[Dixielandjazz] Bass players

[David Richoux]

Brian,
there are  ill-informed cheap jokes about ALL instrumentalists, 
vocalists, conductors, composers and arrangers, publishers, managers, 
union leaders, venue owners, recording studios, radio people, 
audiences, music stores... just about any aspect of music has jokes 
about it!

even drummers ;-)

As to your more serious comment: yes, listening to the great musicians 
you and Steve mention can be a great education and very inspirational 
but sometimes the means, ability, and opportunity for us to all become 
their equals is just not there. I have been playing bass horn for about 
40 years now (counting school) and I guess I have a lot of technical 
skills and experience, but there are still many things I do not know. 
If I had it to do all over I might have chosen to go to music school 
and become a "starving artiste" but I actually like doing just about 
what I am doing now. I have fun, I play a lot of music of various sorts 
with a lot of interesting people, I get to travel a bit and sometimes I 
even make some money.

As a bonus, every once in a while somebody comes up to me and says they 
really liked my playing (or that they enjoy my radio show) - so that is 
enough for me!

Ego? What Ego?

Dave Richoux


On Jul 23, 2004, at 10:45 AM, Brian Harvey wrote:

> All the ill-informed cheap humor at the expense of bass players 
> ignores the
> playing of men like Pops Foster, Wellman Braud, Arvell Shaw and many 
> many
> more. How sad you all sound. Brian Harvey
>