[Dixielandjazz] Good tuba/double bass/electric bass

[Ron L'Herault]

Would you really want to do 16ths in OKOM even today?  Would that not
clutter the space, making less space available for other instrumental
statements as well as needlessly complicating the rhythmic framework?

Ron L
----- Original Message -----
From: "Patrick Cooke" <patcooke@cox.net>
To: <Schnabbels@aol.com>; <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 12:18 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Good tuba/double bass/electric bass


> Rob van der Plas wrote:
>
> >>> technically, you can do more things on a Fender than on a double base:
> on an acoustic bass, you hear quarter, eighth, and occasionally triole
> notes. On a Fender you can do 16th. That is something you did not hear on
> the classic OKOM recordings from the past.<<<
>
> True...the only thing you can't do on a Fender is bow it.  Take away the
> requirement for bowing, and you can build an instrument with more
pizzicato
> facility.  The curved bridge and fingerboard make the acoustic more
> cumbersome to pluck, especially on the bottom string, because you have to
> actually change the position of your hand to pluck it.
>         As for the OKOM recordings of the past, most of them were made
> before amplifiers were even available.   In order to be heard at all, a
bass
> player had to have his strings set about 1/2 inch from the fingerboard so
he
> could really pull hard on them and avoid the string slapping back on the
> fingerboard.  Needless to say, facility was severely limited.  Amplifiers
> came into use around the end of the big-band swing era, when a bass player
> had to cut through 6 or 7 brass, plus a well equipped drummer. . The
> amplifier made it possible to lower the strings, and play, instead of
> fighting the instrument.
>          If you want to hear facility on acoustic bass, listen  to some of
> the recordings of Neils Henning Orsted Pederson.  He made a lot of
> recordings with Oscar Peterson.  He has more facility on acoustic bass
than
> any one I have ever heard on ANY kind of bass.
>        Pat Cooke
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <Schnabbels@aol.com>
> To: <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 2:31 AM
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Good tuba/double bass/electric base
>
>
> > Listmates,
> >
> > Not all that long ago, someone on the list inquired about Dan Zeilinger
> (NOT:
> > Zielinger), that "very good tuba player". Let me tell you a little
story:
> > Maybe five or six years ago, Dan performed with a group at one of the
> monthly
> > meetings of the Arizona Classic Jazz Society. With apologies to the band
> > members whose names I cannot recall, the band included George Probert
and
> Jim
> > Mayhack as well as Dan. At the end of the gig I approached Dan to
> compliment
> > him on his tuba playing. Now, the last thing on my mind is to represent
> > myself as the judge and jury on the quality of tuba players, but what
was
> so
> > appealing to me was that Dan played the tuba like a bass. Not the
staccato
> > pop-pop but rather sustained quarter notes as you would expect from good
> > doghouse players. I mentioned Phil Stephens during that conversation.
> >
> > Unelegant segue: When I was 17 (40 + years ago), I lent my copy of
"Coast
> > Concert" to my trombone teacher (first trombone chair, The Hague
> > Philharmonic). When he returned to record to me his comments were: "That
> tuba
> > player is incredible". No comments about Hackett or anyone else!
> >
> > Another unelegant segue: Electric vs. acoustic (with or without
> > amplification) bass.
> > Admittedly, since we are all more or less products of first impressions,
I
> > have a propensity to prefer rhythm sections consisting of piano, double
> bass,
> > guitar and drums. Four-to-the bar in other words. I have the distinct
> > pleasure of having the opportunity to sit in occasionally with listmate
> Joe
> > Hopkins' quartet who has secured two steady gigs here in the Phoenix
area
> > within the last couple of weeks. Gary Church usually plays either guitar

> or
> > piano but when I play piano he switches to trumpet. And if another piano
> > player shows up (usually better than I, rats) I play trombone. Two weeks
> ago
> > we had an 8-piece band going, prompting Joe to announce that "the rest
of
> the
> > band will show up later". Here is the thing: Danny Shannon plays a
Fender
> > bass in the quartet. Danny is a wonderful musician who knows every tune
in
> > whatever key. And he swings. I'll admit that, for awhile, I had some
> qualms
> > about the "appearance" of  a Fender bass in an OKOM band. It just didn't
> seem
> > to "belong". Perhaps that is still the trauma of the sixties when it
> seemed
> > that the Beatles et al. threatened to put us out of business. Meanwhile,
I
> am
> > having a lot of fun playing with an excellent Fender bass player. If
there
> is
> > anything that I still have to reconcile is the fact that, technically,
you
> > can do more things on a Fender than on a double base: on an acoustic
bass,
> > you hear quarter, eighth, and occasionnally triole notes. On a Fender
you
> can
> > do 16th. That is something you did not hear on the classic OKOM
recordings
> > from the past.
> >
> > Thank for indulging me,
> >
> > Rob van der Plas
> > Scottsdale, AZ
> >
> >
>
>
>
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