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Well Vinny,
There aren't as many venues here but I
will say that audiences ( even small ones)
are usually respectful towards the players
listen and applaud soloists, one might
find it's even more so on the Continent ,
In France , Belgium etc its taken seriously.
A great pity that the US jazz scene is not
as it was, most jazz buffs regard your
country as the great innovators from which
most of us cut our teeth on listening to the
greats, at least that has not diminished in
appreciation by most of us diehards.
I hope there will be a resurgence of
serious interest , it is after all an Art form.
Alan
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08-02-2017 07:42 PM
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Having done some busking through Italy in the last few years, I would say there is a fair amount of appreciation there at the very least.
Originally Posted by silverfoxx
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Japan really seems to love jazz too.
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Music is so independent in taste no right answer. We all can play the same song and each of us will feel it a bit different.
Jazz is not dead till we are. If it makes you happy Damn do it. Only live once, enjoy it.
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I don't have a guitar addiction. In fact I only play one guitar...at a time.
And each month I start over!
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Stringswinger's observations about gigs, audiences, pay, etc., seem right on, to me. It's been 20 years now since I was gigging _actively_. I still play gigs, but the total count is way down. 20 years ago, I was in a jazz band, a country band, I fronted a rock band, and I was on call for society gigs with a group of musicians in the metro area about 60 miles over.
Truthfully, the jazz gigs sort of dried up as the audiences aged out. I could still play all of the country I choose to. I simply choose not to. (If you throw too much Hank Sr., Ernest Tubb, Buck Owens, in there, people can't figure out how to line dance.)
I still do blues gigs and the audiences are very polite. When I say "blues," I mean LeRoy Carr, Robert Johnson, etc. No SRV, etc.
Don't buy guitars anymore--got what I want. However, I still look actively. Heck, I could always sell an archtop and buy another to replace it. (We all know how that is.)
About pay: a gig pays these days more or less what I got in the early 70s. Woof!
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One of two guitar purchases have landed, the other is in delivery. Now I'm looking at beginner double basses.. I think I was premature declaring the GAS days over.
Moneywise I ain't spending what I used to, though. At least I've learned to make smart purchases.
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TKO,
Enjoy exploring the double bass. I've been playing double bass since 1971. It's the most soulful instrument on earth. Playing bass in a jazz combo is a deeply satisfying experience. I find it more satisfying than, for example, playing classical symphonic music in the bass section...and standing among a large group of musicians like that and producing music is woo-satisfying.
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I think the most guitars I ever had was 6, and I downsized from that a few years ago when I moved. This year it's crept back up to 5 in my quest for a better, but affordable, archtop. I'm no collector, when I buy one it has to be "better" somehow, or fill a (largely imaginary) need.
For many years I had only 2 guitars, an acoustic and a semi-hollow 335-style Guild, which I changed out for an Epi Joe Pass about 20 years ago. That was my only archtop for a long time, I was always intimidated by the price tags on the really good ones. When I got re-inspired by jazz guitar again, I looked into upgrading it. Then I found a modified one for the same price it would have cost me to upgrade it, so I bought it. Then I said, this is nice, but what I really need is a big 'ole jazz box like those D'Angelico re-issues- so I bought one of those. Then I said, now what am I to do with this extra old Joe Pass? So I traded it for an Epi Broadway. I'm good for now.
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Not many years ago I had 25 guitars. I decided to unload.
I sold my '68 Gibson ES-175, my '75 ES-335, my '71 Les Paul, my '68 Fender Stratocaster, my '93 Fender '52 RI Telecaster, my '70 Guild D-50, and other guitars.
I'm down to eleven guitars and a bass, now. I will probably take this down to five and a bass, I expect. (Hmm? I do have three banjos.)
I regularly play five of the guitars. That means, I suspect, that I will keep those. Probably turn the others into just one good acoustic flattop guitar, at some point. A lot of bluegrass gigs in my neck of the woods.
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I was thinking about this question about owning multiple guitars etc. and then thought about my telecaster. I haven't used it for months. I have worked out that the only reason I have it is for gigs that are outdoors/rowdy where I don't want to use my Les Paul Recording.
I guess that part of the magic of a Telecaster- they're such a tough instrument. In terms of tone I don't think I'm missing out either, although a big part of that magic is from the Bill Lawrence Micro-Coils I have fitted in it.
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This very much jibes with my own experience. "Country" is now something different, IMHO much less rooted in the lives of people and more reflective of a mythos of a never-really existent world. Originally Posted by Greentone
As for blues, there was always a lot of Carr and Johnson and Mercy Dee and Joe Turner and Big Joe Turner and Basie and.... A manager at a roadhouse we played told me we were "unique" among the "Blues bands" that played his joint in that "You guys actually play blues." I took that statement, and the re-bookings, as a compliment.Last edited by citizenk74; 08-04-2017 at 09:30 PM. Reason: typo
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Then players started getting into to play song X I need guitar Y and GAS started developing with help and encouragement of musical instrument manufacturers and big chain music stores.Exactly - I was propelled into that world of doing the types of live and sometimes studio work where you get known for being up for playing anything - so most of my guitars are just that; tools. Of course most of thats all dried up now and Im left with 2 Teles (one which I customised into a Nashville Mod - strat tones, tele, humbucker too for versatility - saving myself the expense of a strat and an SG), 2 Nylon (one thinline with a pickup for live use) , Steel, Baritone and 12 string acoustics, Banjo, Mandolin, a nameless stunt guitar with locking tuners and a dive bomb whammy that excels at inhuman tones, a semi hollow PRS, an Ibanez bass, an Eastman AR503Archtop and my teaching studio guitar which is an Epiphone. They all get or have been well used in the workplace - and most really arent worth selling a) because they arent worth enough to sell to anyone else and/or b) because they are worth more to me.Stringswinger's observations about gigs, audiences, pay, etc., seem right on, to me. It's been 20 years now since I was gigging _actively_. I still play gigs, but the total count is way down. 20 years ago, I was in a jazz band, a country band, I fronted a rock band, and I was on call for society gigs with a group of musicians in the metro area about 60 miles over.
I also have a custom 17" Archtop and a D'Angelico SS - these two are more like companions into my real passion - playing jazz and improvised music....but I really do love my teles, especially the Standard, and the PRS is a damn fine instrument especially when used with effects....
The rest - well they are still cared for in case the phone rings and someone needs a banjo to join in with the bavarian beer band....Last edited by gator811; 08-04-2017 at 03:33 AM.
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I've been toying with the idea of playing double bass for years, mainly because even though guitar was/is my first instrument all the gigs I've done for the past 10+ years have been as a bassist. Besides jazz (Mingus!), I'm also digging the rockabilly/psychobilly stuff where the double bass is pretty much a standard. So, maybe it's time to dive into that finally. Originally Posted by Greentone
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You will definitely get more calls for gigs on bass. I probably play 3 upright bass jazz gigs for every jazz gig I get on guitar anymore. Actually, the ratio may be more skewed than that.
My son, who plays keys, bass, guitar (like dad) AND drums, gets many more bass calls than anything else.
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I prefer buying a guitar or a bass now and then instead of buying PCs and smartphones. So once in a while a PC discarded by someone get a second chance on my desk and I still use my good old Nokia 3310.
Et Voilá! Free guitars so to speak :-)
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Originally Posted by Greentone
Lately, I consider the bass somewhat of a curse .... LOL
What's worse is that I can read music so I end up playing lots of bass with groups and almost no guitar lately
Even in situations where a guitar player is needed I still get stuck with the bass ... the other guitar players don't want to give up guitar to play bass ... and the band leaders would rather have me on bass than the other guitar players .. even if my guitar playing is better than the others
Fortunately, one of the bands that has been calling me recently for bass actually has paying gigs ... my other bands haven't had a paying gig in years .. or their for church or some other non profit gig
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I'm not surprised they would prefer you on bass. As you undoubtedly know, it's a lot easier to make up for a mediocre guitar player than a mediocre bass player. Originally Posted by Bluedawg
Lately, I consider the bass somewhat of a curse .... LOL
What's worse is that I can read music so I end up playing lots of bass with groups and almost no guitar lately
Even in situations where a guitar player is needed I still get stuck with the bass ... the other guitar players don't want to give up guitar to play bass ... and the band leaders would rather have me on bass than the other guitar players .. even if my guitar playing is better than the others
Fortunately, one of the bands that has been calling me recently for bass actually has paying gigs ... my other bands haven't had a paying gig in years .. or their for church or some other non profit gig
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Put a new Elite Strat on layaway today. That means one or both of the MIM Strats have to go leaving me with 4 (maybe 5) electrics. 4 would be best - a Sadowsky J Hall, a Kirn Tele, a 339 and now the Strat. Frankly, I'm a little doubtful about the 339. But, having taken one of the MIMs out today, I don't know. Both MIMs are FSR flame maple caps, carved top/rear rout, pickups mounted on the body, no pickguard, tobacco burst. I put an HB into the neck position of one. Nice looking and pretty good players. But I really liked the Elite - the new noiseless pickups sound great and I really like the rolled edges and dual radius neck.
Last edited by Bach5G; 08-04-2017 at 11:16 PM.
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Hey man what city and time period did you session? Just outta curiosity. Originally Posted by viccortes285
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It's enough to drive you crazy. I've gigged heavy rock and blues on guitar, but getting paid doing that in SoCal was pretty rough. There's ten or twelve guitarists for every bassist. So when I grabbed my last paying gig playing bass in a blues band, what happens? Offers for spots in all sorts of bands. I ended up playing not only with Blues Bullet, but two other outfits which rarely gigged but at least one of them was very fun -- rap/funk/rock fusion with an emphasis on improvisation. Originally Posted by Bluedawg
Lately, I consider the bass somewhat of a curse .... LOL
What's worse is that I can read music so I end up playing lots of bass with groups and almost no guitar lately
Even in situations where a guitar player is needed I still get stuck with the bass ... the other guitar players don't want to give up guitar to play bass ... and the band leaders would rather have me on bass than the other guitar players .. even if my guitar playing is better than the others
Fortunately, one of the bands that has been calling me recently for bass actually has paying gigs ... my other bands haven't had a paying gig in years .. or their for church or some other non profit gig
The other got dropped once I realized three bands and working full-time wasn't going to get a damned thing done.
Anyway, yeah, show up at a gig with a bass, you'd best have some business cards, or an easy let-down.
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WOW, was I full of s&%t... Originally Posted by Papawooly
Since this post, i've bought 3 more Archtops, and 2 mandolins!! HELP!!!!
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Oh, And I am really pissed at whoever bought that Michael Thames classic that was on reverb yesterday...
I saw the listing was only 1 hour old, great price, was going to pull the trigger, but I had a momentary case
of "Hoard-Shaming" come over me... then I quickly recovered, and checked again... 7 hours... still there...
Woke up this morning, and it was GONE!!!!
WHICH ONE OF YOU DID IT!!!
CONFESS!!!
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Wasn't me. I have had my Thames Classical since 1985 (mine was built in 1982). Michael is a friend of mine and builds the best classicals on the planet. Better luck next time! Originally Posted by Papawooly
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Michael built me a replica of Torres FE-17 that Tarrega played for most of his career. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
The guitar is a masterpiece - and has an open harmonic bar with a brass Tornavoz.
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