Bilbo

Depping is what it is. I did a gig on Saturday with a 7-piece funk band that featured two deps, the pianist and myself, both jazzers first and foremost. We were discussing it afterwards. The funk players, who were not readers and had long ago learned their parts by rote, were stressing all evening about what we newbies 'knew' and 'didn't know'. We just said 'assume we don't know anything but that it doesn't matter'. They couldn't process it at all and looked nervous as fcuk when we got on stage When we picked up out instruments, I didn't actually 'know' any of the tunes at all, although I had heard some of them somewhere in the past, and the chord charts were just the usual Am, G7 type things with no detail of grooves etc. By the end of the night, the band were called 'Gods of Music' by the people who had booked them We just ripped s*** out of the grooves, nailed the details by a mixture of musicality, vague/subconcious familiarity with songs we knew of, hard-listening, reading signals, bluffing and our innate familiarity with idiomatic cliches. Mostly, familiarity with the role of your instrument and knowing the damn thing inside out. In short, you just gotta be ready to play. 'Knowing' the tunes is great (although, in my experience, no two musicians 'know' something the same way ) but, without that, you just need to be match fit and ready to blow. Some of the best music I have ever played has been under these circumstances; it can bring out the best in you.

I think there is a question about how much time you are able or willing to invest in this. One of the attractions of reading gigs is the 'turn up and play' element, even with band calls/rehearsals. If I was doing a show and had to spend a fortnight rewriting/reducing the charts to make them readable or suitable for a small music stand, I might as well just learn the whole pad and do it without the charts The issues you are dicussing are occupational hazards. Sometimes, if you work with someone often, you can talk to the MD so that future charts are better prepared. You can learn to read the extra ledger lines or refer to the chord symbols that are often present and 'approximate' the groove (depends on the piece being performed). 30 years of experience of this tells me that the lines you actually play are seldom that far from the well trodden paths of popular music and are easy enough to find, in spite of careless/poor presentation by an MD (remember, they are often doing a massive amount of work on a show 'gratis' (they often rehearse the chorus for weeks before the band are called) and have no more time to spend rewriting your charts that you have). It's a team effort.

My Gedo is now about 3 years old and has gigged regularly and recorded successfully about 4 times. I have never regretted the purchase (£1500).

It has been up there 3 weeks longer than everyone elses.

What I love about this is that nearly 400 folk have listened to my track. Where else could that happen?

It is a common problem. Bass parts are written an octave higher than they sound and MDs are often forgetting this fact and writing well below the range of the instrument. It is an occupational hazard, I am afraid, one that you will need to cope with as your career as a reader moves forward.

Interesting question. Does anyone vote for themselves? I never do but realise that, if I did, I could be in the lead.

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1366963937' post='2059440'] Ok, Ok.....you can have the last word on it !!!! [/quote] Decades of practice, mate.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1366916363' post='2059073'] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_sebum"]This stuff[/url] Contains lots of squalene (naturally occuring lubricant used by watchmakers and optical lens grinders). And it's free! [/quote] Eeeeew

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1366908221' post='2058937'] Can't seem to find the facebook page, maybe it's not live yet.<p>Make sure that you get in touch with Gill Burgoyne at the Grapevine, www.grapevineweb.co.uk - she writes a monthly Jazz column and you might get some good publicity. Also get the gigs in the gig guide.<p>This is just about within cycling range for me, so I can bike over if the weather is nice.<p>This is a Sunday gig - Lunchtime, evening or mid-afternoon? [/quote] It is there, Pete. Try joining me and I can link you to it. It is Jazz East at the Fludyers. Everyone else seems to be able to find it. The gigs will run 7.30 - 10.00 (loosely )

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1366923816' post='2059191'] the OP could do worse than learn them. [/quote] Not much

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1366914964' post='2059059'] I disagree. [/quote] Feel free. Just don't ask me to listen to it again. Ever.

You need to learn the distinctions between fusiion, jazz, jazz-rock, jazz-funk etc. Jazz is a broad church and a lot of what is described as Jazz is just advanced funk Latin, pop etc. A lot of Jaco, Bona, Wooten etc is not going to be found in jazz text s.

My amp was dead as a dodo last gig. I discovered the wonders of plugging in the 'speaker lead' . Miraculous.

The walking lines in Moondance are clumsy, unmusical and don't swing. Other than that, they are perfect

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1366905993' post='2058887'] Terrific stuff Bilbo,let me know if you set up a Facebook page and I'll make sure I share it with my old Ipswich mates. [/quote] There is a facebook page 'Jazz East t The Fludyers'.Please get it out there as much as you can.

[quote name='goingdownslow' timestamp='1366880434' post='2058368'] Surprised no one has mentioned Moondance... [/quote] He said Jazz.

[quote name='Adrenochrome' timestamp='1366884920' post='2058448'] Excellent! I take it that you and the drummer and going to be the basis for a 'house band' to back all the big names? [/quote] Yup....

But, most of all, listen to shedloads of Jazz.

Try 'O Solitude' by Branford Marsalis Quartet. Or 'Mr. Gone' by Weather Report. The lines are only two or three bars long and repeat. indefinately. 10 minutes work and you are playing whole tracks with some of the greats. Not Jazz per se but somewhere to start. The Marsalis track is on youtube and mr gone is on spotify.

Three months without a post! Shocking. Am listening to new works by J.D. Allen, Steve Kuhn, Charles Lloyd, Vijay Iyer and more.This a vibrant, living music not a nostalgia trip. Fever , my a***

I met this guy once who was Gary Moore's guitar roadie. He dropped this fact into almost every sentence never mind every conversation. Two of us went down to Denmark Street with him one day and, whilst there, visited Andy's Guitar Workshop. The namedropper went over to the guy behind the counter and said 'I am Gary Moore's guitar roadie and want to ask what you think is the best product to use to polish Gary's guitars'? 'Pledge' Cue two wannabe rockers running out of the shop giggling like a pair of schoolgirls......

I have complained a lot on here about not having enough gigs (after I dumped a lucrative but fundamentally unsatisfying gig a couple of years ago). After a lot of wheeling and dealing and ducking and diving, a drummer friend and I have managed to secure the support of a local venue in bringing some decent Jazz to Felixstowe. The newly refurbished Fludyer's Hotel on Cobbold Road is going to host our 'Jazz East' project and put on the following: June 16th John Etheridge (Soft Machine, Stephane Grapelli) June 23rd Julian Siegal/Andy Watson June 30th Jim Mullen (Average White Band, Kokomo) July 7th Gareth Lockrane July 14th Nigel Price/Vasilis Xenopoulos July 21st Martin Speake (ECM recording artist) All with Russ Morgan on drums and me on Double Bass!!! My CV is going to flip!! More interestingly, the good (musically) gigs I am getting has improved also and I am now enjoying everything I do. Feels good.

I wear them because I read charts. Never considered contacts. Not that vain.

Me too. Love it but don't give the attention it deserves.