Warburton Pain Report

Paul Warburton · #1 07-15-2006, 04:55 AM

I thought since doing my first gig in 4 years it would be fun to send in a 'Pain Report' mainly for noobies, to see what you have to go through to get in 'BASS SHAPE' and for older cats who, like me, are starting over again.
Last Sunday I did a 2 hr. jazz Brunch at a Jazz joint here in Denver called Dazzles. I escaped with a good sized blood blister on my index finger and some sore muscles on my upper thighs from squeezing my bass between my legs (I sit on a stool)
Today, I.m gonna play a 2 hr. cocktail hour at a place downtown called Sullivans. One of my other 'musical sons' besides the great Eric Gunnison who is on my Speak Low CD, Pat Bianchi called me for this gig.....he's a young MFer and will probably kick my old ass.
I'll post a Pain Report tomorrow on this gig.
Then, I play that same Brunch tomorrow for 2 hrs. i'll post another PR.
Cheers

Jake · #2 07-15-2006, 05:47 AM

It's good to hear you're playing again.

Paul Warburton · #3 07-15-2006, 07:40 AM

Thanks Jake, I owe alot of my hunger to play again to all my friends on TBDB....it's kept my interest up and trying to help younger players here on the forum has kept me up on it....

Aaron Saunders · #4 07-15-2006, 08:54 AM

Shouldn't be long before your tuckus is kicked back into shape! How'd the blood blister end up? Is it all the way gone now?

Andy Allen · #5 07-15-2006, 10:49 AM

Wow - you've really dived back into the deep end!

I'm looking forward to hearing reports from the gigs...and not just about the pain.

You've been a great inspiration to us, so if we've inspired you back at all then that's just "what goes around comes around."

Good luck,

Andy

KSB - Ken Smith · #6 07-15-2006, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

Thanks Jake, I owe alot of my hunger to play again to all my friends on TBDB....it's kept my interest up and trying to help younger players here on the forum has kept me up on it....

Paul, I never knew you stopped playing. With a beautiful 5er like yours, I don't know how you could stop. I stayed retired for about 15 years. After I got my Batchelder, Charles Fambrough invited me to sit-in and do some Bass duets at a jazz concert. Prior to retiring most of my work was either a B'way sub or a Jingle. I was good for 30 seconds to about 2 minutes but playing a 15 minute tune on the DB just about killed me on stage. This 'stamina' re-building happened every time I went into something new. When I joined a Symphony here, I got severe pain in first my right hand and then my left hand.

The only remedy I have found is to play and practice proper technique at all times. If the pain gets bad, take a break but don't under any circumstances alter your technique which can easily lead to bad habits.

Stick with it and go back to basics with a gentle but steady practice routine.

mchildree · #7 07-15-2006, 05:16 PM

Great news to see you're playing again Paul. Your presence has been missed around here, too.

Paul Warburton · #8 07-16-2006, 07:35 AM

Thanks mchildree....Well, last evenings cocktail hr. at Sullivans was really great. My boy Pat Bianchi played his ass off. He said I kicked his ass, but I think he just said that to make me feel good.
You gotta remember, I haven't seen many of these people in four years, before my wife passed away. A great friend of mine, Dave Showers, a fan of the best kind who buys 10 copies of eveyone CDs to give out for Christmas presents, came to the Sullivans, and on a break told me that one of the musical loves of my life, The great pianist Art Lande was playing at a hotel downtown with an old singer friend, Tina Phillips. We went down there after the gig and Art and Tina were both kinda floored to see me. In the audience, sitting with Arts wife was someone who looked so familiar.....I asked Dave who it was and he said it was Fred Hersch (spell?) I hadn't seen him in a couple years when we did a gig together in Boulder. Sorry to say, he didn't look too well. Fred is an AIDS survivor he gave me a hug and a little kiss on my cheek. That almost made me cry. What a fabulous talent.
Well, back to the pain issue. My left hand finger tips don't look bad, but they're so sore, i'm having trouble typing this. The blood blister on my right index finger dried out and provided a nice buffer for the raw meat underneath. My body is the bad part....my neck is so stiff I can hardly turn my head.
I have that Jazz Brunch to play this morning at 11.I'm gonna just suck it up, because I got another call for a gig at the end of this month. Also, Pat said I could do that cocktail hr. with him almost any time I want to.
Thanks for listening and i'll report back soon.
Oh, Kenny Boy, thanks for the advice. Of course you're 100% right. This is just not as easy as it was 40 years ago. I would think nothing of laying off for a few months and then jump back in. I really have to push myself to pull this off, but, I look at it as my last shot at coming back. I can't see myself quiting for a while to rest up again. I think that would be a fatal mistake....it's now or never, but I have so many people on my side I think i'll come out smellin' like a rose.

philip sirois · #9 07-16-2006, 07:51 AM

Paul,

I love that you're jumping back in there. I think I can speak for everyone on TBDB, that you're the godfather around these parts.
Everyone here has so much respect for you, your playing, and what you've been through the past few years. I don't think it surprises anybody that you have a lot of friends in the business, and that you'll get all the gigs you care to play. Good luck, and keep us posted.

phil

Mike Crumpton · #10 07-16-2006, 08:41 AM

... and I get worried abut taking more than a week off.

Over hear in England it would have been "Paul who" until I met you on TB but apart from your experience and wit your sample just floored me - I still rate 'My one and Only Love' as an all time favourite.

One thing that has happened to me when I took time out from playing (haven't had much if any from bass but I used to play a lot of clarinet and haven't manged to fit in the TB hang for some time) is that coming back to it and having to re-learn some things again is that priorities become clearer - I knew more what mattered to me and wasn't going to waste time like I had in the past.

Now if this is in any way the same for you I would be very very interested to learn what your personal reflections are on what matters to you and what doesn't. This might just be personal things but if you're prepared to say it would still be interesting to us all, since even that will say something about whether we should seek bass truth in knowledge or in ourselves.

I can't wait to hear some new TB samples

but good luck in everything you play and do whatever.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #11 07-16-2006, 08:58 AM

Way to go, Paul - good to hear you're jumping back in the water, and that you have so many good people around you. That's kinda what life is about when it's good. Amazing that Fred would just happen to be sitting watching a gig in Denver, but I envy you for having played with him. He's one of my biggest influences. I really hate to hear that he's in rough shape, although I can't help but notice that he's been losing weight ever since I first saw him play back in the early 90's.

Anyway, now that you're back up on the horse, just stay on, okay? You've given a lot of folks a great example here at TB.

Paul Warburton · #12 07-17-2006, 04:50 AM

I made it through yesterdays brunch OK. Except: I play alot of triplets using my left hands ring finger. You know kinda like Red does in a subltle way. I've heard Ray and Ron do this too in a not so subtle way...anyway, the meat right up by the finger nail is so raw, I can feel my pulse beating through it. I think i'll stop doing that for a while..ha!
The very worst part is my neck is so sore I can't turn it and it's making my head ache!!
Bring 'em on!!!

Ed Fuqua · #13 07-17-2006, 11:55 AM

Like everbody else, I'm SO HAPPY to hear that you've started playing again. The pain in the neck thing usually just happens with me if I'm having to drag around a bad drummer all night; hitting the steam room/sauna and then getting a massage usually does the trick.

Keep us up to date on what's going on. Much musical love and good thoughts.

ToR-Tu-Ra · #14 07-17-2006, 06:49 PM

WOW!!! This is so inspiring in more than one way! Being able to "witness" the comeback of a great player, but not only that, you can tell how dear ol' Paul madly loves playing music. Reading about how he deals with pain, blood blisters, etc. and how he doesn't let that put him down. Just makes me feel my hand pains are actually not such a big deal, plus, I'm not alone in this.

My respect to you, Mr. Warburton. WAY TO GO!!!

I'll get off my lazy a$$ and get some practice now...

D McCartney · #15 07-17-2006, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToR-Tu-Ra

I'm not alone in this....

That's what speaks to me about this.

Paul Warburton · #16 07-18-2006, 04:18 AM

Hey, thanks you guys. Ed, I have'nt had to deal with a bad drummer yet...thank the jazz gods!!
The neck thing with the head-ache is by far the worst part. You noobies probly won't have to deal with this too much, because most of you are you are more resiliant than us old farts. I just happen to have a Jacuzzi here in my home and I plan on taking advantage of that today.
Again, having all you guys on my side as well as my jazz family here in Denver is just icing on the cake!
All I have this week is the Sullivans cocktail hr. That'll give me a chance to lick my wounds.
Next week I have that same Sullivans and Sat. a 3 hr. gig with a really good singer named Theresa Carrol and one of our best piano players, Jeff Jenkins. That'll be my first 3 hr. gig.
See ya later, and bless y'all!

Paul Warburton · #17 07-18-2006, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

Hey, thanks you guys. Ed, I have'nt had to deal with a bad drummer yet...thank the jazz gods!!
The neck thing with the head-ache is by far the worst part. You noobies probly won't have to deal with this too much, because most of you are you are more resiliant than us old farts. I just happen to have a Jacuzzi here in my home and I plan on taking advantage of that today.
Again, having all you guys on my side as well as my jazz family here in Denver is just icing on the cake!
All I have this week is the Sullivans cocktail hr. That'll give me a chance to lick my wounds.
Next week I have that same Sullivans and Sat. a 3 hr. gig with a really good singer named Theresa Carrol and one of our best piano players, Jeff Jenkins. That'll be my first 3 hr. gig.
See ya later, and bless y'all!

PS Mike Crumpton mentioed above that you all might enjoy some reflections from me in terms of what's important to me in the musical world....
Right away my old enemy the EGO jumped in and said: Show all these people you have'nt dropped a beat! Show "em all the double and triple stops and fanning of the two and three note stops..play all those flat 5's at the end of the tune....and on and on. PLEASE don't fall for this garbage!
I stopped all that and pretended that some young up and comer was listening to only the bass lines on his/her stereo and was looking for some choice, supportive bass lines to cop....also on my solo's, I thought about My favorite players like Bill, Jim Hall and Red who know how to strip off the fat and get to the meat of the music in terms of amount of notes played. I also remember Mike Moore saying: Try to just play simple, pretty ideas that will lead you to other tunes that are in your DNA just waiting to come out.

Mike Crumpton · #18 07-18-2006, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

PS Mike Crumpton mentioed above that you all might enjoy some reflections from me in terms of what's important to me in the musical world....
Right away my old enemy the EGO jumped in and said: Show all these people you have'nt dropped a beat! Show "em all the double and triple stops and fanning of the two and three note stops..play all those flat 5's at the end of the tune....and on and on. PLEASE don't fall for this garbage!
I stopped all that and pretended that some young up and comer was listening to only the bass lines on his/her stereo and was looking for some choice, supportive bass lines to cop....also on my solo's, I thought about My favorite players like Bill, Jim Hall and Red who know how to strip off the fat and get to the meat of the music in terms of amount of notes played. I also remember Mike Moore saying: Try to just play simple, pretty ideas that will lead you to other tunes that are in your DNA just waiting to come out.

I just checked in on TB on my way round to a pro pianist's for tea and jazz with him and his wife with whom I play (music

) regularly. I have done a couple of nicely paying gigs with her husband too and I would so much like to impress. I'm on my way out of the door - I was telling myself off for even looking at this before I left - but I am going to look at this message as a message sent from the gods as indeed it is!

Thanks Paul! Thanks a lot!

Jake deVilliers · #19 07-18-2006, 02:18 PM

" I stopped all that and pretended that some young up and comer was listening to only the bass lines on his/her stereo and was looking for some choice, supportive bass lines to cop....also on my solo's, I thought about My favorite players like Bill, Jim Hall and Red who know how to strip off the fat and get to the meat of the music in terms of amount of notes played. I also remember Mike Moore saying: Try to just play simple, pretty ideas that will lead you to other tunes that are in your DNA just waiting to come out."

Beautifully said Paul. I wish there was a way to get that feeling into players when they were young (myself included!) so that they could get to the heart of the musical matter sooner and bypass the ego-driven "Faster, louder, more!" part of the development process.

Happy playing, Jake

Paul Warburton · #20 07-19-2006, 03:50 AM

I did an interview for Bass Player magazine (Oct.,96), and that gave me the chance to spout off a bit about the 'old ego'.
Years ago, I felt like I owed the listeners and fans a little show. Especially friends who would bring in others, after telling them: "You gotta' hear this guy...he played with Bill Evans!" I sure didn't want to let anyone down, so, off I went with the show. I realized later that it felt much better to be known as a player who can tell a musical story and uses the spaces in the music as much as he/she uses the notes.
Again, players like Miles, Bill Evans, Jim Hall and Red Mitchell will show you the way...just listen.
Mike mentions 'My One and Only Love' ofF my Quartet sample as one of his favorites, and I must say, it's also my favorite of my recording efforts because it's so simple.
One of my best compliments came from the great Stan Getz at a concert we did with Dick Hindman and Eddie Marshall in San Francisco. He said: "That was a great solo. It just proves that less is more".