Author Topic: "Flim" & JT (Read 820 times)

chuckc · « **on:** December 14, 2009, 03:04:59 PM »

Nice little video of JJ and JT live doing one of James Taylor's great songs, Millworker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2MQ04ESSx8

dadabass2001 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 18, 2009, 07:19:10 PM »

From JTs Pull Over' DVD. I love this tune... I used to listen to it at my office (gotta love ITunes).
Mike

JimmyJ · « **Reply #2 on:** December 19, 2009, 01:44:49 AM »

Thanks for the link my friends,

Yes indeed, one of JT's great tunes. Part of the fun of playing it is tuning my low E to D for the pedal notes during that intro. Luckily the bass part is fixed or my brain would overload trying to transpose one string on the fly...

Jimmy J

dannobasso · « **Reply #3 on:** December 19, 2009, 09:02:39 AM »

Always a pleasure to see as well as hear your performances Sir Jim.

dadabass2001 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 19, 2009, 12:57:19 PM »

Jimmy,
I never tried to play along and so never knew Millworker was in D. Do you then avoid using the detuned E for the balance of the song, or use a drop tuner and switch back to standard?
Mike

JimmyJ · « **Reply #5 on:** December 19, 2009, 03:05:01 PM »

Thanks Danno.

Mike, I leave it tuned to D for the whole tune. There are only a couple low Es (fingered F#) and the second bridge moves me down to the B-string for a C and B. As I say, since it's a fixed part it's just a memory thing, I'd need to do more in that alternate tuning to become fluent with it...

Jimmy J

jakebass · « **Reply #6 on:** December 22, 2009, 02:53:34 PM »

It's a great track, lovely playing on the intro Jimmy!
It's also to be found on the JT Live album, one of my favourite lines from that album is 'Up the Roof'
I like it because of it's simplicity to begin with and where it ends up, and even though there are some really quite challenging figures, that is not what's important.... what is important is that dynamically it increases the intensity and blows really hard at the end. The whole band are rocking in the last 16 bars but the song is still intact and no egos are on show. Perfection in performance in my opinion.
If you follow this link:
http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=71354
you'll see my transcription of that line. Well worth a look, it's a masterpiece.
Hope this is ok with you Jimmy, let me know if there is an issue with posting this stuff.
Jake

JimmyJ · « **Reply #7 on:** December 23, 2009, 02:48:03 PM »

Hey Jake,

Thanks again for the kind words. All these parts are just my spin on Lee Sklar's work, he wrote the book on these tunes.

Nice transcribing too. Yes, a simple tune that gets going pretty good by the end. Spot my use of open D and A strings on the long run down the neck, one of my usual cheats. Ha!

Jimmy J

David Houck · « **Reply #8 on:** December 23, 2009, 03:07:10 PM »

Very nice! Thanks for posting the link Chuck! And thanks for making it possible Jimmy!

jakebass · « **Reply #9 on:** December 29, 2009, 10:46:06 AM »

Thanks Jimmy, hey if the open strings are a cheat then cheating's for me, it makes for some great lines. Lee Sklar played those tunes great I agree, but I think your original bass lines on everything from New Moonshine on and all your 'spins' on the old stuff stand up.
I've said before that I love JTs songs and I think what all the guys he uses bring to the music has been a big part of his sound, which is what makes him such a great live artist in my view. What is extra special about him to me though is that he is as fine a musician as he is writer. His guitar parts are so well thought out and executed, it all makes for incredibly organic music, my favourite kind.
Can I ask Jimmy... to what extent do you have 'possibles' in the parts? I'm working on harmonic palette but I also want to be very certain in what I play. I practise possibles but find the real test is having the good ideas in the first place. And like most (I'm sure) I'm my own harshest critic...

JimmyJ · « **Reply #10 on:** December 30, 2009, 11:55:47 AM »

Jake,

Thanks for your support in both my cheating and my spin on JT's bass parts.

He certainly is a great guitar player. One of the things about playing with him is that he's already playing all our parts - including the bass part. When he plays the song by himself everything is there, he doesn't really need us... So he essentially writes our parts while writing the tune.

What's left for us to interpret are decisions like which octave and how many pushes to catch with him. (He tends to play the bass note with his thumb as a pickup to the chord which falls on the downbeat. Cutest example of this is when cuing a final chord, he can't help but sound the bottom note before the band comes crashing in.)

Another admission here; although I've played fretless on at least one tune of each record I don't bring that bass on the road for the live gigs. Part of the reason is that I am always doubling JT's bottom string and if the sound on stage is not ideal it becomes very difficult to match his intonation, and that can just get ugly! Also, when I first joined the band Carols Vega's sage advice was don't make the gig harder than it needs to be. And furthermore, I've been to many shows where the bass player changes basses 10 times and I simply could not hear any difference from the audience side of the PA...

So those are the forces which shape the JT bass parts. It may sound like a stifling musical situation to some but I dig the challenge of playing the right note with the correct dynamic at the exact moment consistently every night. That's enough to occupy my wee brain!

I'm not sure what you mean by 'possibles' but I'm guessing you mean alternative notes or extra bits? There are a few moments here and there in James' set but I tend to concentrate on being exact as opposed to changing things up, again partly because I'm just doubling him. The other members of the band are better at altering things and the instrumental solos are open and different each night. I save that kind of thing for my other gigs. (With Holdsworth it's like a year-end sale all notes must go! Ha!!!)

Jimmy J

lbpesq · « **Reply #11 on:** December 30, 2009, 12:17:50 PM »

I've always wondered if musicians who change instruments on every song are really doing it so they can write each instrument off as a business expense?

Bill, tgo

chuckc · « **Reply #12 on:** December 31, 2009, 05:50:29 AM »

Jimmy, I hate to admit it, but I had no idea who you were up until you began interacting on the Alembic Club forum. I knew of your playing but just not your name. I was originally exposed to your great talent when one of my engineers turned me on the to the Flim and the BB's Big Notes CD back in the mid 80's. I later saw you perform live with JT in Houston about 10 years ago but still never made the association with the BB's but none the less it is refreashing to read your posts and I enjoy your willingness to divulge your tricks of the trade in such a down to earth approach. Keep up the excellent work and I think we all look forward to your coninued posts here in the club. Thanks

richbass939 · « **Reply #13 on:** December 31, 2009, 06:35:39 AM »

Jimmy,
Like Chuckc said, I love hearing all the little things you add in about your gigs, your sound, etc; all the practical stuff about gigging with different folks. Thanks for taking the time to let us in on the secrets. It's like attending a master class.
Rich

JimmyJ · « **Reply #14 on:** January 01, 2010, 10:42:44 AM »

Thanks Chuck and Rich. It's a good bunch of folks in here, certainly music enthusiasts and supporters of finely made instruments! I've been playing these series basses for so long that I figure the least I can do is join the conversation. Bear with my extended rambles...
See you around the virtual place,
Jimmy J