Christian McBride is coming to my gig!

Very cool! Don't sweat it. With a player that good, there is nothing you could play that would impress him anyway.

I'm not kidding. I had the fortune/misfortune of growing up in the the same city with Tommy Kennedy. When he would show up at a gig I was playing, I freaked out a bit early on. Then, I realized that even on my best night with the best band playing the best music, there is NOTHING I could play that would interest, impress, or otherwise even be noticed by those guys.

To Christian McBride, the difference between you on your best night and you on your worst night is probably the difference between 10% and 11% on his 'scale on notice' Once you realize that, it becomes fun and an honor to be in the same room with a player like that.

After I came to that realization, it was no big deal!

Looks like he's coming to talk cigars - Just show him the picture of the "humidor Roscoe" bass - http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=165094&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1272149699

Posted by rkingly in the Roscoe forum a couple of days back.

1. Fall while going on stage - fake a hand injury
2. Have the keyboard player ask if anyone in the audience can play bass.
3. ???
4. Relax, have a cigar and enjoy the concert.

Be confident & open the old ears up & you'll be just fine.

Thanks oren for the shout out about the Humidor Bass. Check the
Roscoe pics page for killer photos. Page 7.

DaveAceofBass said:

I'll feel silly reading from a "Real Book" in front of him. I'm probably just going to play my electric bass, I don't want to look like an idiot in front of Christian, but that's kind of tough when he's already WAY better than me!

Click to expand...

We're all the same when we're sitting on the bowl... - He ain't gonna judge ya, playahs don't.... We've all been there and, there's always someone better..... In fact, if he's there before ya start, go tell him you're shaking in your pants by his presence, I bet he'll get a kick out of it and you'll probably feel a little relieved.

So I say, congratulations!!! How awesome it'll be if ya get to hang with him a bit and see what ya can learn.

Let us know how it goes afterward....

-PE

Those gigs are cool. I went to a fancy Davidoff Cigar dinner in Georgetown DC a bunch of years ago at Mortons' Steakhouse. Big fun. Gotta love it.

He must be a cigar fan. I knew I liked him for a reason!

Inquiring minds want to know, How did the gig go?

thats so funny it just happened to me

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=653158

Another thing to think about, in order not to get stressed out in these situations:

No player, no matter how great, can do EVERYTHING. I remember a mid-'70s Guitar Player interview with Stanley Clarke in which he said that he was basically in awe of anyone who can use a pick, because he'd tried it repeatedly and was hopeless at it.
And my old upright teacher, Richard Davis, passed along some advice that his father had given him: If you have a conversation with an incoherent drunk on the street, don't dismiss him, because he might say one thing that will stay with you forever. You can apply that to music, too.
So, a player like Christian McBride is probably wise enough to listen to any other bass player, hoping to pick something up, and every player -- even mortals like us -- has *something* different going on. Just try to play your best.

dougjwray said:

Another thing to think about, in order not to get stressed out in these situations:

No player, no matter how great, can do EVERYTHING. I remember a mid-'70s Guitar Player interview with Stanley Clarke in which he said that he was basically in awe of anyone who can use a pick, because he'd tried it repeatedly and was hopeless at it.
And my old upright teacher, Richard Davis, passed along some advice that his father had given him: If you have a conversation with an incoherent drunk on the street, don't dismiss him, because he might say one thing that will stay with you forever. You can apply that to music, too.
So, a player like Christian McBride is probably wise enough to listen to any other bass player, hoping to pick something up, and every player -- even mortals like us -- has *something* different going on. Just try to play your best.

Click to expand...

+1.


Here's how I look at it.......

Keep in mind that to the public at large Christian McBride is no more a 'name' than you are. Yes, we as bass players know him because his pyrotechnic playing has put him on the cover of bass magazines for years. And what KJung said is true, you're probably NOT going to impress him if you try shedding 16th/32nd notes in thumb position or blowing bebob heads with the bow, unless of course you're a bad mofo in which case, hat's off to ya.

Still, I bet that the few times that the average listener might have heard Christian, say on a Diane Reeves album for instance, he was most likely just playing the basic role of a bassist that we ALL share: playing the time, outlining the changes, swinging/grooving with the drums, etc. So it's good to keep in mind that while you might not be able to shred the bass like him, you can at least be as good of a teamplayer as any of these 'names'. I know PLENTY of local guys whose ability to support a band and lay down a groove are equal to any of the 'bass gods'.

Of course, that's not to say that I myself wouldn't have SERIOUS heart palpatations if Christian McBride walked in on MY gig!!! Sounds like you handled it like a champ!