The Bass Geek

Was it great hearing a mass bass ensemble rendition of “Can’t Help Falling In Love” Saturday during Bass Day? Indeed it was. Twenty or so double basses working out the parts took some effort, but it turned out pretty good. It was also nice to hear electric bass brought up during one of the master classes and not be immediately dismissed or denigrated. In fact, the clinician used it as an example of the kind of tone she wanted to hear from another part of her piece. It’s a far cry from when I carried a double bass (which I was thoroughly wretched at, by the way) down the hall of a music school and was congratulated for finally playing a “real” instrument. Make no mistake, this day was dedicated to orchestral upright bass players, but the inclusion was still a nice touch. Plus, what I heard was probably nothing compared to the guy who made the viol de gamba presentation.

So the recording this weekend was postponed, meaning I have the full day free to participate in the myriad wonders that will no doubt take place at Bass Day this Saturday at Butler University. And they made the thing FREE! Fools – how will the regulate the neverending crush of low-end fans sure to press at the not-nearly-strong-enough doors of their recital hall?

Perhaps I exaggerate, but I am greatly looking forward to seeing the event and the associated players. They’ve only mentioned a few players, but there should be more than enough happening in the master classes, demos, recitals, and so forth to keep anybody’s attention. And by anybody, I mean bassists – Bassoon Day is next week, thank you. And there’s even a mass bass All-Play! How could you NOT love that!

eMusic is helping me put some more Mingus on my iPod right now, so it’s a good time to take a look at bassists and their place as jazz bandleaders. The good folks at AccuJazz have put up a bass-centric channel called Covering All The Bassists that feature Mr. Mingus and many, many more. NPR has also gotten in on the act with their Take Five sampler. Some of the best are up there, and it’s a shame there’s only five tracks to peruse. Enjoy.

Orlando “Cachaito” Lopez didn’t get a lot of attention until the Buena Vista Social Club movie and album made it big, and in that he was like a lot of Cuban musicians. However, his death is a loss both for music and specifically bassists. As the nephew of Israel “Cachao” Lopez, he continued a tradition of both the music his uncle helped develop and the bass lines that made it so unique and wonderful. He will be missed.

The last day and night were kind of a blur, mostly because we were three days into a big festival and were probably achey and a bit dehydrated. So this is more of a list of memorable moments more than a full recap:

• The Blind Boys of Alabama were one of the most moving performances I’d ever seen. Even on well-worn songs, they managed to wring out so much soul and emotion.
• Ozomatli and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, while stylistically different, were forces of nature with remarkably similar impacts. Not a single audience member standing still.
• Did Trombone Shorty make a Juvenile guest appearance both entertaining and enjoyable? Indeed, he did. Nice work.
• Some of the most memorable occasions were getting ambushed by random musical events, whether it was a robot, a bull-shaped music cart, or a marching band (even though I think one of the cheerleaders molested my wife)
• The bass was on full display, moreso than any other festival I think I’ve seen (setting up stage plots on the fly is terrible and thankless work). Whether it was Wil-Dog Abers from Ozomatli, Norwood from Fishbone, or Erykah Badu’s set, every bass note was clear, distinct and well-mixed. Kudos to the players and the sound techs.

We ended our stay with a quick stop at a pizza joint near our hotel. No sooner had we sat down than a Latin-tinged dance band was playing and the dance floor was filled with salsa aficionados. Great way to end the weekend.

According to this article on Musicradar.com, it’s possible to headbang so much that you actually and probably permanently lose your vision.  This bassist proves it.  One can only shudder at the upcoming collision of health insurance policies and those that rode the New Wave of British Heavy Metal back in the 80s.

The new IMN podcast is up – download it here or listen at the site.

The new IMN podcast is up and ready for download.  You can also listen to it on the Flash player at the main site.

I also stumbled across this quick interview with George Porter from a Denver publication.  The interesting parts of this article include the fact that he’s still owed quite a bit of royalty money (please pay up – he made a lot of musical careers possible) and that the jam band folks have adopted the Meters and associated music as their own.  On one hand, it’s nice to see these acts with large crowds that give them a decent living.  On the other hand, please take a shower before you go to the shows, and stop twirling into me.

Yes, it’s a heart-shaped bass. Yes, I am that cheesy. But I also ask you to ponder this hypothetical situation. Take an instrument like this and plop it into the future identity crisis that is Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus. Make the endorsement deal happen. Then, sit back and watch the explosion. I’m talking the bass guitar becoming an overnight status symbol and fashion accessory the likes of which haven’t been seen in decades. Stings and pickups debated with the passion and intensity of Britney vs. Christina (Christina won, by the way). Vera Ashley gig bags dominate the market. Fox picks up a new teen drama that’s just like “The Heights,” but they focus on the bassist this time.

Ponder that world for a minute.

Then go back to whatever you were doing before. It’s not worth a terrible amount of effort, really.

Happy Valentine’s Day.