video

[fingers]

From a recent concert at the Arts Club of Chicago.

Doing my best to channel Leroy at 7:00.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=54283170676

[Paul Warburton]

Yeah, Marc....and you DID. I like this for a couple different reasons. First, with my ego (which I have been recently been trying to tame, musically, anyway.) in the past, I NEVER would have taken the time, care, or PATIENCE to just walk a few choruses for my solo. I used to have to cover EVERY damn note AND position on the instrument. And, NOT going into the thumb positions....NO way. No double stops? Not a chance.
On that old Hampton Hawes Trio record from the 50's, Red plays a great walking solo on Hamp's "Hamp's Blues" No skips, no bookitty-bookitty's....just MUSIC. Like your solo.
The other night, I was hanging out at a club here. One of my bass player friends here in Denver played a nice solo, including, to me, an obvious quote from a Ray Brown solo. Being the cool one I am, I screamed out "RAY BROWN". The bassist KNEW, what I knew, what he knew. (Izzat right?). It was a nice tip of his hat to Ray. Kinda "inside", meant only for us bass players....pure gold.

[Nathan Parker]

Very nice. I think a whole solo of walking bass is a classy thing to do. I really dig your sound.

[fingers]

Thanks Paul and Nathan.

Paul. Thanks for commenting. Speak Low has been on regular rotation in my cd player or a while now so I am flattered that you like this cut. I have been trying really hard of late to think about making simple yet strong statements with my solos. Like everybody I am guilty of being a noodle factory from time to time. I've just been trying to take a deep breath and only play it if I really mean it.

Truthfully I have been learning to get intense satisfaction out of supporting other players. I'll solo on every tune if the leader insists but I'll be just has happy with no solos but helping to make everything else sound and feel great.

Nathan, I'm almost totally acoustic on that set. I do have my amp (Realist into a GK MB150s) but I barely have it on. That's a pretty cool acoustic space and if I am playing with a real piano that is not mic'd I try to balance acoustically as much as possible.

Thanks for listening guys.

[fingers]

Here's a few more from the same gig.

500 Miles High

One of the piano player's originals called In Confidence.

One of the sax player's tunes called 4.23

Swingin' at the Haven

One of my favorite ballads Bonnie

Enjoy.

[fingers]

Couple more...
Deluge

Amalgasantos

[fingers]

So the leader got a video camera for xmas and is filming up a storm.

This is an arrangement I did of All or Nothing At All. I'd love any feedback on my arrangement idea.

[Eric Hochberg]

Originally Posted by fingers

So the leader got a video camera for xmas and is filming up a storm.

This is an arrangement I did of All or Nothing At All. I'd love any feedback on my arrangement idea.

Real nice, Marc. I like the elongated version. I think Chris sounds best when he keeps his phrasing on the legato side, deep, smooth with long notes. That complements the long form better than the stacatto rhythmic stuff he sometimes does. When the melody is stretched out like that, it really has to be "sold", if you know what I mean.

[fingers]

Thanks for listening Eric. I originally wrote that arrangement for a singer I was playing with that has a Julie London kind of delivery. A very plaintiff quality to her voice. Very straight and sultry. I agree that Chris sometimes gets a little fancy the way horn players are known to do. We'll probably do that one tonight so I'll pass that info on. Thanks.

[Treyzer]

Finally found this video, It was up sometime this week and then I couldn't find it when I got home to listen. Anyway, very cool. Your band sounds great. Your playing is, of course, strong and I like your conception on the walking solo.

At one point, after I got real comfortable in TP, I seemed to play all my solos (and as many notes as possible) up in that portion of the fingerboard. Then something changed after about a year of that and I realized TP was just part of the pallete not the whole picture! After another span of time I began to realize I didn't have to play everything all over the bass all of the time and began to concentrate on strong musical statements regardless of technique. I'm kinda jealous you got to this conception so much quicker than I did! Great Job....

T

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by fingers

This is an arrangement I did of All or Nothing At All. I'd love any feedback on my arrangement idea.

Well, Marc...here's my take on your chart.
Being the old fart that I am, I'm real familiar with this tune. Most of the times I've played it, it's been with really good singers with really good arrangements. Because of that and my love of lyrics from the great American standard songbook, I find myself incapable of listening to great tunes like this without the lyrics dancing in my head.
The gist, or idea is this.....this guys on the brink of falling in love with a beautiful woman. She, however, seems reluctant to commit to a serious love affair. He, being the selfish pig that he is, wants the whole ten yards OR nothing at all. As you guys have alluded to, that long form takes up a lot of musical and verbal space to tell the story. It's all about tension and release. When you get to the bridge, the lyrics go something like this...."So, please don't bring your lips so close to my cheek. Don't smile or I'll be lost beyond recall." In other words.... don't mess with me like that. Lemee alone, or gimme it all.
This part of the tune suggests, to me, some release of musical tension. Some charts I've played go into four for the tension breaker....pretty much sticking to the written changes. You can do many things get that job done. For me, it accomplishes two things: It gives your listeners a tip to where you are in the form so they can better understand the musical ideas of the players. Most importantly, it gives the players a better shot at building even more tension up to that point, allowing even more release.
I better stop now 'cause I'm getting real excited and have to visit my bathroom.
Right on.....PW.

PS....A bit of musical history here for you yougin's.
Many, many years ago musicians would refer to what we now call the "bridge", as the "release".

[fingers]

Thanks for listening and for the insight Paul.

Whenever I approach an arrangement I always research to tune pretty heavily. Like I said I originally arranged it for a singer so I got many different versions from various eras. I learned the tune (and the words) on piano then started to mess with stuff.

Later, when we were thinking about doing it with an instrumental group I listened to a bunch of versions without vocals and tweaked the arrangement a bit.

For me I often arrange a tune so I can really learn it. Once I can get that inside a tune it become part of me and then I can really play it when it gets called.