Bilbo

David Sanchez - The Departure. Marvellous stuff from Puerto Rican saxophonist (grammy award winning). Great rhythm sections with Peter Washington or Andy Gonzalez on bass. Some lovely Latin tinged jazz.

Some great new stuff I have picked up recently: Empirical - a British small group with something fresh to say Pianist Andrew Hill - Timelines - a true original, sadly silenced two years ago. Maria Schneider - Sky Blue - great large group arranger and protege of Gil Evans David Sanchez - The Departure & Melaza - great Latin influenced jazz from a Puerto Rican saxophonist. Both really strong cds. Kenny Garrett - Pursuance - Coltrane tunes perfromed by Garrett with Pat Metheny, Brian Blade and Rodney Whitaker. Moutin Reunion Quartet - Sharp Turns - great duo led by Moutin brothers. Francois, the bass player, is the stand out musician (David Sanchez is on this one too) Chick Corea - Return To Forever (1st) - I had forgotten how good Stanley Clarke was on these records. Anyone else recommend some new stuff they have found?

The chart IS in the Stern book I have but it is a guitar part and the intro presented is only Stern's part not the bass (which I recall is a lovely conterpoint high up the neck).

'FEVER'!!! Captain Smith and Pocahontas - what were they thinking!!!!???

I am not a total nazi when it comes to timekeeping but it is important that a band has some collective sense of what the organic time feel is. It doesn't have to be metromic but it does have to be musical. I usually only know one or two drummers in any area with whom I am able to lock in and groove with. The rest vary from ok to downright bad. IME, its as much attitudinal as anything. There is one drummer in Suffolk who is legendary amongst other drummers for his technical skills but I will never book him because he is so 'drum' orientated that his contributions to the music are completely destructive. He can speed up and slow down quite markedly but the man problem is he is so convinced of his own worth that he won't be told and consequently can't address the issue. The main issue is not his abilities, it is his tendency to be so into his own playing that he is not engaging in any musical sense with what anyone else is doing. That is bad enough but to react like a child when it is drawn to his attention (sulking!!) is a step too far. Life is too short to play with musicians who are making you sound like a git. Slowing down or speeding up are just one of many ways that a poor musician can undermine a performance.

I've never seen that before That was when I bought a couple of GK 112s off synaesthesia (still got them). I'm a popular guy, eh?

DON'T DO IT!!!! 'Fever' is a banned song on the Bilbo 'not jazz' jazz chart (no. 3, if I recall correctly)! It pretends to sound jazzy but, on the quiet, it sucks!! Just let it die. Its lived long enough and deserves to rest.

As I have recently started selling stuff here, I thought it may be useful if I opened the door to any feedback so people can get a sense of whether I deliver stuff as promised, communicate well etc. I guess it may make a difference if anyone doesn't know me.

[quote name='Faithless' post='719350' date='Jan 20 2010, 05:56 PM']The thing is, I [i]like [/i]playing it, but, what puts me down, and gets me in doubt, is that I'm not practising it a lot, as I prefer electric, and it would take me years, if I'd like to gig as a DB'er..[/quote] You sound like me 15 years ago. I regret the wasted time since and hadn't talked myself out of it. Stay with it!!!! You need to drop this idea that you have to practice the bass guitar more to learn music. If you spend time on the double bass, you are still learning music and playing and creating lines and listening and expressing yourself. These two instruments are functionally very similar. Time spent on the double bass is NOT time spent away from the electric. That is a justification for not doing the work (I know its hard, I am right in there with you and am about to start a hours db practice as soon as I finish typing). But its a great, great instrument.

[quote name='Doddy' post='719175' date='Jan 20 2010, 04:04 PM']don't play it if you think you 'should' be playing it, play it because you 'want' to[/quote] Wonderfully simple and absolutely true!

I can see merit in that idea but I would also advocate for the piano. Lots of the greats were credible pianists. Charles Mingus did a solo piano LP. Jaco composed on piano. So does Pat Metheny, believe it or not. Jack DeJohnette, Chris Potter, they're all piano players. Playing a horn can show you something but reading charts that are a whole step out is not so hard on a bass; its just a mental trick to convince your hads they are two or three frets from where they are (depending on whether the horn chart is in Bb or Eb. Fundamentally, however, that one strikes me as a pretty useless party trick!! Your main need re: horns is as a composer/arranger. All you need to do is study the orchestration pedagogy: it tells you what the ranges of instruments are and how to write out the charts etc. Can't see that you actually need to be able to PLAY everything!! I use Samuel Adler's Orchestration and Bill Russo's books. My argument is that the double bass will get you work when he electric won't. Spending time on that will pay for itself. Still, what do I know. Janek is a monster who could polay me into the ground (although, ironically, his horn writing is, if I may venture an opinion, a bit clumpy) I still say stick with the upright.

I say stick with it. If you are liking jazz now, you will probably find that, as you grow older, a lot of the music you play on electric bass will get more and more tired and you will look to jazz to get the buzz that got you interested in playing in the first place. The double bass is de rigeur for jazz whether we like it or not. The gigs available to you as a double bass player will not be there if you stick to electric only. You are still young and think everything is wonderful but you will find, as you get older, that some of the music that excites now lose its attraction. The double bass is a specialism that will bear fruit for you. The horns are a good idea but can you get as good as you need to be on what are very different instruments. As I said, for my money stick to the upright otherwise you will spend your whole life wishing you had.

My list of 'won't dos' is as follows (for starters): Watermelon Man, Canteloupe Island, Moondance, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Song For My Father, Chameleon, Mustang Sally and anything by James Brown

I THINK its in here but am not 100% sure. I will check tonight and let you know. If it is, it will be the guitar part but it will have the chords etc so may get you through. [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Mike-Stern/dp/0634068008/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263978760&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Mike-Stern/dp...8760&sr=1-1[/url] It is also on the Mike Stern DVD I am selling in the Marketplace here but no chart.

Years ago I got one in the front of an Escort with the body on the front seat (end pin to ceiling) and the neck in the foot well. If the body isn't too wide, its actually a perfectly credible way of transporting the thing. (Seatbelt recommended!!)

I could do it but you would have to send me the cassette. Can you copy that and send it to me? I could then convert and return via email or on CD. Your call. Rob

Jeff Berlin '20,000 Prayers' Its damn hard - bar lines all over the place, key changes every second chord, time signature changes, four against three bars over two bars- I'm sweatin'!!

I went to Somerset once. It was closed Welcome!