Gigging with Surinder Sandhu in Nottingham.

[jazzyvee]

You never know who comes to watch your gigs. Hi, I got a call from a musician/composer called Surinder Sandhu today as he needed a bass player for his gig at the Riverside Festival in Trent Bridge, Nottingham this weekend 07/08/2011. I was recommended to him by a guitarist friend of mine who invited him to my last gig so he had a bit of an idea of what kind of player I am.  
 
I met up with him this evening after doing my radio programme to collect the music and he played me some of the tracks I need to learn for Sunday so I have some work to do for that.
 
He mentioned that Steve Vai played guitar on one of his albums and also that he had recorded with the The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.  
 
I've just got home and googled him and had a look on youtube and his credentials are pretty impressive. It should be an interesting gig I think.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws3cYp0DYBY
 
This is the track featuring Steve Vai.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMTbkMQS3LA
 
Jazzyvee

[David Houck]

This is some very cool stuff Jazzyvee!

[jazzyvee]

Had the first... and only rehearsal last night so I have some midnight oil to burn before stepping on stage on Sunday afternoon.  Even though I  only had a few hours on Tuesday night to go through the set of 6 tracks they seemed happy with what I was playing at rehearsal.
 
There was a photographer at the rehearsal filming and picture taking so I guess the photo's will appear on Surinder's web site at some point.
 
 
http://www.surindersandhu.com/
 
As it happens, the photographer is also learning a bass player and was pretty taken with my bass & was pretty gobsmacked when I told him it was a hand made bass from the same company that makes Stanley Clarkes basses.
 
Jazzyvee

[David Houck]

What is the instrumentation for the gig?

[jazzyvee]

Hi Dave, I'm not really sure as I've only had one rehearsal and not all musicians were there. But from the cd of the set list there is at least a brass section of two or three, a percussionist,   guitarist/vocalist, bass. keyboards, drums sarangi/vocalist, female vocalist.
 
I think there must be at least 8 musicians.
 
Jazzyvee

[David Houck]

Hope it goes well this weekend; guessing from the examples I saw on the videos, this guy's music should be quite exciting to be part of.  Hope there's some video of the gig; would love to see/hear you playing with this group.

[jazzyvee]

Yes I'm looking forward to it. This set marks a change in musical direction for bandleader Surinder and we will be playing unreleased tracks from  his forthcoming album.
 
This is band is his funk band and the name Funkawallahs reflects that..  
 
Surinder told me that in India a wallah is a person who serves something for example a chaiwalla serves tea and so a Funka wallah someone who serves FUNK..!!!
 
It's got a real 70's funk groove to it with some great horn parts and some vocal harmonies are very Beatles ish.
 
Jazzyvee

[jazzyvee]

Just a quick report back, the gig went really well I tool my black Europa/Elan and my mesa boogie rig ( walkabout, 1x15 and 4x10)  
That combination gave me is just such an incredibly powerful rich and crisp sound with loads of bottom end.  
I had to smile when I saw some of the musicians who had been on before me out front then suddenly appear on the side of the stage looking intently at my bass seemingly to confirm that what they were seeing and hearing was indeed a rare alembic.  I got some well satisfied thumbs up which was good.  
 
That's the 2nd time the bass has been on a gig with me and the only time in my own rig. Mesa and Alembics are a masterful combination. I hardly had any eq on  the amp and the sound engineer was telling me there was too much bottom end.  
 
Here is one picture from the gig.  

 
 
JAzzyvee

[David Houck]

Nice shot!