Bilbo

Today's little diamond is a full transcription of the second version of Jeff Berlin's 'Joe Frazier', entitled, imaginatively, 'Joe Frazier Part II'. Some great playing here; (bar 73) - triplet sixteenths all over the place, (bar 151-2) 'what the f*** happened then' and a great little 'shout' chorus that crosses bars very inventively. Link is to MY free transcription website; Bilbo's Bass Bites. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/joe-frazier-part-two-jeff-berlin/

To be fair, I am critical of my school for failing to recognise my developing interest in music and nurturing it but it was in early music lessons, when the teacher played us a video of Ravel's Bolero and Disney's Peter and the Wolf, that the fire ignited. I remember running home to tell Mum and, as chance would have it, she had Bolero on a record. I wore it out and still love it to this day. School started the ball rolling and then, sadly, missed a trick.

Musicians do a lot of things and stagecraft is not necessary in all situations; pit orchestra, big band, string quartet, orchestra, studio work etc etc. As tinyd said, most Jazz bands don't do stagecraft (some do). I am also not entirely sure that the Dave Lee Roth's of this world can be taught what they have. It's as much about their personality as it is about their 'craft'. Maybe that's not fair. I don't know.

I think the thing to be wary of is the potential for people to use the 'theory hampers creativity' argument to justify their ignornace and laziness. As a Probation Officer, I learned that people will develop all sorts of justifications and minimisations for why what they do is ok (yes, that applies to pretty much everything, however abhorrent the rest of us may think they are). This is extreme in the cases of serious offenders but it is also something we all do. Why I don't give up fags, why I don't lose weight, why I don't mow the lawn etc). With musicians, it is 'why I don't learn theory'.....'because it will stifle my creativity'. It doesn't actually make any sense whatsoever and is just a means of making it OK not to study properly and just keep the fun bits like gigs and 'stagecraft' (whatever the chuff THAT is).

Arguably, you made a improvisation decision based on theory although some have called improvisation 'instant composing' so it's a pointless distinction. I have often put in licks using theory (e.g,.hearing a repeating saxophone link and then harmonising it is thirds). It's all good though. I guess it is sometimes difficult to work out what is knowledge and what is experience. I always think of learning theory as preparation for application as opposed to academic knowledge for the sake of knowledge..

I don't think I have ever made a composition decision based on 'theory'. Knowing this stuff doesn't necessarily give you answers to creative problems. Sometimes it makes you think 'I can't do that because it is too obvious' thereby preventing the creation of things that are beautiful in their simplicity.

Like an 88 note Steinway - you don't HAVE to use them all every time.

I think there are many motivations for doing this thing we do and some of them require an intelligent approach and others not. If you want to 'entertain' and are happy to pulse root notes all night then actually, you don't really need the theory. As long as you know where to put your fingers to make the right noise, you are be fine. If you are more a 'performance artist' than a craftsman, then, again, you can probablty just get away with a superficial knowledge of the details. If you want to blow over Coltrane changes in all the keys or to re-write Stravinsky's The Rite Of Spring for a quartet of basses, I guess 'winging it' is probably not going to get you there. We are all on a continuum between ignorant bliss and profound and intimate knowledge of the mechanics of music - where we are on the continuum is likely to be the consequence of any number of variables.

John Patitucci's double bass part for the track 'Cool Weasel Boogie' from the first Chick Corea Elektric Band album. A simple 20 bar chorus that repeats with minimal variation throughout. It's a great tune to play along to if you are just starting out on the reading thing. Relatively simple; once you have the first four bars down, you are pretty much there. Listen to the Carlos Rios guitar solo; magic. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/cool-weasel-boogie-chick-corea/

And another Jeff Berlin transcription. This is from an 'In The Studio with Jeff Berlin' video off YouTube and features JB recording the head for 'Joe Frazier Round Three'. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/joe-frazier-round-three-jeff-berlin/

Anthony Jackson. Head and three choruses of solos on the all star Rhythmstick recording of Bob Berg's 'Friday Night At The Cadillac Club'. Jackson swings. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/friday-night-at-the-cadillac-club-rhythmstick/

I had a conversation with a musician who has studied composition once. He said the training helps you develop your ideas more quickly and intelligently but, in the end, you need to find the idea to develop yourself. They can't really teach you that (although I think they can teach you how to provoke ideas).

Through just reading. Transcribing helps with learning details but the discipline of concentration whilst reading charts in tempo is not the same thing at all.

It never did Stravinsky any harm. Or Chris Potter. Its a non argument. The two disciplines are not mutually exclusive. You can do one, t'other or both. Some are creative because, some in spite of. It's all good.

The one guaranteed dance floor filler in my experience is 'I Will Survive'. Might say more about the age of the audiences I play to. What I find about things like Uptown Funk and Happy is that the production is so strong on the recordings that it is almost impossible to make an average function band sound anything like the original so I find they never really work.

Same here. I came to playing properly after I had started work and I have never had enough confidence in my music activities to consider going pro. I was primarily concerned about the lack of financial security that freelancing represented. Looks like I was right. For me, the downside of the lockdown is not financial but the lack of gigs has robbed me of a 'safe place' to spend time and to make my contribution. I have had to find other outlets for that but, no, there has been no hardship for me. My pay has gone up actually and my overheads down. I do feel guilty when I hear the stories.

😀 The website got 684 hits on Friday.

\New bass transcription on the Bilbo's Bass Bites webiste. 'And So To F' from the 1979 Brand X album 'Product'. A Phil Collins composition (he used to do it on his own tours) it'smain riff is in syncopated 9:8 which is weird on paper but, once you get it under your fingers, it is not too difficult. Link to the website - https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/and-so-to-f-brand-x/

https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/heart-of-the-sunrise-yes/ Also on there are South Side Of The Sky, Close To The Edge (Yes, all of it), Onward, Circus of Heaven, You By My Side (off ish Out of Water), Long Distanced, Roundabout and Your Move from I've Seen All Good People.

Allegedly. JA denies it as does V. The story is the V loaned J a synth. In truth, I don't really care 😃

I love the fact that he did it all himself. I really do think JA is a musical genius.

I love the Todmobile version. No need to choose. They are both superb.

Huge Yes fan to Drama. They lost me at 90125 and I never came back. By then, I was more a fan of Bruford and Brand X and off to Jazz heaven. I love Jon Anderson'Olias, Song of Seven and Animation albums but think FOOW is overrated. There are transcriptions off a few tunes off Fragile and the whole of CTTE on my website https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/ There is even one off FOOW.

New transcription of Steve Swallow's solo on the tune 'Alfie' from the 2004 John Scofield Trio cd 'En Route'. An absolute exquisite solo where Swallow effective duets with himself using the tried and tested 'question and answer' approach with himself!! Link to the Bilbo's Bass Bites website. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/alfie-john-scofield-trio/

😀Well spotted, Dave. I didn't know what DF looked like so I thought I would have a look at videos of the track and screwed up. Will have another try.