I met Klaus Voorman last night

[corinpills]

For all you old geezers like me, I got to meet Klaus last night at a show he did with Yoko at the Brooklyn Academy Of music. It was a star- studded evening with Sean Lennon leading Scissor Sisters, Mark Ronson, Sonic Youth and Cornelius through some old and new Plastic Ono songs. At the end, Klaus came out with Jim Keltner and did old tunes including a version of Yer Blues with Sean on lead vocals. Sean also played some very solid lines on a green jazz bass.

I was a bit bummed that Klaus didn't have his old P bass with him, he was playing a weird 10 string bass/guitar hybrid he built, but he sounded really solid. I got to talk to him for a moment and get his signature on the pickguard to my old Hofner Senator bass. he's one of my favorite players, so it was a bit of a thrill to meet him.

[5StringBlues]

Very,very cool.

I,given the chance,could talk to Klaus for hours on end.

Talk about done it all/seen it all!

[SlingBass4]

Originally Posted by 5StringBlues

Very,very cool.

I,given the chance,could talk to Klaus for hours on end.

Talk about done it all/seen it all!

Indeed! For all us ol' farts it would have been entertaining, and an ideal evening of history melded with the modern - one can't begin to put a price on that

[corinpills]

Where do you even start? Tell us about when you played bass with the Beatles in Hamburg when Stu didn't feel like it. tell us about when you designed the cover of Revolver, then joined Manfred Mann and then played with John, George and Ringo on their best solo material, did the concert for bangladesh and played with Lou Reed, Carly Simon, harry Nillson, etc. I was very happy to shake his hand. I completely forgot to ask whether the intro to "You're So Vain" is a nod to Willie Weeks.

[emblymouse]

So you just had your ol' Hofner Senator pickguard on you or what?

[funkytoe]

I'm jealous... and excited for you. I love Klaus' p-bass tone. One of the best ever.

[JimmyM]

you know, i never thought a whole lot about his playing, but one night i got some flak for it on here, so i went and looked up his discography. turns out he did some really awesome work that i had no idea he did. like i never knew that totally badass bass intro on "you're so vain" was him. or that he played bass and flute on "the mighty quinn" by manfred mann. pretty cool.

[GlennW]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

he played bass and flute on "the mighty quinn" by manfred mann.

"Tell me where it hurts you, honey, and I'll tell you who to call."

I always liked his bass playing...good blues style, nice stuff without being too flashy. And he's good with a pencil too.

[corinpills]

Originally Posted by emblymouse

So you just had your ol' Hofner Senator pickguard on you or what?

Oh yes, I carry it around with me. BTW, any of you know anything about protecting autographs on a pickguard?

[GlennW]

You could cover it in fake leopard skin.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

like i never knew that totally badass bass intro on "you're so vain" was him. .

Dang! I always thought It was Lee Sklar. I am now smarter than I was 5 minutes ago. Thank you JimmyM. Take the rest of the day off...with pay.

[corinpills]

Here's a bit of Klaus and Jim Keltner- there were big security goons thwarting any attempts to take photos. I literally had to shoot this through the button hole in my coat, so that's why the footage is so shaky. Also, you have to cut Sean a little slack- they had not rehearsed this beforehand and he said he'd never sung it before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzyXHAqiJaM

[Roy Vogt]

Originally Posted by corinpills

F
I was a bit bummed that Klaus didn't have his old P bass with him, he was playing a weird 10 string bass/guitar hybrid he built, but he sounded really solid.

Interesting, from your Youtube clip it looks like a Santucci Treblebass-did you get to ask him what it was?

[corinpills]

It's an instrument called the Vootar which he designed in 1965 and had Vox build for him. He has since teamed up with a luthier to make a more modern version. It's essentially a bass with guitar on the same neck, but I have to say; I didn't hear him playing anything on the upper strings.

[corinpills]

here's a photo fo Klaus with the Vootar:

[Pablo Fanque]

Sounds awesome! I love Klaus if for no other reason than his design of the Revolver cover. I could ask him so many things if given the chance.

I met Pete Best. Nice man. Still a lousy drummer.

[troy mcclure]

Wow, you are a brave guy..I am a huge Beatles fan, but not sure I could endure 1 song of Yoko even if it meant meeting Klaus

[GregDunn]

Got to meet Klaus at Beatlefest a couple of years ago. He had a lot of artwork on display and was signing, chatting, taking pictures with all the fans. Seemed to be a little surprised at his popularity, but very pleasant and low key.

[corinpills]

Originally Posted by troy mcclure

Wow, you are a brave guy..I am a huge Beatles fan, but not sure I could endure 1 song of Yoko even if it meant meeting Klaus

Ah, not your cup of tea, eh? I'm not a huge Yoko fan or anything, I kind of enjoy the concept of her art more than the art itself, but I have to say; after doing it for 50 years since before she met John, I think her screeching is just as valid an instrument of avant garde experimental music as Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music. Neil Young's Weld, Rahsaan Roland Kirk's freakier moments, Stockhausen, etc. Also, I think it's best taken in the context of her overall art as part of the fluxus movement. I mean, her music is just as valid as Jackson Pollack's painting, but he didn't break up the Beatles.

That's all artsy-fartsy ******** to make me feel better about spending $60 to hear Yoko sing out of tune, but some of it's also true.

There are some really good reviews of the shows at

http://imaginepeace.com/archives/9356?utm_source=rss

I kind of lean towards the feelings expressed in the New York Times review.

[edmidlifecrisis]

Great clip. It seems that Clapton played on that song during the live show. He wasn't at the rehearsal? Was a nice Clapton-like guitar solo, though...