Bilbo

Just an aside but where double basses are concerned, a 'better' bass is not necessarily a better bass. A lot of classical double basses would be no use to a jazzer and vice versa. The needs are different.'Cheap' sounding instruments can be the very fellows if you want to sound a prticular way. a lot of guitar bands use things like Fender Jaguars, 'nasty' instruments that are not 'good' in the conventional sense but perfect for the job. A growly double bass can be EXACTLY what one jazzer wants and exactly what another doesn't. The build process can, in these cases, be academic.

Bassace has pretty much got it. The double bass had been there from the start and the idea that the tuba was the bass voice in Jazz and that, one day, someone discovered the double bass is a misrepresentation of the history of the music brought about because of the limits of early recording technology. When recordings were undertaken though a horn, the double bass could not be heard whilst the drums were so loud, they forced the needle recording the music to jump, thereby ruining every take. The double bass was replaced by the tuba and the drums by various percussion intruments like woodblocks etc. In short, the history of Jazz is not accurately refelcted in the history of RECORDED Jazz. Obvioulsy marching bands would use tuba but early Jazz morphed out of brass bands AND string orchestras simultaneously (a lot of New Orleans musos played in both). There is plenty of photographic evidence of early jazz being played on double bass (see below).

I use these. See my soundcloud page for samples of what they sound like on my bass.

Me.

I don't know that make but I do have one of the Finale French bows (see below) which was a not dissimilar price (I think it came in at £175 with import duties etc). It's more than adequate for learning how to do it and would be perfectly good for professional gigs until you were able to upgrade (I woudl not know the difference between good and great at this stage anyway). Carbon fiber bows are generally getting a good press in terms of comparisons with similarly priced wooden bows. Wood is where the purists tend to go but, for us learners, I say go for the Thomann or something like this. I am sure it will get you started. http://www.stringemporium.com/carbon-fiber-upright-bass-bows.htm

What we see is more important that what we hear. Apparently. I am doomed! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23717228

Every bass and guitar I have ever owned is stock I have no interest in tweaking. My perspective is that if I can't get it out of a stock guitar, I won't be able to get it out of a custom job. I accept there are exceptions but, for me, its mostly superficial irrelevance. I remember a guitar player friend of mine. I was 17, he was 30+ (we met at work). He used to spend all of his time knobbing about with the action of his guitars, the strings, buying and selling, changing amps, adding effects etc. I played one his guitars one day and he said ''kin 'ell, Rob. You are better than me and I am twice your age'. My response? 'If you spent less time messing around with the gear and more time practicing the music, you might get better quicker'

Just listening to 'Awaken' off 'Going For The One'. What a band.

[quote name='ML94' timestamp='1376994857' post='2181881'] Any recommendations on what to listen to ? [/quote] Not Moondance for a start Try Miles Davis albums like Workin', Steamin', 'Relaxin' and Cookin', you won't go far wrong.

Moondance does go somewhere. To hell in a hand-cart This is a massive question, ML94. Walking lines are one of the ose things that take a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. I have been working on walking lines for 30 years and still struggle somedays. Really struggle. I think the simple answer is 'many things'. Firstly, impetus. You want your walking lines to add impetus to the music, to fulfil the roll of making the music swing (in all senses of the word). You need rhythmic strength but you also need to consider whether you want to add interest rhythmically. One of the things I learned from listening to 100s of hours of Paul Chambers was that, when he walks, his lines are made up almost entirely of quarter notes with very little in the way of fills and kicks along the way. Someone like Rufus Reid is much morelikely to stick in triplets, fills, double stops etc whereas Scott LaFaro etc will tear up the rhythm and play anything BUT the quarter note (not really but you get the point). In short, making the music move is an important part of walking but the way you do it is determined by [i]your[/i] musical choices and by the needs of the music you are playing. Harmonic movement - You want your lines to spell out the chords som the listener and soloist alike can follow the form. This is, however, balanced against the need to create interest - a consistent spelling out of arpeggios is 'correct' in theoretical terms but gets boring very quickly. So, it is a case of maintaining a sense of the harmonic structure without slavishly dictating it - that is the 'art' of it, the bit that takes a lifetime to master. As does the element of tension and release. You can use you lines to create massive tension (the most common way of doing this is playing a fourth below the root of a chord, say, on the last 8 bars of a 32-bar chorus of 'rhythm changes'). YOu can follow the soloist rhythmically, or the drummer or play against them. There are lots of ways of doing it and most of the methods are simple but, as with the harmony thing, it is the musical application of these concepts that takes a lifetime to master and which defines [i]you[/i] as a player. You also want to create a little artwork of your own so that your lines have an internal logic and an arc that reflects your intentions. This is particularly important when playing modally. 150 bars of Dm is both the easiest thing to play and the hardest. Keep it interesting, keep it real. It's a life's work.

Not a criticism just all feels a bit pointless to me. Then again, I'm an arse.

His website says his fretless isn't a Sei. Anyway - that Fcuker!!

Mike's (urb) Sei fretless.

I got my Evah Pirazzi's because they are supposed to be good for both arco and pizz whereas Spiros are allegedly not that good for arco. Personally, I have never been that precious about strings and find that anything with a decent rep is fine by me. I am not yet good enough for it to matter enough to notice On my Wal, I don't even know what guage they are, just that they are groundwound (for fretless). I adjust to the strings and don't expect them to adjust to me.

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1376400502' post='2173343'] The headstock looks very similar to Paul Chambers bass - welcome to BC !! [/quote] Lovely anecdote. Can you see the bead glinting on the headstock in that photo? That bead came off one of Annie Chambers's, Paul's wife's, dresses.

Thanks goingdownslow. That's the fellow (the Alive In The Studio session - it is not the recording I remember but it is clearly a rehearsal by the same band and the arrangement is the same, jsut the detail of the recording (bass sound, vocals place in the mix etc) that is not as good as the version I remember. But great to listen to it again at last. Many thanks again.

The LP was Songs For A Tailor although Theme For an Imaginary Western was on there.

What was the winning bid?

My first bass was my 5 string so go for it!!

I think it is because he is from Cardiff and we all played like that in Cardiff at the time.

Have the LPs but, no, the track I am looking for was only ever recorded on this one live session.

Yes - have seen that video on a previous fruitless search Marvellous memories.

In the 1980s, I recorded (on cassette) a session off Tommy Vance's Friday Rock Show that featured Cozy Powell's Over The Top band with Jack Bruce on bass. An Aria SB1000, IIRC, and the sound was influential to me at the time and remains my 'source' bass sound. It was a favourite for yrars, particularly their version of Tickets To Waterfalls with JB on vocals. So, getting to the point, has anyone got a copy? I lost the cassette years ago so doubt anyone will have it but if there is a 50 something anorak out there that has kept all of his cassettes...... Would love to hear it again

It absorbs all sense of taste, tone and musicality before it comes out of the guitar..... [size=4] [/size]

Brilliant musician.