Jerry Scheff

[Happy Jack]

[size=5][b]INTRODUCTION[/b][/size]

There's a famous lyric which turns up in any number of old blues songs:[i] I was in love with you baby before I learned to call your name[/i].

In similar fashion, I admired the playing of Jerry Scheff years before I had any idea who he was, or indeed that it was the same bass player on all those songs by Elvis, by The Doors, by Bob Dylan.

Two months ago I bought a copy of his autobiography: [u][b]Way Down - playing bass with Elvis, Dylan, The Doors, and more[/b][/u].

With that title I had certain expectations as to what the book would focus on, what it would be like. The book turned out to be very different from what I expected and I expressed my disappointment in a review here on Basschat. I passed the book on to Basschatter BlueJay (Silvia) who subsequently wrote her own review which - broadly - agreed with my comments.

[[size=2]Forrest Gump[/size]] And that's all I have to say about that. [/[size=2]Forrest Gump[/size]]


[size=5][b]YEH? SO?[/b][/size]

So then Jerry Scheff joins Basschat so that he can send a friendly PM to Silvia, courteously disagreeing with her negative review (and by extension with mine of course).

Yup, that's right, THE Jerry Scheff.

I'm well aware that there are some high-level pro's on Basschat for whom this sort of thing is all in a day's work, but I don't mind admitting that Silvia and I were both gob-smacked by this development. [[color=#b22222]Remind me Silvia, what's the Italian for "[i]gob-smacked[/i]"?[/color]]

I sent my reply via Silvia to be attached to her own reply, a couple of messages were exchanged, and I asked Jerry whether he would be prepared to let me publish this correspondence, since I'm guessing that there are plenty here who'd like to read it - especially when you see some of the content.

His reply:

[i][size=4][font=arial, sans-serif]I have no qualms about you guys making these conversations public. Silvia,[/font]
[font=arial, sans-serif]I went to your facebook page. nice to meet you screen to screen.[/font]

[font=arial, sans-serif]I was very serious when i suggested getting input from you, jack, and your[/font]
[font=arial, sans-serif]bass playing friends. I have already asked for feedback from a few bass[/font]
[font=arial, sans-serif]players who have also read my book.[/font][/size][/i]

The next FOUR posts are entirely quoted from Jerry's PMs, unaltered in any way.

I love the idea of Basschat collaborating with Jerry Scheff to generate a book designed to be read specifically by bass players.

[Happy Jack]

[u][b]JERRY’S RESPONSE TO OUR NEGATIVE REVIEWS[/b][/u]

Hello bluejay,
Jerry Scheff here:

First, I apologize for this being so long.

Anyway, a friend of mine told me about your review of my book Way Down. I have read your review and just wanted to say a few things, not in defense, but in polite response to what you wrote. (By the way, yours was the most wholly negative review out of many good ones.) So to start off, the following is a direct quote from page five of my book.

“Way Down is meant to be an overview of my life as a musician, It is not an autobiography in the traditional sense. ----------This is not written as a reference book, a history book, or a work of fiction. It is my life as a musician in the culture and counter culture of the music business. My life!”

That seems pretty clear to me. So, what was the point I was trying to get across in the book?

When I look back at my musical life with wonder, the important question is always , "How did I, a little snot nosed, pimple faced, racist white kid living in the America of the 50s, begin and complete the musical and spiritual metamorphosis into the musician and man I am today. Where did I find the exposure to the music that taught me how to find the passion and soul of the black and white American musical cultures of that time? I still play with that passion.

If you go back and read the book again with that in mind you might see the book in a different light. When I describe driving across America with a black Guitar player in 1958, and getting turned away and left standing in the snow by my grandmother who, unknown to me, was a member of the KKK, that was more important for me to get across than what kind of strings I was using.

In chapter eight I describe what it was like for me at 15 years of age sitting in and playing a bebop blues song in an after hours club. I explain about how I developed the bass parts and how I learned to listen to the other players. There are many places in the book where I talk about how I felt about music along the way, not about how I did it.

Being that this discussion is supposed to be about your review of my book, let me say that most of the critical parts of the reviews my book has received were by people who thought I didn't write enough about The Doors for instance, or other 'stars' I talk about in the book. I suppose I could have beefed up the Doors part, and other parts of my book, and doubled the size of it, but that would have been beyond my fictional skills. I could have added some chapters about equipment choices and string brands, and how I developed my sound over the years, but that to me that is another book. (I have been thinking about writing that book by the way.)

If you feel like it, why don't you and your bass playing friends get together and outline some of the things you would like to see in a more technical type of book. If I write it, I promise to give you credit where it is due and bounce it off you.

As far as how much my manuscript was edited, why don't you ask the editor himself?
[email="[email protected]"][email protected][/email] . You can tell him I gave you his Email address.

Continues in next post …

[Happy Jack]

[u][b]SOME LITTLE-KNOWN TRACKS BY JERRY[/b][/u]

Finally, here's a few youtube videos I came across recently. We were doing an album in Hollywood in 1969 and the singer didn't show. We had the whole day paid for with engineer so the three of us threw together these things off the top of our heads, the engineer rolled the tape, and we played until we were finished. Most of the “ideas” were mine. I left and didn't hear these for years. The drummer stayed and produced the
mixes.

I am playing a 1964 Fender P bass, direct, through a 1965 Ampeg B15 which I still have. I can't remember what strings I used but they were round wounds. I have always played with one finger mostly, and lately two if required which is not very often. The bass sound is a perfect example of the sound I perfected by playing with one finger, hard, which caused the preamp to distort but giving separation to the notes.

If I needed more separation I used parts of both hands to damp things down. You might have heard these videos before, or maybe not even like them, but they are an example of the passion which I picked up from the experiences I describe in my book. You can get in touch with me on facebook if you like. Say hi to HAPPY JACK for me.

All the best,
JerryO


Descent Of The Cyclopeans [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV782Y27pPg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV782Y27pPg[/url]


Gator Society
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV17ZWL5C44&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV17ZWL5C44&feature=related[/url]

[Happy Jack]

[u][b]I ASKED JERRY HOW SERIOUS HE WAS ABOUT THIS NEW BOOK[/b][/u]

I was very serious when i suggested getting input from you, jack, and your bass playing friends. I have already asked for feedback from a few bass players who have also read my book.

I have not written a technical type of book for many reasons. First, I believe that my physical method of playing is not something a lot of players would want to copy. Second, I didn't want to write for beginners. Third, I didn't want to fill a book with redundancies. There have been many bass books out there.

That gave me the Idea of asking bass players what they would like to see in a new book. And, other than a few other players, you two are in this right at the beginning. Right now I see you and others saying, 'Oh so and so already did that in their book'.

The main subjects I feel like i could contribute to include: mental tricks and studies to develop different feels and so on. Also, how to build musical parts anound singers, songs and drummers. You notice i said musical, not "bass parts". I don't think of myself playing bass lines. I like to think that I play music.

Unlike a lot of musicians, I like to talk about feels and how to achieve them. I love to discuss space in music. its funny but I am known in some circles as a busy bass player, but if you watch the Roy Orbison Black and White night, my playing is dead on and dead simple. Why? because there didn't need to be more bass notes.

Have you guys seen the edition of bass player mag from a couple months ago where they wrote out my bass lines from a live version of Elvis's 'Suspicious minds'. The guy who wrote the article told me it was a job transcribing it. I wrote in my book about how we rehearsed the songs and how things changed, even night to night as far as what i played, because Elvis changed. Therefore, someone transcribing my bass parts usually cant do a verse and copy it to the second verse. the same with other parts of a song.

Since you and i have started talking about this, i have come to believe that I could get my publishing co. to go for a book, video deal, so I am heating up about this. :-)

Continues in next post …

[Happy Jack]

[u][b]JERRY’S COMING TO THE UK[/b][/u]

One more thing, I have a concert coming up on Jan. 5th In Stourbridge close to Birmingham. If you go to: [url="http://www.jerryscheff.com/road.html"]http://www.jerryscheff.com/road.html[/url] ([url="http://www.jerryscheff.com/road.html"]http://www.jerryscheff.com/road.html[/url]) the info is there. I don't do Elvis themed shows anymore. I got tired of dancing on his grave. However, this show is an Elvis themed show but I am the headliner and I only play on my part of the show. I do doors songs, Dylan songs, Elvis Costello, yes, a john Denver song, a couple of my songs, and of course a few elvis songs that i am known for like, 'suspicious minds' 'Polk salad annie' and 'Play The Blues Jerry.'

The band and the singer are old friends of mine. They are good players and the singer, Jenson Bloomer, is a bit showy, but a very good powerful singer who doesnt try to look like or emulate elvis. I tell stories between the songs. I have done my little show in Europe and Ireland but this is the first in the uk. I am going to write the basschat team and find out how to put an Add on your site.

Again, i am not usually this long winded and i am not a chatty kind of facebook in your bass face kind of guy either. My hearing is horrible and even with hearing aids i really can't talk on the phone anymore. If you want we can exchange emails and move our chats there, or i am fine here.

So, let me know your thoughts,
all the best,
JerryO

[stinson]

Excellent read, thanks for that!

[KiOgon]

Thanks for sharing Jack & very cool of Jerry. Must read Way Down for myself now

Cheerz, John

[Silvia Bluejay]

And little near-beginner me is absolutely loving being part of all this
Thank you Jack for posting all the material in such a well-organised way.

[KevB]

Didn't have time to read all of it but he comes across as a decent bloke and not immediately throwing toys out of prams. I think we've seen rather less thoughtful and considered responses from other 'high profile' bass related posters, maybe they could learn a thing or two from Jerry.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1354023002' post='1880916']
The main subjects I feel like i could contribute to include: mental tricks and studies to develop different feels and so on. Also, how to build musical parts anound singers, songs and drummers. You notice i said musical, not "bass parts". I don't think of myself playing bass lines. I like to think that I play music.[/quote]

That could be a valuable resource. I think bass players probably more than any other musicians have a quite concrete opinion of what they see as their 'role' in an ensemble. I think it's a shame, and I think it stops a lot of people from playing what they would like to play because they are worried about whether they're filling this space that they imagine they ought to be filling.

I listen way more to singers than I do to drummers, and concentrate on accompanying the singer not the drummer, but I always hear this advice about 'locking in' with a drummer. Sure do that if all you want to do is emphasise the drum part, but there are so many other approaches that work and contribute more to a song.

[brensabre79]

Wow, what a dude. Even if you didn't like his book!

[Lozz196]

Not read the book, but, being an Elvis fan - and greatly admiring Jerrys bass-playing - I think this may have to go on my Xmas list.

[Geek99]

I believe I'm meeting Ms BlueJay in London to collect this book- I think its sounding quite interesting, he seems to have put a lot of thought into his book.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Fair play to Jerry.

[Hutton]

I don't believe one of my heroes is on basschat. What a nice guy he is as well as a great player.

[jezzaboy]

Wow! What a right decent guy and a faboulus player.

[lee4]

I first heard Jerry Scheffs playing on King of America(Elvis Costello).
Wonderful player,and top bloke too.

[Schnozzalee]

Very cool, love reading this kind of thing. Just reminded me that I want one of his signature Laklands!

[Joker2807]

as a huge elvis fan my jaw just hit the floor

[casapete]

Roy Orbison's 'A Black and White Night' is just so good, thoroughly recommend to anyone who's not seen it.
Jerry and Ronnie Tutt play it just right throughout.

[Joker2807]

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1354098116' post='1881936']
Roy Orbison's 'A Black and White Night' is just so good, thoroughly recommend to anyone who's not seen it.
Jerry and Ronnie Tutt play it just right throughout.
[/quote]

awesome show one of my faves ... he was an amazing talent was the big o

[Silvia Bluejay]

Moving on to suggesting areas to explore in Jerry's future book -

Jerry, I've been re-reading your initial message when you mention creating musical parts around the other members of the band and creating them in a way that's appropriate to the song. I think that's one massively inspiring topic for your book!
I'm sure that empathy, experience and talent play a huge part. Regarding feel and musical space in particular, which in many cases can literally make or break a song, my opinion is that instinctively knowing when to play just a few notes, as opposed to a busy bassline, is the gift of the talented musician and probably something that can’t be analysed in a fully rational way or even described in detail – it can only, as we were saying, be felt. Despite that, would you think you could give the less experienced musician/reader a few pointers, or general guidelines?
As in, for instance, would you focus on the singer and musically “be at one” with them, and then either take a back seat and leave space for them where appropriate or, conversely, support them by being, in a sense, more intrusive and playing more notes/more quickly/more in-your-face etc.? (That obviously would beg the question – how do you decide what is appropriate at any given moment?)
Alternatively, would you focus on the band as a whole instead, and share the musical space equally with all members or, as the case may be, instead hog the limelight for a while or for the whole song? (Again, when, how?)

I guess there might two separate scenarios to take into account regarding the above, one being the time of writing and eventually recording in the studio, and the other the time of performing the finished song on stage in front of an audience (the latter scenario introducing a whole series of added variables).

Does that make any sense as a question the answer to which you may be willing to share with you future readership? I know I'd love to learn as much as possible about it

[Silvia Bluejay]

Jerry's reply to my message above -

[quote]Great Silvia,
You completely understood!!! I haven't heard of anyone writing about that, although when i started in LA the only bass books I had heard about were the great Carol Kaye books, but I had already developed my technique 'my way' at the time. Want to hear a Carol Kaye story?

Not so fast: First, yes please tell me how to write on this chat to You and Jack together so others can follow or contribute.

Now, about 13 years ago, Carol Kaye invited my son Jason (who also is a bass player) and I for lunch at her house. We had a great time. She is 'right there'. She and I jammed together playing old bebop standards, she on her guitar and me on bass.

As we were eating later, Jason asked Carol what it was like being the only woman in the largly male rythym section world during the 60s. (I will use one letter abrieviations of offensive words here.)
Carol said, "You wanna know what it was like? I'll tell you what it was like! "I was doing a session one day and I made a mistake. I said'Oh F***! The producer got on the intercom and said, "Carol don't use the F word; we have a C*** in the booth." Jason and i were on the floor.

I will start on an outline soon. I would first like to know how you and Jack, and anyone else joining us, feel about drum machines and playing with them. Not as a replacement for the real things but as a tool for learning.[/quote]

[Lozz196]

Nice reply. Following this thread, I dug out my Elvis CD last night, such melodic bass playing.

[Myke]

I wonder what happened with this? Or is there a new thread about it?