Bilbo

Yes, but there HAVE been different singers and bass players (Tony Levin, Jeff Berlin). Why should Squire and Anderson be any more 'essential' than Wakeman, Howe etc etc. Could there be a different Yes project; White, Howe, Anderson, Moraz? Or WHAM?

I am starting this as a seperate thread as I do not want to compromise the tribute thread elsewhere on the forum. Firstly, it remains to be said that any fan knows that Chris Squire was as much 'Yes' as anyone, even Jon Anderson I wonder what will happen with Yes now that Chris Squire is no longer with us. With absolute respect to all parties, Yes have never been shy of finding an opportunity to capitalise on their legacy but I wonder if the demise of this most unique of voices will make continuation of the Yes 'brand' untenable. The band has existed in various formats without Anderson, Wakeman, Bruford, Howe, White, Banks etc etc and AWBH was able to function at some level without Squire but Yes without THAT bass sound, coupled without those vocals? Is it viable or a step too far?

Of course you can play Jazz on electric bass. You can play Jazz on any instrument. The question is, firstly, what is your definition of ‘Jazz’ and, secondly, whether or not the sound of the instrument sits well with the rest of the ensemble. Steve Swallow is everyone’s favourite electric player because his sound and time sits nicely in the mix and his ideas are sufficiently organic to satisfy the expectations of the rest of the band. The problem with electric bass in Jazz is not the electricity in the bass, it is the idiomatic aesthetic of the preferred double bass alongside the player’s knowledge of the requirements of the genre. Most standards gigs are ‘of a type’ and the ensemble is trying to create a vibe that is idiomatically consistent with the expectations of the audience. A lot of electric bass players in Jazz are rock/funk/fusion players who have crossed over into playing standards because that is the nature of most of the Jazz gigs that are available. We all want to play in Weather Report or Snarky Puppy but this is not really what most people think of as Jazz and is not what Jazz musicians are usually talking about when they are looking at the idiom. As a result of their stylistic proclivities, electric players ‘hear’ Jazz differently and ‘play’ Jazz differently to double bassists. They are generally busier and more ‘guitaristic’ than double bassists. Most performances of standards recorded using electric bass are fundamentally unsatisfying to Jazz fans not because the bass is electric but because the sound is relatively thin. There is a strong relationship between the tone of an instrument and the ‘swing’ (in all it’s various forms) generated. Listen to Paul Chambers ‘doom, doom, doom’ and it is different to Jimmy Garrison’s more ‘compressed’ ‘dum, dum, dum’. Different feelings created but neither are more right or wrong that the other (although most people would prefer the swing generated by Chambers to that of Garrison). A lot of walking electric bass, on the other hand, is audibly more of a ‘ping, ping, ping’ and does not have the same effect at all. (interestingly, the Buddy Rich stuff mentioned about is generally of marginal interest to Jazz aficionados – it is all show and no substance. Same with Maynard Ferguson etc). In bass terms, Swallow is one exception because, to my ears, his tone relates to that of the electric bass in the same way a nylon strung guitar relates to a steel strung one; it’s warmer and thicker so sits in the mix more organically. His is not the only solution, however. Anthony Jackson manages to achieve an incredible level of swing through the use of extended strings and his own take on tone. Jaco, interestingly, found a solution occasionally but was massively inconsistent. His sound on the Word of Mouth record works very well but his ‘standards’ work with Birelli Lagrene and Jon Davis is shockingly bad. Another electric bass in Jazz ‘failure’ for me is Laurence Cottle. Great player with massive fusion chops but his sound fails to fulfil the required role in a ‘standard’ Jazz setting. The point I am making is that there is absolutely a place for electric bass in Jazz but the player needs to find his space in the mix, needs to know the requirements of the idiom and needs to recognise the fact that they will almost never get called for ‘Jazz’ gigs unless there are no double bass players available or unless the people calling him have no more idea of the idiomatic requirements that s/he does (there are plenty of musicians out there playing Jazz who have no concept of the requirements of the idiom and who are happy (in their ignorance) to approximate. An electric bass played alongside a drummer or guitarist/ who themselves. only have a superficial understanding of Jazz is certainly not going to make things worse. Nor is it going to make things better. But a great Jazz ensemble which has its collective concept in a conventional Jazz aesthetic will always sound better with a double bass. Which is why the upright player gets the call before the electric player. It is not prejudice, it is preference borne of knowledge and experience.

The Gear4music basses have a shocing reputation but the Thomann ones are ok. There is also Gedo Musik in Germany who do some nice starter basses in your price range.Here is my five string (a bit more expensive that your budget but not a million miles away) - check out my Soundcloud page for samples. Thomann and Gedo both get good feedback as do Stentor and Christopher basses. Archer are less highly though of. Ref: mail order being a gamble; every guitar or bass I ever bought was bought mail order and so far so good! http://basschat.co.uk/topic/93958-i-did-it-now-with-photos/page__hl__gedo+musik__fromsearch__1

A genuinely creative voice on our instrument. An early hero. R.I.P.

Doh!!!

GOAL!!!!!

Now?

Bugger!

Can we stop now?

Actually. I don't really want to pay that much so I will wait until I see one secondhand.

I just came across this. I read the reviews on Thomann and think that this is brilliant. Trus tme, it has to be better than the crap that my generation started on (Columbus anyone? Zenta?). I think it would be brilliant fun to try one of these! And for all the wrong reasons!! Do they do it in fretless?

I have one bass and one amp. If I have a breakdown (it has never happened), I will borrow some kit. If it's on a gig, well..... Thinking about it, I don't even have any spare strings. Last broke one in 1981.

No worries. I have gone off the idea. I did some research and realised that I meant the Pink Fairies.... 'We're Piggies from Uranus...'!!!

I always loved the bass part on This Must Be Love by Phil Collins (Face Value). An easy part but one that strangely eludes you.

10! A healthy crop by any standards! Well done everyone. Now to listen..... (Note: one of the advantages of submitting a composition is that you don't have to listen to all of them)

She's ten, guys!!! Give her a break. Buy a cheap black one and let her cover it with stickers!! She has other basses around to compare. If she gets serious, she will find her way. My first guitar was unplayable, had steel strings and two nylon ones. Now look at me. Felixstowe's second best double bass player!!

Jeff Berlin has been linked several times with major Rock acts but the idea is laughable really. JB could play the parts standing on his head but he could never play the part. He was a middle-aged man in his teens and never had that sense of danger we associate with Rock music and all of its sub-genres. He has tried to get himself linked with all sorts as a composer/player and spent a lot of time trying to link his chordal bass concept with artists like Bonnie Riatt etc. They had the sense to pass on the idea but JB would keep on keeping on. A great technician but no idea about the entertainment industry at all really. Just one nearly off-topic comment; has anyone heard Sammy Hagar's version of Donovan's 'Young Girl Blues' off his live LP 'All Night Long'? Stunning.

Tell me what your budget is and I can put you in touch with loads of folk.

Not read the whole thread but every bass I play sounds disappointingly like me.

As a 29 year fretless man, my advice is do not practice reading music in a darkened room. It will ruin your eyes. There is only one thing in the fretless canon that is different from the fretted and that is the need for good intonation. You have to play with your ears and not your eyes. Make sure that, when you are playing with others, you can hear yourself. If you cannot, you are in no position to guarantee the accuracy of your intonation. Otherwise, a E major scale is an E major scale.

Movies Howard Shore – Lord of the Rings Trilogy Pat Metheny – A Map Of The World Javier Navarette – Pan’s Labyrinth Schindler’s List TV Bill Conti’s Theme From Cagney and Lacey. Great lines Mr Benn – A Don Warren (Duncan Lamont) composition that featured UK Jazz/session legends like Kenny Wheeler, Ken Baldock and Ray Swinfield (the musicians are featured on the Mr. Benn credits; how rare is that?) Noggin The Nog – a solo bassoon thing by Vernon Eliot. I loved it long before I had the faintest idea what was required to make it happen!

I know the feeling. I lost my drummer last year and, for a Jazz trio with sax, bass and drums, you need a certain quality in your drummers that is frighteningly rare. It killed the trio, basically. I now have about 50 tunes sitting on a shelf and never getting played.

I have had enough of this. I am leaving the country. I may go to Italy and [b]Live In Pompeii!![/b]

Me Mum popped over last week and I was preparing a salad. She said 'what's that red thing'. I said 'It's a tomato, mother'. Work with me on this.