Jeff Elkins

Has anyone ever shipped luggage with this company? I’m thinking of using them to ship household goods and a bass home from London to Tennessee in a few months. Their prices are half plane luggage costs, but the only reviews are through Trustpilot, who I’ve come to distrust. https://www.mybaggage.com/quote Any thoughts are welcome!

I used a McIntyre Feather in my Trinity College zouk some years ago (flat, internal stick-on, strap-button jack, no controls), and had great success recording with it. https://hmmcintyrepickups.com Back then, they sold through retail outlets; now it looks like each is custom ordered from the maker. For live applications I actually preferred a mic though. Man, now I’m missing it thinking about it! I might have to poke around London for an affordable bouzouki or octave mando.

I picked up Janek Gwizdala's chordal harmony books and that gave me my start; from there I leaned on a teacher to show me some jazz voicings, with a goal to taking on the role of the jazz guitar accompanist. Not sure that my theory will get to any advanced level, but I'm currently working with a couple of singers on developing voice + bass (e-c) duets and using 3 and 4 voiced chords. Mostly pop, with some jazz elements. Besides Janek's books (which it sounds like you don't need), the only quasi-"advanced" resources I can recommend are, as previously mentioned, Andres Rotmistrovsky's YT channel and lessons. However, Danny Ziemann just released an album of upright/voice duets with Valerie Costa and exploring how he's approaching accompaniment (and soloing) has been fascinating and educational.

It's the Sun - Polyphonic Spree

My Baby Just Cares for Me - Nina Simone

My partner and I are moving next week to London for a year. She plays old time fiddle (in addition to some classical, Irish, Scottish, and Americana) and we will be looking for some jams to visit. She's an early-intermediate player, but we like everything from beginner slow-jams to more advanced picking. Not so much bluegrass, but more trad American fiddle tune style jams. I'm not bringing my upright, but I may borrow or rent one occasionally; we're going to shop for a guitar (we both play) until/unless I sort something out. We're looking at the Cecil Sharp House, but where are casual old time jams happening? We've got feelers out with some contacts, and it looks like there may be some groups that get together in North London (Finchley area), but that's all we've identified so far. Would love to know if you know of any open jams in this genre anywhere in greater London! I already follow some groups and read the gig reports here, so for live music viewing/listening we have a lot of options lined up. But we're specifically looking for gatherings where we can join in. Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

I'm the Man - Joe Jackson

Take it to the Limit (Eagles)

Greetings Basschat! I've been a lurking member since 2016, but just recently completed my profile and plan to be more active. I'm a Talkbass member and regular participant on that forum, but am planning a move to London this summer. I've been accepted into BIMM's MA in Popular Muisc Practice program and have an application under consideration at UWL for their MMus in Popular Music Performance. I have less than a month to confirm with BIMM, but am awaiting an offer from UWL to consider/compare. Both are one year, three semester programs. My partner and I are planning to come over as early as the student visa allows - 30 days pre-program start - so we'll be there in August. She's currently researching housing while I dig into the visa details. I'll be surfing the site for tips, and likely asking for more information! Gear: I'm a doubler, and own an Engelhardt upright that got me through bluegrass school and a couple of tours. But I'm currently focusing on electric; I own a medium scale Fender Aerodyne Jazz, a Fender Aerodyne Classic Precision Bass Special (currently for sale), a parts P/J bass, and a Muckelroy HMC5. I'm likely only bringing the Muck with me. I play through a Walkabout Scout combo+ext cab for loud gigs, and use a Quilter BB800 plus an Acoustic Image Upshot for quieter gigs (including upright gigs). Genre: These days I primarily play with my jazz quintet and work in theater pits for musicals. I dep for jazz, bluegrass, and old-time bands in the region. Have a pickup cajun Mardi Gras gig coming up on Tuesday! I've recorded a few CDs with bands over the past few years - The Great Smoky Mountain Bluegrass Band, Black Coffee, and Yesterday Comes Again are the ones where I also performed as a regular member of the groups. Attaching some photos, as recommended! I look forward to getting to know everyone. Jeff https://www.jeffreykelkins.com/