NotstrictlyJazz at the Yardbird, Birmingham

[jazzyvee]

I'm doing a gig on Wednesday 27/10/2010 with my NotStrictlyJazz band at the Yardbird Jazz Club in Birmingham England. It's a Jazz-Funk set with material from Grover Washington Jr, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Jeff Lorber. The club is quite small and is in the centre of Brum. Entry is free and it will be the first public outing of my new Europa/Elan/Signature bass.
 
We hit the stage around 20:00
 
Jazzyvee

[jacko]

have a great gig Jazzy.  
 
graeme

[dadabass2001]

Sounds cool! Have fun. Sadly, I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic  
MIke

[jazzyvee]

Thanks guys.  I'm looking forward to it. Because I'm not doing many gigs at the moment and have done far less bass gigs than guitar I'm always quite anxious on the build up to a one off bass gig.
 
I think one of the reasons is that I tend to choose tracks that are beyond me technically at the point I make the set list up. So then I have to push myself hard to learn them and,  unlike my guitar gigs, I've not done enough bass gigs to really understand my bass rig and basses live yet so I never know if my sound is right on stage or out front.  
 
But anyway it's gonna be a good one nonetheless.
 
Jazzyvee

[jazzyvee]

The gig went great, the ones we got the biggest responses were. Marcus Miller version of What is Hip? and Marcus Miller track called Blast both from the "Free" albums.  Here are a couple of pics with my new Alembic Europa/Elan/Signature 5 bass.  We used the backline provided by the venue so I was using a trace elliot combo which although sounded ok did not project the sound very well even though it was a small stage.  

 

  Jazzyvee

[David Houck]

Great pics!  The first seems to have captured the new double thumbing technique in action.

[jazzyvee]

hahah thanks Dave, you my be right. The technique went well even though we started the track faster than we rehearsed it. It still needs working on until it just becomes one of my playing options rather than a featured thing. The bass was played great, the balance of europa's is just right it stays in place.  
 
The trace elliot combo on the back line had a very clean processed sound but at soundcheck I eventually turned all the options off as it was taking over the my tone and not responding to the subtle tone changes I was making on the bass.
 
It brought back the reasons I sold my old Trace Elliot combo when I got my first alembic.
 
Jazzyvee

[jacko]

looking good Jazzy  - although your goatee has more grey than mine ;-) I'd have loved to have been down there.
I know what you mean about TE kit. I had a 4x10 combo and regardless of the settings I always sounded like Mark King (the tone, not the technique. hah!). Too clanky for my liking. Still, if you're going to use the house backline I guess you have to make the best of it. One of the venues in Edinburgh supplies an Ashdown rig and to my ears it's the most lifeless piece of junk you can imagine - maybe been used and abused too much. Trouble is it's one of those places that wpould be difficult to drag your own gear into.
 
Give us plenty of notice (i.e. several weeks) of your next gigs and I'll try to get down.  
 
graeme

[jazzyvee]

Yeah it will be completely white in a few years. :-)
I don't take to ashdown's personally. There was one in the rehearsal room we used last a couple of weeks back and I wasn't happy with it and got it replaced for an Eden which was much nicer.  
 
I will post gigs here as soon as I know. Not many at the moment so will let you know.
 
 
Jazzyvee.

[FC Bass]

Looks great on you Jazzy, way to go!

[jazzyvee]

Thanks FC, but do you think it should hang lower on the strap metallica style??? :-)
 
I'm ok with the colour of it now. It's grown on me just like my purple Elan did a few years ago.  
 
Jazzyvee
 
(Message edited by jazzyvee on November 01, 2010)