bassace

That was good! Thanks Jack.

From Horace Hawkins, Choirmaster at Chichester Cathedral........ ’His mind is not on this earth, let alone his music’. It improved but I still have the attention span of a gnat. Probably why I don’t practise.

A great thread, this, and just goes to show the various things that formed our music/ musicianship in later life. I suppose there were not too many formal music lessons that made a difference to me but certainly a lot of music all around that had a lasting influence and shaped much of my life. As I said, music was all around, from mum and dad singing round the house, the church choir and primary school where there were at least three pianos and a lot of time spent singing. Or that was my impression. Then at age 10 I went off to the Chichester Cathedral choir school, very much aided by the choral scholarship which remitted half the school fees back to dad. We’d sing eight full services in the Cathedral a week, each one preceded by quite intensive practice. So by age 11 going on 12 I could read and sing quite busy four part harmonies. We used to stay on over Christmas and much of the summer holidays so it was all quite full on. If very enjoyable. While there we had to take up a musical instrument and I studied the violin, getting a few early grades. Then leaving to join the posh boys school I encountered a musical desert. No music lessons, no nothing except a tired old codger coming in every morning to play organ for the morning assembly. Such a useless school that tuition didn’t progress after the fifth form. So I was sent to the local grammar school for sixth form. It had a good football team but what excited me was it had a jazz band. (Rock bands hadn’t yet started). And it had an excellent slightly eccentric music master. And when I arrived on the first day of term I spotted a double bass on the stage. I fell in with the crowd who surrounded the jazz band . I was soon in and while still at school we were playing support to a lot of the headliners that came to Reading Town Hall. So not too many formal lessons but surrounded by music and finally a some good friends who shaped my musical life.

But did you learn anything from it?

Quick to set up is very important. A big band can make a very long queue at the bar. You wouldn’t want to be left behind and nobody buys the bass player a drink. Only the drummer and he’ll still be setting up.

Good stuff, Steve. Just one thing I’d like to add: a while ago I saw a young big band in Portsmouth and they had a bass guitar. And, yes, it didn’t have the sustain of the upright and sounded a bit thin. But no matter, they guy was playing all the right notes and was obviously a good reader. But he had no propulsion at all, it was all a bit lifeless. All big band bass players should realise that their equal function is to give drive to the rhythm section. Put some excitement into the music.

Wishing you great joy with the big band. Lucky you, those gigs are not easy to come by. Placement: if at all possible I try to get myself between the piano - hear the chords - and the drums. Usually the drummer will like to hear the bass and you can work the rhythm together. It won’t hurt at all if you ask him if he is happy with your volume, or tell him to feel free to say whether you are too quiet/too loud. That way you’ll get your volume about right after a few rehearsals. I’ve spent a lifetime sucking up to the drummer and mostly it works very well. Otherwise, yes, bring out the mids, tame the bottom end and elevate the cab, but not too much. Enjoy!

Get some surgical spirit, leave the blisters alone and soak them three time a day. Good luck!

Ha! You missed him, he was on Monday. 😬

Unfortunately they won’t be offering the HD channel.

Start of September 2020.

Not nice.

Might even be some jazz? Nice.

I see that this is going to be made available on Freeview. There’s some good stuff there, especially at the weekend where they put out a lot of old rock performances and documentaries.

‘We played that last week’

Great! Keep doing it, but stay safe.

I was merely swapping one stereotype for another in a free form post bop kind of way.

Have a good laugh you tab reading root and fifth purveyors.

The boy who called out the emperors new clothes was insignificant too. But he called it right.

Will it work as a slimming aid, firm up the glutes?

I’ve got a four piece coming up on Aug 23. It’s on a cricket field with power provided from the village hall across the road. We’re not quite sure how the organisers are going to achieve this, if it’s overhead could be interesting if a high vehicle comes by. Could imagine the line, amps, instruments, musicians, awning, all being dragged down the road. But then I’ve got a very active imagination.

And flat keys matter.

Our singer can sing in all keys. And usually does.

I’ve never been a total bread head but I’ve always expected to be paid for what I play. Occasionally I get a charity call and I seldom refuse. I now play with a seven piece band- or I did before the lock down - and that’s every week just outside Reading. It’s a great band and we ‘buy in’ a top trumpet player each gig and that costs a bit. So we are beginning to totter a bit financially. I know that in order to balance the books the boss has to sometimes draw on his reserves and different musicians get different rates. But that bit has never bothered me. Who knows what size audience we’ll get when the lockdown lifts so I’m seriously considering offering my services for nothing. I’ve been playing for over sixty years now and this’ll almost certainly be my last regular gig, I can afford it and it’ll certainly help the band finances. But don’t tell the boss yet because I haven’t finally decided.

TV news, Five Live while I’m waking up and an hour of Spooks rerun in the evening is about it these days. Occasionally a fellow muso will send me a YouTube to listen to but I’m valuing silence a lot these days. Sad, I know, but there it is.