peteb

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1334311553' post='1614174'] If you like Bach compositions played too fast; the Liverpool Phil does the same thing... [/quote] I think that a lot of people can't get past the fact that he is a complete prat and that his songs are awful...! However, his playing is undoubtedly awesome!

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1334310908' post='1614149'] I have 29 years of gigging experience in my leather trousers, so f*** 'im. On your second point, my POD sounds so f***ing cool live (and in the studio), with guitar or bass. I heard my guitar through a decent sized PA last Saturday as it happens, it sounded glorious. The sound guy had a very large grin when I ripped into Whole Lotta Love in the soundcheck. And my clean sounds were rich and delicious. YMMV. [/quote] Speaking with my [b]34 [/b]years of gigging experience (I started young) - I still don't like 'em.... The best guitar player I have ever payed with is also a professional sound engineer. Funily enough, he doesn't like modelling amps and uses a dual rectifier that he modded himself......

[quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1334229818' post='1612823'] When you meet a drummer and if they say they like Bonham and/or Tony Thompson. you're usually onto a good thing. [/quote] I think that virtually every good drummer that I have played with is a massive Bonham fan! Indeed, I understand that Tony Thompsonwas a massive fan.... [quote name='WHUFC BASS' timestamp='1334232089' post='1612903'] And when you hear a guitarist saying "I'm a huge Malsteem fan" its time to boot him up the 'arris and get the hell out of the gaff. [/quote] Nothing wrong with a guitarist being a Malmsteen fan - if you listen to him, Yngwie is a breathtaking player and actually very musical.... It's when the guitar player wants to start copying his songwriting or attitude that you need to worry!

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1334298321' post='1613905'] Mind you, he may have a point about these four walled bedroom commanders, but he would do well not to insult them too much as they are probably the only people buying his records, and the people who leap to defend him on the internet. These same people he mocks are sadly the ones who probably rate him the most, with their fawning idolatry ("he played at my college..."). In his rebuttal, he also states that they don't come to his shows to dance or bring girls. If you've gone to a fusion show to dance or pick up birds you've probably gone to the wrong show, especially these days when most fusion is so undanceable. He seems to want to portray himself as some sort of hip, fly jazz musician who is too cool for his fans. Quite frankly, I think he cheapens himself by insulting his fans in the way he has. So what if some music college geek wants to come and watch him play live, and doesn't want to dance? They paid the door fee, didn't they? Ultimately, it sounds to me like a case of ego surpassing talent, something which is quite unnattractive, especially when your name is regularly dropped in a crowd of far superior bassists and musicians. That said, someone above mentioned that they weren't much of a fusion fan and yet they found that Weather Report appealed. The state of fusion has long been a point of debate, but I don't think it's especially healthy now. The current crowd could do with looking at the records of the 70's and 80's, where the bands were writing songs and making music that stayed with you rather than washing over you. As I have mentioned earlier, I think the scene of the 'bass hero' is in a pretty sad state these days too, as there is no-one really making an impact like Stuart Hamm, Victor Wooten, Mark King, Michael Manring, Jaco Pastorius etc etc have in days gone by. Janek himself makes it pretty clear that he isn't really interested in making music for musicians unless you're buying drinks and dancing at his shows! Not to say that fusion is crap today, or that the day of the bass hero is gone. But everything could do with a lift, and we really need some great songs to be written in that genre. [/quote] I totally agree with this post, apart from the insults aimed at someone who happens to rate JG.

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1334308477' post='1614078'] That's frankly, absolute bollocks, Pete. Your guitarist doesn't know what he's doing. [/quote] Whether he knows what he is doing is one thing (please bear in mind that he has 25 years gigging experience under his belt) but undoubtedly the valve amp sounds [b]much [/b]better! FWIW - I hate the pod and most modeling amps live, I think that they are really unconvincing. However, life is about compromises and I accept that in certain situations they have their uses. However, please don't kid yourself that they are as good as a decent amp in a big room - they're not..........

[quote name='stonecoldbass' timestamp='1334259666' post='1613492'] Yeah, I feel this thread spiraled slightly off topic but that's ok, all in the name of open discussion etc. I respect that Janek never shies away from encounters like this, in fact he seems like to make a big deal of them (if you have read any of his blogs you may have come across various 'fan mail' pieces...) and his plan to make that thread into a blog post is no different. The only thing however, is that he didn't address one single point I made in my (albeit lengthy) reply to him about his album and listening to music. He decided to use it as a jumping off point to talk about 'trimming off dead weight' and the state of the 'four walled bedroom youtube commenter'. I know what he is getting at, you see it all the time on both of these forums, but that has nothing to do with my OP. [b]I kinda feel like he 'changed the subject' away from discussion of his album and subsequently how we perceive and admire musical worth to a bit of a rant at the 'online bass micro community'[/b]. I was not comparing him to Matt or Hadrien, I don't hide behind screen names (you can visit my homepage and see what I do from my sig) and I 'get' subtlety in music. But I suppose he must get soooo much of the comparison thing happening that he felt he had to address it. I'm still trying to get into the album btw.... There are good moments for sure, but that's it. An album of frameworks that have some good bits in them. And some not so good bits. Which is TOTALLY COOL! It's exactly the music he wanted to make and he stands behind it, but he almost said it himself that his live shows are way better than his studio albums, maybe that is what separates the good from the great: being able to convey equally powerful and honest music both live and in the studio.... [/quote] I think that you have a point here - he does tend to change the subject when it suits him and steer the conversation to what suits his agenda........

[quote name='blackmn90' timestamp='1334169986' post='1612042'] what makes it better though? I prefer bob reynolds music to Janek Gwizdala's, and i've found its because the melodies follow simple harmonies, something my ears are more accustomed to. [/quote] Is that another way of saying that Bob Reynolds has better tunes??

[b]True story[/b] - a good friend of mine is a very useful guitar player who plays in a band that gigs a lot (and I do mean a lot). However, he is a touch on the lazy side and he used to use a digital combo because he couldn’t be bothered lugging a 4x12 and heavy valve amp around. He used to swear that his set-up was as good if not better as those with boogie half stack or whatever other guitar players playing in similar bands were using despite this obviously not being the case and several people informing of this fact! So what does our hero do? He gets a more expensive modelling amp, which admittedly does sound pretty good in his front room but still pretty weak in a live situation. Eventually he bites the bullet and buys a boutique valve amp (only a 1x12 combo thru) and lo and behold he has a great sound that everyone complements him on and he could not be happier…. And the moral of this story….. a modelling type amp may sound fine in a small room on its own but in a live scenario at least, it will never come close to a decent ‘proper’ amp, even if it weighs an awful lot less!

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1334221839' post='1612617'] He also posted this, which I like [i]'If I lose a few "bass fans" along the way, I couldn't be happier. It's like people who are on your mailing list that are dead weight. They hang out and open one out of 50 emails you send out, and probably only arrived on the list to get something free in the first place. The more people like that I can trim away the better. People who call themselves "fans" just so they can hang out and make derogatory comments about what you do aren't really fans at the end of the day are they? People who focus too much on the instrument and not on the music generally come to shows and stand there motionless all night with their coat still on, and perhaps even a backpack with the latest copy of whatever industry magazine they just picked up, a set of strings or a pair of drumsticks. They don't buy drinks which pisses of the club or venue owner, [b]and they certainly don't bring girls to the show which gets old after a while... [/b]and the worst part of all, they don't position themselves in a place of openness to enjoy the music because they're so wrapped up in how impossible it is to play as fast as Matt, Me, Hadrien or whoever. What they haven't realized is that if they really wanted to, they could play like that in 3 years. But there you come across yet another major issue with most people who are on this thought path or trajectory, they don't ever want to do the work. I really feel blessed to have such incredible fans that come out to shows and buy or download my music. They are loving, kind, and respectful, and I can do nothing but the same thing back to them. Long may this trend continue for my music. I will die a very happy person if this is the shape of things to come.'[/i] [/quote] Sorry, I'm just laughing here that Janek is blaming other people for there not being any girls at his shows...........

[quote name='blackmn90' timestamp='1334169826' post='1612031'] This is a difficult thing to explain. Because first you've got to find out what it was that they enjoyed. Was it the level of energy created by the performance? The feeling of release after tension? Or in the case of snarky puppy, their use of uncommon harmonies and subdivisions that make all us musicians poo our pants. Another thing. Pop music, rock music, and simple blues' use simple harmonic content. I can only imagine this is because the mass public prefer music where it is simple and easy to listen to, whereas a lot of jazz, especially fusion, has a niche market, most of which are musicians anyway. [/quote] In the real world punters tend not to over analyse why they like something, nor should they! Obviously simpler and more accessable music is more accessable to the general public. However, if a group like Weather Report can put out tunes like Birdland or Teen Town, then they will be able to reach a wider audience.....

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1334168849' post='1612007'] I did get what you were getting at, I just used your post as a bit of a jumping off point, sorry I didn't make it a bit clearer. But there is a lot of music out there that isn't 'accessible' and I don't buy that you necessarily need a good understanding of any type of music to make a judgement on it necessarily. I dragged along a few people to a gig I went to on Sunday night that had absolutely no listening background in jazz but very much enjoyed a very leftfield jazz ('fusion') style band. Likewise my girlfriend's mum got taken along to a Shostakovich concerto recently having never been to (or listened to) anything much orchestral in her life and yet now she can't stop talking about him, talk about getting thrown in at the deep end. I think ultimately what is boils down to is just how open-minded you are, not how much you've listened to one particular type of music. Let people decide for themselves. [/quote] I agree to a large extent, but the less accessable the music is the more it helps to have an understanding of where that music comes from to appreciate it. I may not be a big fan of jazz fusion or whatever you might call it but I still have a couple of Weather Report albums, which I think bears out your point i.e. the better the music the more likely it is to appeal to those who you wouldn't normally expect to listen to it.....

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1334141415' post='1611399'] The problem with these disucssions is that perspective is always determined by the listening and playing experiences of the individual. If a kid who is a rock player hears Janek as the first advanced fusion player he has ever heard, he will have a different perspective than someone who has hundreds of bess led fusion cds dating back to Jaco and Stanley Clarke or even Mingus and Oscar Pettiford. Rating a musician, be that Janek, Mike Stern or Marcus Miller requires not only familiarity with their work but also the range of alternatives that are out there. Can you place Joe Henderson in the lineage of tenor saxophone players if you don't understand Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane, Joe Lovano, Michael Breacker, Chris Potter etc? Can you comment on the JoJo Meyer if you don't know Elvin Jones, Billy Higgins, Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, Bill Stewart and so on? You can have a view, of course, but it needs to be tempered by some acknowledgement of perspective. I have my favourite classical pieces but would never argue the merits of Bach over Beethoven because I don't know the genre well enough. I would always look to the experts for a considered view and develop a perspective that way. The trouble with the net is everyone is an expert, whatever their knowledge or experience. Each contributor is given equal weight without any qualification. [/quote] [quote name='risingson' timestamp='1334166969' post='1611967'] People get way too caught up in genres. I absolutely hate the term fusion, I'm not sure what it's even meant to mean (even if I am aware of what people would like me to think it means). I went to see Snarky Puppy on Sunday, and I absolutely loved every second of it but when the term 'fusion' gets applied to their music, my stomach turns a bit. Their music deserves a much better moniker, or better still, for people to understand that music is music - a touch of jazz here, a bit of funk there etc. It's all one giant palette. The argument that you are ill-equipped to judge music unless you have a very broad understanding of music (as much as elitism dictates that this should be the case) is quite frankly bollocks. The fact that artists willingly put their music out into the big wide world means that you waive the right to shelter yourself from the views of others. That's not to say that subjectivity concerning music shouldn't be exercised, but on the internet it's rarely obligatory and often totally ignored. Just learn to not expect it, but at the same time, let the music speak for itself as opposed to someone on a bass forum telling you why something you enjoy is rubbish. [/quote] I think that you may be misunderstanding the point that I was trying to make. Janek Gwizdala's music is not the most accessable (I don't think that he would claim that it is) and to appreciate it it helps to have an understanding of 'advanced fusion' music (see Bilbo's post above). I am quite happy to listen and enjoy all sorts of music but I don't like JG's music . However, this is partly because that sort of music is not really my thing, so it could be a really great piece of 'advanced fusion' and I still wouldn't like it...!

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1334152044' post='1611664'] But they the worst audiences of them all, a bunch of happy-clapping helmets who have no musical appreciation whatsoever, standing around a little stand watching someone demonstrate some non-musical technique with the aim of selling some gear. Whatever I think of Janek's music, I have to agree with him that these people are a drain, a f***ing burden, on the musicians and the people who really enjoy music. [/quote] Now there Nigel, that seems like an expression of contempt for your fellow musicians and members of the musical equipment trade, people who make up (whether you like it or not) part of your extended group of peers. You really do have to work out these self-hatred issues, they are only holding you back….. The reason that I mentioned the reaction at the trade show was to back up the point that Bilbo made in his post that his audience is only those who have an understanding of a pretty narrow part of the fusion / jazz cannon. If JG can’t get a favourable reaction out of the trade show crowd then he’s really f**ked if he ever has to face an audience made up of the general public! As it is, it seems that his target audience is predominantly made up of a section of people who frequent bass and certain jazz forums, including those who have been insulting each other on this thread! I find his music as dull as ditchwater (as I do the others he is being compared to here), but then my knowledge of this type of music is limited (but not non-existent). Even I can see that he is not close in terms of writing ability to the likes of Weather Report (for example) but that I can also accept that he is obviously a highly capable player who scores some highly prized gigs with guys who are extremely big names in the fusion world…..

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1334141415' post='1611399'] The problem with these disucssions is that perspective is always determined by the listening and playing experiences of the individual. If a kid who is a rock player hears Janek as the first advanced fusion player he has ever heard, he will have a different perspective than someone who has hundreds of bess led fusion cds dating back to Jaco and Stanley Clarke or even Mingus and Oscar Pettiford. Rating a musician, be that Janek, Mike Stern or Marcus Miller requires not only familiarity with their work but also the range of alternatives that are out there. Can you place Joe Henderson in the lineage of tenor saxophone players if you don't understand Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane, Joe Lovano, Michael Breacker, Chris Potter etc? Can you comment on the JoJo Meyer if you don't know Elvin Jones, Billy Higgins, Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, Bill Stewart and so on? You can have a view, of course, but it needs to be tempered by some acknowledgement of perspective. I have my favourite classical pieces but would never argue the merits of Bach over Beethoven because I don't know the genre well enough. I would always look to the experts for a considered view and develop a perspective that way. The trouble with the net is everyone is an expert, whatever their knowledge or experience. Each contributor is given equal weight without any qualification. [/quote] Good post All I could say about JG comes from a YouTube clip for TC Electronics at a trade show, where there was an audience that was definitely listening but looked, well slightly bored! The next clip was Uriah Duffy playing at the same event, thru the same amp and to exactly the same audience, who were all smiling and clearly interested in what he was playing. Needsless to say, Uriah Duffy received MUCH more applause then Janek did......

[color=#222222]TBH - I think that you need a thick skin to function as a musician![/color] [color=#222222][/color] [color=#222222]Whenever you are going for an audition you always have to bear in mind that if one of their mates becomes available then the band won’t want to bother going thru an audition process, or if the first guy they try seems to be just what they’re after then again, they won’t want to hold a load of unnecessary auditions.[/color] [color=#222222][/color] [color=#222222]It isn’t a formal selection process like an interview for a day job (thank god) so just shrug your shoulders and move onto the next one……[/color]

That's ace....... Never heard of him before but always liked the occasional piece of flamenco - will have to have a trawl through youtube when I have some spare time Whenever I hear the phrase 'impossible guitar', I always think of this. Perhaps not as steeped in traditional values not to mention lacking in depth compared to Vincente Amigo and certainly a different sort of virtuosoity but still impressive and great fun..... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYlx5gW90Aw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYlx5gW90Aw[/url]

A good drummer doesn't necessarily need outstanding chops but must have good time and feel and should also be able to ‘drive a band’ i.e. dictate the groove and make everyone play in time with him [quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1332947845' post='1595323'] I wonder how some people would go on if the drummer was to deliberately turn the beat around or displace the accents? If you don't have your time solid you'll end up with a train wreck. [/quote] But isn't that pretty much like saying if you intentially drive a train off a bridge then you're going to get a train wreck?? [quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1332962142' post='1595641'] Classical composers and conductors treat musical tempo is a flexible entity, as have some rock bands. For instance, 'WInd Cries Mary' by Hendrix occasionally stumbles along, but the whole band stumbles together, so the fluctuating tempo evolves into something many of call 'feeling the beat' or the song. Other songs almost make a feature of a granite solid tempo, such as Toto playing Rosanna. [/quote] There is a difference between someone of undoubted musicality and originality with a slightly suspect drummer and a top quality group of musicians with superiour playing values! The first example relies on a unique talent that few have ever equalled producing a performance so definitive that you can ignore a less than perfect rhythm section, whereas the second sets a standard that you as a musician can at least aim for……

I woujld think that south yorkshire will be as good a place as any for covers gigs (pubs or clubs) - not as good as it was a few years ago thru....

Just bought Donny's Nash JB63 - a nice guy and great to deal with......

[color=#222222] [quote name='louisthebass' timestamp='1332796548' post='1593369'] One thing that really comes through in Ed Friedland's book is that the bass rarely (if ever) gets called on to do a solo in a Blues band. The prime function is to hold it down with the drummer & highlight the vocalist / guitar / keyboard / harmonica's talents. [/quote][/color][color=#222222] [color=#222222]The problem that I have with the Ed Friedland book is that he keeps it a bit too simple! If you listen to Tommy Shannon or especially someone like Roscoe Beck (Robben Ford's old bass player), you will find that they like to keep a line moving and the stuff they are playing is not necessarily [b]that [/b]simple in execution, even if the basic concepts are![/color] [color=#222222][/color] [color=#222222]I would make sure that you can cover all the basic feels (slow blues, shuffles, etc) and practice as many ways of playing thru the I-IV-V changes in a slow blues as you can think of, until it becomes second nature to be able to vary your lines slightly for each chorus…..[/color][/color] [color=#222222][/color]

[quote name='marleaux62' timestamp='1332528796' post='1589733'] Went to see them last night at Newcastle, fav tracks: Walk On By / Nice And Sleazy / Hanging Around JJS base sounded better than ever. So much so, thinking of getting a Shuker!!! [/quote] My favourite JJB moment is playing the riff to Peaches on his Shuker bass earlier today!!

Hi Gus I use a Minotaur strap live these days, which is great and a bit cheaper than some of the other top quality leather straps! I did have a Comfort strap for a while, but never really got on with it.....

[indent=1]I don't think that plagiarism necessarily stops a band from being authentic - it's happened throughout the ages in all musical traditions![/indent]

Just scratching the surface: How Many More Times, Trampled Underfoot, In My Time of Dying, etc, etc Still for my money, the best rock band of them all........