more about showing off his chops than being especially musical.[/quote] FYI the Flectones have won around 9 Grammy Awards and regualrly play stadiums across the US - they are way more mainstream over there than over here - Wooten is way better known as well - these guys, including Vic, aren't some obscure band only appreciated by musos - they sell lots of records and play big show all over the place (they're in London next week and both their shows have sold out). Even your previous point is slightly redundant as many, many people who don't PLAY bass still love to listen to it - how do you explain Level 42's success - likewise Stanley Clarke and MM - both have a big bass following but ARE listened to by plenty of non-players. Lastly - Wooten is a musician first and a bassist second - the guy is amazing and can do more with one note than most can do with 100 - sure he can play a lot of notes but he has soul, amazing timing and a great sense of melody and groove - I've listened to him for the best part of 18 years now and he continues to sound fresh, relevant and funky - and is one of the best in the pocket (players (when he wants to be) around. listen here [attachment=36155:1_01_Bil_Mon.mp3]

In jazz the bass is treated as an equal part of a band - say a quartet - yes it has its functional role to play but it's also free to double the melody, play a counterpoint line, walk, solo, or drop out all together! And musically you can bet the bassist has just as much theory knowledge, sight reading ability, compositonal talent (see Dave Holland / Marcus Miller et al) as the lead soloist, and while he / she might not play chords - they can certainly hear what chord is what and make a note choice accordingly. But that's jazz for you - it's bloody hard to play well etc etc - other musical style don't always allow so many possibilities. So in a nutshel: bass is equal to any or all other instruments in a musical situation that allows it to be. Saying that Another One Bites the Dust rocked plenty of stadiums with just a bass and drum groove and Freddy hollering over the top... In terms of the bass' technical limitations - well there's always going to be some new kid who's pushing it way beyond the rest of the pack - see Hadrien Feraud etc - and that's great and inspiring from a technique point of view - but everyday use of really OTT playing is so limited you're better off getting the fundamentals together (er like good TIMING!) than learning an epic tapping party piece (learn that as well - just do it later). Like some have said here already for me it's about sound and soul and personality in the music - its not about the bass it's about the music - good music with some good bass in is always nice though - but just good bass without good music around it... that's not good M

Dave Holland, Tom Jenkinson, Laurence Cottle, John Entwistle - they've my faves - all of them amazing in their own way.

I take your Bootsy and raise you Larry G... and 'Hair' (still love Bootsy tho) M

It's superb - I'm actually most impressed with his piano playing - he's a demon - but I still don't think he looks like Mac: He's a leftie!!!!

Congrats on a wonderful looking bass - it just says "Play me please..." One small personal change would be to have had all-black hardware but hey it's a small detail - the craftsmanship looks top notch - nice one Mike

[quote name='sdgrsr400' post='646851' date='Nov 5 2009, 11:42 PM']Yes, great venue - used to go to lunchtime classical concerts there when I worked in the area. Is the music in western rhythms, or did you learn tals in amazing time signatures like 17/18?[/quote] Well not really - one tune is in 7/8 and it's more of a ballad type vibe - but the music is very well constructed and the tabla player is a monster - we have jammed a few on time sigs in rehearsal and hopefully we'll get a chance to expand on them at some point. LSO St Lukes is a stunning venue - probably the nicest I've played in London - such a stunning building - it was a cracking gig - I hope we do alot more as this is a very exciting band. Thanks for checking it out - glad you guys dig it M

Hey all I've been really busy rehearsing my butt off as part of a new band led by ace producer/solo artist Niraj Chag. He's a very successful tv composer and has a couple of solo albums out, Nitin Sawhney signed him to Outcaste records years ago and he's had two solo albums out... Anyway long story short, we just did our first big gig at the wonderful LSO St Lukes in London last week, it was completely sold out and had about 500 folks in the audience. And here's a vid, the music is really varied and goes from Indian pop to drum and bass, rock, funk and lots more styles inbetween. Hope you like it Cheers Mike PS our next gig is at the CBSO Centre in Brimingham on 21 November, I'll post details in he gigs section soon

A new arrival - a Single Cut Series II with the same spalted maple as my Sei Jazz - I've tried this one out and it's just lovely - I think the fingerboard is snake wood, which gives it a slightly mellower tone than ebony: [attachment=35371:sei.jpg] [attachment=35372:sei1.jpg] [attachment=35373:sei4.jpg]

[quote name='4 candles' post='631784' date='Oct 20 2009, 07:41 PM']tone wise sounds like wooten got some real nice chops in there too lovely lookin bass and great playing.[/quote] Cheers fella - sounds like Wooten eh? Wasn't what I was aiming for but hey I dig Wooten's bridge pickup tone so I'm happy if I'm getting close to that - thanks for listening. Mike

[quote name='mistahbenn' post='636008' date='Oct 25 2009, 11:37 AM']Mike! My man, thanks, yeh maybe down that way soon, but more likely going to New York, been offered work there Hows yer lad doin? Benn[/quote] Little Ben is doing great - bit moany today though! - He's taking an interest in the bass - bit small to play one just yet though but likes hitting the strings randomly, bit like me! Get yo' ass out to NYC man - sounds like a great opportunity - just played a nice gig myself at the LSO St Luke's here in London - really nice to be playing great venues to packed and appreciative audiences - need a few more like that for sure. Keep in touch Mike

One more vid for this thread - this one on the back bridge pup Cheers Mike

Quite frankly sir - you rock... as ever Ben - loving your work - hope things are good with you - do give me a shout if you wanna grab a pint in London sometime. Cheers Mike

[quote name='wombatboter' post='633219' date='Oct 22 2009, 10:11 AM']These days it's hard to imagine what impact Mark King had in the eighties. Now we are more familiar with slapstyles etc but I remember that no one had ever heard anything like him when Love Games came out. It was new, it was fresh and new doors were opened (I can't recall anyone since then with the same influence). I heard the Level 42 album ("Almost there" was even faster :-)) and I just couldn't understand how anyone in the world could play like that and I didn't even know at the time that he also sang.. Every bassplayer talked about him and he had an enormous influence (I actually learned my 16th-feel from him ("The Chinese Way") and not from Jaco for instance). Concerning his quick mastering the bass...I really think it's a drummer thing, a local drummer picked up a bass and within a couple of days he could slap things I wasn't able to play. It's all about the polyrythms they have learned.[/quote] +1 A lot of King's slap lines are like drum parradiddles played with his fingers rather than sticks - and with a slap, pop and left hand slap on to the fretboard you have the fundamentals of his style - that and a double bounce with the thumb. I think one of the reasons it sounds a bit nicer harmincally is he nicked Stanley Clarke's thing of playing the major third above a low open E or A - i.e. G# or F# - and using the Dorian mode - all making it sound quite jazzy. I absolutely loved his stuff when I was about 13 and I even - to my embarrasment now - cut off the strap of my crappy Kay bass to make it short like his! I now find a lot of what he does repetitve and I'm not so into tons of chorus and a bright slap tone - it sounds a bit dated to me - BUT I did meet him briefly a couple of years ago and he was pretty cool (he was with Gary Husband) at the BBC jazz Awards and he presented Charlie Haden with a lifetime achievement award and gave a very nice speech about how much he loved Haden's jazz playing and work. What I still love about his playing is how effortlessly he grooves and the whole singing and playing thing is still very impressive - I could never ever do that! (well maybe badly if I worked on it) Happy b'day Mark Cheers Mike

Moving is often a good option - I've experienced similar phases in the past - the first place I moved after college was to Oxford (after signing on for 18 months in my small hometown!) I got out to lots of jam sessions and as I moved with a musician who had already lived there I got hooked up with quite a few jobbing bands - I was very busy with gigs for a couple of years - and also joined a band in London as the Oxford Tube coach service was a cheap way to schlep back and forth from there - and I have to say I've not looked back since - there are lots of opportunities out there - you just have to go and grab them yourself and not always wait for them to come to you... Go for it Cheers Mike

Forgive the second posting this week - just made a new vid - same sort of stuff as usual Hope you like it - let me know what ya reckon Thanks Mike

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='630799' date='Oct 19 2009, 09:20 PM']Cool. Very burpy!! Chords come out pretty nice too... Just out of interest, what drum machine are you using? Is that Groove Agent?[/quote] Ta Russ, the beat is actually a couple of Apple loops I used that come with Logic Pro, it comes with tons of really good ones, I plan on recording more with this bass as this is the direct tone with a liite EQ boost and smidge of compresssion... and those Nordy pups seem to be doing their job as well Mike

Just made a new recording with my Se Jazz - using the back bridge pup and fingerstyle only - I think it's come out OK: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63818"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63818[/url] Let me know what you think Mike

Right well it's been a while since I posted anything here... So I finally got a spare few minutes and made this little one take jam with my new (ish) Sei Jazz bass - in bridge pickup mode - and with new strings on - it's just effortless to play. This has various groove, chords and solo ideas in - so it's a little snapshot of what I'm messing around with right now - and I am going to be cracking on with some proper 'song' type tunes in due course - just as soon as things calm down after the end of this month - I've been a busy bloke! Hope this floats a few bass boats out there: [url="http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=124925"]http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=124925[/url] Cheers Mike

Looks awesome - starting to get exciting now eh? M