Bilbo

I am glad I am not the only one who thinks Alembics are designed by blind guys. Their custome jobs are almost universally gross. I think there are a couple of old Series 1 and 2 basses that I would play and the Stan Clarke model is not too bad but some of them.... Have a look at this freak show.... http://www.alembic.com/info/fcvault.html

Tell Matt about this (please)..... http://basschat.co.uk/topic/170862-hering-6264-deluxe-chromonica-now-l50-explanation-attached/page__pid__1579755#entry1579755

May be a bit specialised but Charles Mcneal's site is full of pdfs of saxophoe transcriptions. You woudl have to transpose them down a whole tone etc but they are a great source of reading material. http://charlesmcneal.com/Transcriptions.html

Actually. the more I think about it the more its an elephant in the room. The detailed definitions will differ across the board but we all pretty much know what comes from the heart and what comes from the desire for wealth for its own sake. Some pure pop (real lightweight stuff) can genuinely come from the heart and some real hardcore stuff can be manufactured but you can't fool all of the people all of the time..... I saw something on the tv the other day where Trevor Horn admitted noone from Frankie Goes To Hollywood played on Relax. NOOOO!!

Phwoar....

I think it is a case of manufactured over organic. If the impetus comes from the creativity of individuals who are in the bands, then there is a level of integrity that is missing when the 'band' are the front for a corporate hit making machine. The Beatles = authentic. The Monkees = bogus Genesis = authentic (they met at school). JLS = bogus (they met at X Factor auditions) Take That = authentic (one of them writes all their stuff). Girls Aloud = bogus (its all written for them) and so on

I think its sometimes hard for folk to like stuff that pre-dates their own generation. Bands like LZ were, to some extent at least, 'of their time' and things have moved forward so it is hard to see what they would have been like 'fresh out of the box' and without a modern reference point like Dream Theatre or whatever. I felt that way about Hendrix and Cream - didn't get them at all - and was into Magnum and Maiden and The Enid (late 80s Rock). Never been a Beatles or Stones fan, never liked Floyd etc as they all peakd before I was aware of what was going on out there. As for growing out of bands, I think you always carry some nostaligic fondness for the stuff you used to like, just never go to it when you want to listen. I have moments on Spotify when I 'go back' for old times sake but they seldom last more than a few minutes and I almost never listen to a whole track of the 'old' stuff.

Not heard MM for a long time but that usually means I didn't like what I did hear

Don't worry, John. In truth, nobady here gives a rat's a*** what anyone else thinks about the bands they like. Its all done in good humour.

Never mind the musicians, How many muppets only have one hand?

WHere I grew up it was LZ vs Deep Purple and I was inclined towards DP. As I got older I heard the whole LZ catalogue and love some of it (Rain Song is one I adore along with Kashmir, When The Levee Breaks etc) and hate some of it (the reggae song on HOTH? Stairway to Heaven etc). Same with Sabbath (and Ozzy); some great racks, some miserable. Ozzy can't sing, never could but it wasn't about that. Now, as I near my 50s, LZ have retained a credibility that BS lack but I never listen to either of them. My overall perspective is that BS were for kids, LZ for adults. Ref: Bonham. He was a feel drummer with a great sound. His technique was limited but you alway knew it was him. He was always in the pocket and grooved like a mofo. Certainly a tough act to follow.

My point is that those trumpet players and sax players may be full of s*** but they may also have a legitimate aesthetic preference. The eb is a different instrument. Take away the value based idea of better and worse and you are still left with different. If an MD wants a db, then he has a legitimate preference and should make sure he follows his vision (for the record, sometimes a piece is written with an individual PLAYER in mind and the argument is not about whether a DB is the right instrument but which DB player is the right individual for the piece). Whether the db player he books can or cannot also play eb is irrelevant, just as a clarinet player booked for a gig may or may not also play sax. Some are booked because they double whilst, in some cases, the fact that they double is of no concern to the MD. I know some great drummers I will only book as a last resort because they are 'fusion' drummers not 'jazz' drummers. Punters may or may not recognise the difference but to me its chalk and cheese. Same with bass. And if I was asked to recommend a player for a jazz ensemble, I would always recommend a DB. Another great example I can't post here is Al DiMeola's work. If you listen to a cd like Casino (Anthony Jackson on eb) and then listen to his album Soaring Through a Dream (Chip Jackson (no relation) on db), you will hear the difference in overall ensemble sound and the role of the bass within that. The difference is massive. AJ is by far the more technically advanced player but CJ plays the gig to perfection. The decision to feature DB is entirely musical. Pat Metheny is another interesting arranger; it is interesting to see where Steve Rodby uses eb over db throughout the Metheny canon.

There are two arguments going on here, the one about eb vs db and swing and the other about what is tradition and what is not. The latter debate is insulting as this is not about what is 'correct' for jazz. The former discussion is academic. I am of the opinion that db swings 'better' or 'more' or 'more convincingly' that electric most of the time, not all of it (although I certainly have never heard an electric swing better than a db!!). No mention was made of 'tradition'. When I buy a cd with tunes on db and tunes on electric (say a Mike Stern cd), the db tunes swing better, to my ears. I find, increasingly, that my ipod/downloads no longer feature electric players; not because I hate electric players but because the music that I like tends to feature db (I rarely download 'classic' jazz cds older than a few years because I have so much of that stuff and am looking for interesting new stuff). The eb in jazz (in the broadest terms), for me, has become a precursor for superficial histrionics and rarely (not never!!) produces a satisfactory effect.

Or compare these: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzIQYJ0bjFA&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzIQYJ0bjFA&feature=related[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThtaxYc_x-s&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThtaxYc_x-s&feature=related[/url]

I think that ES track would groove a lot harder on double bass but there you are. In fact, that track, to me, illustrates the non-swingingness of the wrong timbre. As does this (which swings a little inspite of the bass sound): [b][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwOWOtW0kn8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwOWOtW0kn8[/url][/b] [b]Or this[/b] [b][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcEKAWZ1Nbk&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcEKAWZ1Nbk&feature=related[/url][/b] Play that Gary Willils tune 10 beats per minute faster and it wouldn't swing like it does.

Lovely. Reminds me very much (sonically) of the Keith Jarrett 'Belonging' band. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXpPlBFGG_Q"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXpPlBFGG_Q[/url]

Yes, I know this track and yes, it swings its tits off. I did say there are few exceptions and this is certainly one of them (I transcribed it once, IIRC). The drums make a massive contribution to the swing; beautifully delicate. Its absolutely delightful and Willis' solo is top drawer. Thanks for remnding me about this one.

No changes again. Learning solos without understanding the underlying harmony is of limted value and produces party tricks rather than rounded musicians. Do you have the chords?

Certainly improving, Mike. My versions still sound like a train wreck.

I never get intimidated by the 'its hard' arguments because people say that about fretless and, whilst there is a nugget of truth in there, all they are really saying is that there is another problem to solve. Thme solution is to solve the problem, not throw in the towel. Milliions of violinists play in tune without frets and millions of sax players play soprano in tune. Why couldn't I? I want to have a go, that's all. Need to sell some kit to pay for one.

I would do the pub. Have been in this situation several times and always honour the first booking. Most of the people I play with feel the same.

Give the drummer charts......

My only advice would be to listen to what everyone else is doing and react to that ideas rather than rely on stock phrases of your own. When jazz musicians create endings for tunes, they often call upon cliches such as the old 'Count Basie' ending etc. But it works best when the ensemble spontaneously creates some organic but logical phrase or hook and, by shared experience, knowledge and a little bit of trust, moulds this into a resolution. I have seen this done beautifully 1,000 times and it always leaves me with a real sense of satisfaction. To prepare, you just need to make sure you are ready to listen to what others are doing and to react creatively to what they present. If you can hear the rhythm of phrases, you won't go far wrong. If you can add harmony and melody to your responses, you will be home and dry forever!