Gasman

Does any of this Telecaster nonsense actually help Andy to manage his situation?

Another totter along the pathway to full-on gigging on Friday, but (spoiler) alas not on bass. Leader of my former band couldn't find a dep guitar player for the 5-7pm slot she had been given at a mini-festival in Shaftesbury. Dep number 3 in her little black book could do the first set, so I got the call to do the second set on sax. It felt like a good idea as up til then the furthest I'd driven post my stroke op and recovery had been a 30 mile round trip, so the chance of doing a 90 miler in daylight and getting some pay for it was nice. Mrs G came along too... The traffic was very bad most of the way (it's getting to peak holiday time down here in Dorset) so we were a bit late arriving at the venue, which was a de-frocked church converted into a social event centre. The stage was set up amongst the gravestones, (in the dead centre of town?) and was rather impressive, being an inflatable shell over a proper raised playing area, with a pro sound guy and a full PA with massive speakers and foldback monitors - top marks! We sat and listened to my old bandmates doing their first set,after which the guitarist packed up rapidly and exited to get to his next gig. With just my tenor sax to set up and radio mic to plug in we were ready to continue after a few minutes with set 2. If you're a sax or brass player you'll be familiar with the need to transpose chords and melodies when playing with keys and guitars; I'd been used to playing most of the numbers in set 2 on bass without this embuggerance, but this time I was busking 9 out of 12 for the first time, which was a bit of a challenge especially with 'Sweet Caroline' and 'Country Roads' both played in B concert = C# on the tenor, with 7 accidentals to manage in the root key, and no chance of cheating with a capo... Anyway, it went OK 95% of the time and the punters seemed to appreciate the different sound of a sax-led band for a change, so I was able to successfully chalk up gig 3 after my 5 month medical lay-off - however, I was cream-crackered today!

Funny old thing, just a week after tentative return to gigging post-stroke with my old band (just for a short sax set at a local mini-festival) I got an urgent call from them to play a private party not far away for a full gig - their replacement bassist couldn't make it... I spent an hour the day before playing along with an Audacity recording I'd made of the band, sort-of got my fingers and brain working together again, so it was off to the gig yesterday evening, fingers crossed! It actually all worked out OK, a few dodgy moments that didn't seem to be noticed in the new numbers introduced by the band since my hospitalisation, but I managed to stay on point and upright for two one-hour sets (thank you, Red Bull!) and got nicely paid, so in all a good way to ease back into gigging, with the promise of some more to come. Must say though, I was cream-crackered today...

Thank you for the likes, it all helps me on the road back! This really is a very supportive and worthwhile community!

After having a brain-bleed stroke at the beginning of Feb, followed by 5 weeks in hospital and 7 weeks recuperating at home, I actually managed to get out and play half a gig last Sunday. I'd stepped back from my band ('Mustang Sally') simply cos I couldn't drive nor stand up for very long. They replaced me on bass for the time being by a guy with 5 years more experience than me (he's 80!) but as the gig was actually an outdoor mini-festival in West Bay Dorset where I live they invited me to play the 30 minute sax set with them that I used to do. I have to say it was very nice to get up on a stage and belt out One Step Beyond, Geno and some rock'n'roll without falling over, running out of breath or having another Julius (Seizure!) It was also interesting to compare the new guy's bass sound (vintage Vox Phantom long scale and TC Helicon gear) with my Mustang and AG700/Darkglass set up - his sound throughout was a band-leading Jean-Jacques Burnel Stranglers clang while mine is mostly much a more nuanced thump with the occasional clang where needed... Let's hope a few 100% gigs come along before Christmas!

I'm now a one-man band (that's what I am, nobody knows or understands) after being forced to leave my covers band through illness (stroke) So my unique points are: 1. No gigs, no audience (except my cat who doesn't rate me at all) so readily available 2. Unique wobbly sax tone (embouchure shot) 3. Quietest bass sound ever (headphones only for occasional practice with Youtube) Perfect for funeral parlour mood music,,,

My next solo act name..."Stingray Jack Socket"...

Maybe it's an attention-span deficit in the audience's young'uns - jazz is about exploring a melody, chord sequence, harmonies, over a reasonable number of choruses, but usually a lot fewer than guitarists belabour in a 'Red House' rock/blues jam and a lot prettier...

Just so I understand - what value is this lot adding? Is it an April Fool's joke?

Ah, band vans! My 70s covers band 'Sweeney' were loaned the bass-player's hotelier mother's spare diesel Transit delivery van and told to take care of it! We became one of the AA's best customers, usually due to a random cutting-out of the engine on accelerating from rest. Then, while returning from a gig at RAF Northallerton (supporting the Pioneers 'Let your Yeah be Yeah') there was a crunching noise from the engine and the oil light came on. 'Just keep going, it's only about 150 miles to London!' said our gitrist. but after five of them the poor old York diesel had a Julius seizure, fortunately right next to a phone box. To add to the fun, we had the lead singer from the Pioneers with us, sitting on an speaker cabinet. He was dressed only in his satin form-fit stage gear, after he'd fallen out with the other two singers who'd left him stranded and gone back to London without him. Having called the AA and suggesting that they bring a new oil pump (they laughed), we were resigned to a very long wait in a tiny village at two in the morning waiting for rescue. However, Mr Pioneer had other ideas. He phoned for a taxi and offered to take one of us back to London with him. Guess who insisted upon going? No prizes, it was our gitrist... We were towed to a garage at 4am. At 8am the mechanic told us that the engine was toast, The bass-player's mother went tonto on the phone and insisted that her long-suffering partner came up with a pal to tow the van back to London the following week because she was sure the garage was ripping us off - turned out, it wasn't. In the meantime, we had a gig the next night in Deal (Kent). I got a lift from the garage guy to Lincoln racecourse, not to so as get a horse and cart, but to the van rental company that operated there (they couldn't spell, their vehicles all had 'rented from the Wining Post' loud and proud on the tailgate). We loaded up the gear, left the Tranny and drove via Epsom (the three of us remaining all lived near there), had a sh*t, shower and snack then picked up our gitrist in Clapham and went on to Deal - just in time. After two more gigs using the rental in Sussex and London, we unloaded and I drove it back to Lincoln. Got a train back to Kings Cross, tube then Southern Electric (ah, civiiisation at last!) back home. Two days rest, then a local rental van (lovely brand-new Bedford CF with sliding driver's door) for next gig in Plymouth. Not hard to see why we didn't make much money...

Very true - today it's more 'monos' than 'trios' around here in many venues - one player and backing tracks, played senselessly loud most times. The old '2 in a bar' rule went out years ago - to get round it my trad jazz band (yes, I'm sorry!) in the 60s used to have a bass drum and pedal that the banjo player (double-sorry!) bashed as well while the trumpet, sax and trombone played one-at-a-time, sitting in the audience until coming out to do a solo, then returning after a couple of choruses... and yes, we only got paid for a duo but it was still a quid each (plenty for a couple of halves of Mild, a chip supper, and a deposit on a new suit from Burtons... ah, those were the days!)

Forever remembered for her version of 'Life on Mars-bar'...

Interesting question. I've played basslines on 2 hour gigs using a baritone or bass sax, but always for classic jazz bands (think Bix Biederbecke/Adrian Rollini), usually playing just root and fifth with the occasional run and 16 bar solo - it's very hard on the lip and sanity! I wouldn't underestimate the amount of wind you'll need to do the same for a reasonable set of pop/funk numbers with long notes low down on the instrument as per the dance monkey number above... Two questions if I may: 1) What prompted you to want to this on sax - maybe to become the Charles Berthold of brass? 2) What other instruments would you be playing along with? Good luck...

Currently I've reverted to '69 with East of Eden's album SNAFU, very influential on my proggy group 'Moebius Band' when I was supposedly doing a law degree at Oxford uni at that very time! Fab mix of rock with saxes and violin (Dave Arbus), oriental soundscapes, adventurous time signatures, their breakout hit Jig-a-Jig' and Peter York on bass. Oh yes...

Hi Woody - we were at the George Inn, Castle Cary. Alas, the FB page isn't mine to maintain!