Happy New Jam!!!

Remember in a previous post where I wrote about rehearsing with and becoming the new bass player for a “70s horn band ?” Laid back, low expectations, minimal anxiety, train wreck might be funny, and all that retired vibe. It’s low pressure. I’ve done plenty of the exact opposite.

Pop/funk/disco music. I’ve been doing my homework with this music. Lots of specific parts. Pop music usually has greater expectation in that way. People recognize those Bass parts the most. Jazz is almost easier because I can potentially improvise the entire time just as ling as I out line the chords. Not all original music is the same way. Sometimes a bass player can “make it up” or fake like the original. Noone‘s gonna notice or protest. Prior to this I was in a hybrid situation. I had to invent Bass parts and stay consistent with my invention for original songs and niché versions of famous music.

☀️ Catching Sunrise!!!

Sunsets and sunrises are a privilege. I got to see this sunrise.

🏎️ Parking, Loading, Gear, Setup

Thankfully, there was an elevator at the venue. It smelled like mold, and it felt like a coffin, but it got the job done.
We were outside on the patio and underneath of a large permanent style tent. It was a very nice patio. It was a little too tight for us.

This band is quite large. It’s not a swing time/big band jazz type of ensemble, but there are still a lot of musicians. Percussion player, Drummer ,, Bass, Guitar, two keyboard players, seven to eight horn players and one singer. Most of my experiences with schools groups when it comes to bands this size. When I was full-time kicking musician, it was usually a trio or a quartet. We pride ourselves on staying small and appropriately volume. High-quality minimalistic was that approach. This horn band that I’m in now is kinda like a baseball team or some kind of sports team.

There was a lot of crap (cases and gear) on the stage next to me. I simply moved some of it without asking. The little black carpet thing is mine, but the stuff on the left needs to go behind something.

Setting up was tight. Equipment piled on top of other equipment while you look for the one piece that’s underneath of it. That’s tight.

Compared to the rest of the band, I’m a fucking ninja. I don’t do this as much as I used to so I’ll make an extra trip to the car and drop off things. I don’t need. Most of these guys are laid-back and like my plane. Even if they did see me moving their items I think they would trust my discretion.

🎶 The Music

The set list contains lots of songs. Almost too many. Is Chicago Jazz? I don’t think so, but it will be for me. I don’t know all the bass parts exactly as they were recorded. Improvisation and cord structure will guide me. Jazzy mindset, relentless goalie mindset, flexible, and improvisational mindset, and enough experience to know when to fake like a mistake was intentional. Just like baby Jesus. 😇

Check out the set list in the image above. Song names and the key that we played them in.

💃 People danced and we were grateful.

Band mates/fellow musicians complemented my playing. They said the previous guy wasn’t very favorable. Later I defended him. I told them that they don’t have real bass parts on the charts. Lots of memory and or highly stylized interpretation is necessary for the songs bass parts to sound familiar. Most of the music is a piano or guitar part. A person would need to already know a lot of the songs. Yes, there are court changes and it’s possible, but these are pop tunes, and the parts for Bass are specific. It’s not a bunch of make up trick everybody play games jazz. It’s a specific part. People know it and they miss it when it’s not there.
Anyways, I told them that the other bass player was probably and during a lot of weird stuff. Even knowing this, I was thrown off. I allowed myself to get tricked, however, these tricks should not have been there. Remember my war analogy?

I knew a great musician who would say drummers and bass players are like goalies. We are the defense. Nothing stupid gets by us. Block everything, that was always my mentality as a goalie. Even unethical offensive maneuvers should be blocked.

🎉 It’s over. Everyone was happy.

Someone said I look like the guy from The Blues Brothers. That’s my favorite, hey you look like. Most the time it’s a weird comment from a weird person. Prior to this moment, someone said it looked like Forrest Gump. That person was wearing a mask in on the edge of the continent, and the wind was blowing.

🎥 Video Coming Soon

Lots of video editing required. Thankfully, I have the camera in front of me. The starting stop button was conveniently close. You wanna know why the camera angle is always the same and limited? The answer is convenience. The bass guitar is long and it moves too much. It’s difficult to control a camera with one hand.

60 minutes is crazy. This band takes lots of time between songs. If a band leader were to do video editing, they would probably find themselves disturbed by how much time gets eaten up between songs. I know people need to take breaks, but I wish there was something or somebody interacting with the audience.

I personally believe that if you give an audience, lots of songs in a short period of time, they’re satisfied. Very few songs in a long timeframe is outdated. People are insatiable and they need new stimulus or the simulation of newness every 6 to 12 minutes.

🎸 Bass Guitar Glamour

🥸 FOOD STRUGGLE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was given a food ticket early on. The event required people to have these little blue tickets to get food. After the first set, I got away from the stage and I went looking for food. I found condiments and mini muffins and other sugar garbage. I almost fixed myself a plate of pickles. I thought that might look rude, but I wish I had done it anyways.

Everything was stepped on and worked over. Why don’t I smell the barbecue?
Suddenly, someone hands me a pitcher of beer and cups. She says, “here this is for you guys, hand it out. She leaves, we drink a little beer and she returns with more pitchers.
Later, I discovered the barbecue is outside on the patio conflicting with the audience space. I didn’t see anyone else eating hamburgers, or hotdogs or any of the barbecue.

Beer and wine good to go.
Barbecue and food a shit show.

Another performance and event finishes and I need to go buy food. I guess I need help. For the next musical situation I’ll be deputizing someone to help me get food.

☀️ Catching Sunset Also

Today’s first job gave me the opportunity to capture an image of sunrise. It’s fun to have a second job that points you in the opposite direction for sunset.

By the way,

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