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i'm not seeing a ton of gigs on bass. I've been called for 2 gigs on bass in the last 6 months. I think most jazz bands want an upright bass. Electric bass is a last resort. I flirted with the idea of buying an upright (sadly, i helped my dad sell his upright 6 months prior to his passing). I'm not sure at 64, whether my hands could take learning upright bass...
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03-27-2022 05:58 PM
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Originally Posted by jzucker
My drummer is also an excellent bassist but not many know it.
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Originally Posted by wintermoon
Friend of mine from NY who plays electric - who has played with randy johnston, wayne krantz and a who's who of NYC jazz musicians - is working 3-4x a month...
There's also an age factor. At 64, i'm older than most of the musicians on the jazz scene in this area. Most guys prefer to play with guys their own age and you don't see a lot of 64 year olds playing the major jazz clubs in the local scene. 20 years ago, I was part of the clique but no more!
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Agreed, I was very lucky in that starting 25 yrs ago I was always the youngest in our bands by at least 15-20 yrs
Most of them are gone now and I'm leading bands w players my own age, though I'd have no issue hiring younger cats.
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Originally Posted by wintermoon
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I hear you, was just lucky in that my 2 weeklies are still going strong after 10 yrs so no extra effort. Just had to hire new members after the old ones passed.
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At 64, I feel lucky to still be out 8-9 times a month. I have a once a month band gig that I lead and do 4 solo gigs and the rest is sideman work. I do think the younger cats want to play with cats their own age, but I do get some calls from younger cats because they know I have the chops to make the gig work. I figure that 2-3 more years of this and it will be time to get out of the way an let the younger cats get the work.
But if the calls/emails keep coming and my hands can do it, who knows how long I might stay in the game? Upright bass? My hands are already having issues (my new limit is 3 gigs in a week and no double headers), trying to do upright (even with gut strings) would hasten the end of my career as a pro musician for sure.
And leading and promoting a band? I have had enough of that hassle for a lifetime.
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Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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off topic but here's a link to the marcustico. To me, it is the closest semihollow to an upright sound. Unfortunately, it's made in italy and requires all service to be done in italy. I recently had a really bad experience buying a couple basses from spain and dealing with issues and no return policy so unless I found one used in the USA, I'd never pay $4k and wait a year for something that would need to be sent back to EU to have repaired...
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Originally Posted by jzucker
This cat is tearing it up, too. Great playing.
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I screwed up when I had the chance to see you pre-covid at the Bop Stop in Cleveland.
Originally Posted by jzucker
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Originally Posted by Fear the Reaper
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So I just pretend to be a jazz guitarist, my professional music background was as a bassist. Sad but true about the emphasis on the look of the upright, not so much the sound. Also a factor on the bluegrass circuit, maybe moreso. A USA alternative to the Marcustico, and not so delicate, are Rob Allen basses, the short-scale Mouse and the Deep 4 are particularly good at getting the sound and vibe of an upright. Check out this video of the Mouse in a big band setting (sorry I couldn't figure out how to embed the video, but here's a link):
Bass solo at about 2:10. I have a Mouse and LOVE it, very easy on the old hands (mine are as old as yours, Jack).
edit - the video embedded itself!
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Originally Posted by kevmoga
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Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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The Bop Spot is a happening place. A treasury for Cleveland.
Originally Posted by jzucker
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Originally Posted by Fear the Reaper
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Really nice, Jack.
Melody between melody
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