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Double Bass Aebersold Summer Jazz Camp

#121
WillemJBassface said:
What's the age range at the camp? Can someone speak more about the facilities? Like, are you in a cabin with no electricity? Or it's a dorm-room at uni campus or something.
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The age range is about 10 to 90 with slightly more 50+ somethings than 30- somethings recently. There are people from all over the world. Typically, 30 to 40 combos, most with 6 to 9 students. The camp is held on the University of Louisville campus. Classes and performances are held at the music building, sleeping quarters are the dorms a quarter mile away or hotels/motels/bed and breakfasts nearby. The campus is a typical small city campus, attractive, with lots of largish 3 and 4 story buildings separated by park-like areas, roughly 4 square miles maybe larger. The dorms are relatively new and pleasant, not small, most campers share a room with one other camper and then share a bathroom with two more. In the past they've had some single rooms available but I haven't seen it as an option when registering the last couple of years. You only pay for what you want: there's tuition for the week, about $700 includes 2.5 hours of combo practice a day, 90 minutes of theory, 90 minutes of master classes on your instrument, an hour musicianship lecture and 2.5 hours of faculty concerts each evening. The dorm is about $40 a day, which just includes a pleasant, clean, safe room. Food service is somewhere around $35 at a University dining hall. Lunch at the dining hall includes a faculty concert. Most people would say the food is not a high-point of the camp. Alternatively, you can eat at many of the lunch places nearby for roughly the same cost, depending on your appetite, for me eating off-campus saved me a couple of bucks. There are a couple of bed and breakfasts within walking distance; they're small and tend to fill up quickly. If you have a car, Louisville is a decent size city and there are hotels/motels for any budget within a 15 minute drive.

Any other questions?
 
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#123
So, yesterday, I had a 4-hour lesson with one of my local teachers. He's a professional bassist, very versatile, and has played a lot of different types of gigs, from big-name pop to local-pro-jazz. Great time, great lines, great solos, always tasteful. We played duets, trading solos and accompaniment. At the Aebersold camp, Rufus is always encouraging us to play duets together. I've done a bit of that for the past couple of years, but yesterday was the first time I really got a chance to dig into it.

It was a TON of fun, partly because my teacher has great time and intonation, so anytime I wandered, I could listen to him and find my way back and partly because the instructional value of hearing his lines after mine on tunes I'd internalized was fantastic. I could hear his more sophisticated harmony and rhythmic hits in direct comparison to mine. Not a huge difference in notes but a huge difference in groove and leading the harmony. A big part of the difference between an amateur and a professional.

I thought I'd post this to help explain why I think Rufus keeps encouraging the bass students to play duets, and, along with the rhythm section trio training this past summer, add my vote for how valuable and fun I found the instruction.
 
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#124
I am planning to attend one week of the the 2016 workshop in Louisville. Been wanting to do this for several years. Yay!
Need to focus on healthy UB technique (tennis elbow) and learning jazz improve after decades of EB rock & blues playing. Very likely will drive the 14 hours in order to bring my upright.
Any tips or tricks from those who have been? Dorm or hotel? Meal plan or not?
Yes I read thru the web page, and am leaning toward the dorm and meal plan for the immersion. The travel wont bother me as I fly or drive for business several times a month. But I will be 59 by then, and my idea of fun&adventure has moderated a bit. Healthy diet and solid rest are far more important to me now.
So what do the veterans recommend?
=JR=
 
#125
The camp is excellent, and you've made a good decision to go.

I have family in the area, so I combined the camp with staying with family at nights. In retrospect, I missed the immersion that comes with being involved with as much as possible. Based on this, I don't see any advantage of a hotel vs. dorm unless you just really hate the dorm experience for some reason. I also skipped the meal plan so I cannot comment, but I can say that there are a few restaurants nearby but unless you're willing to drive, you'll probably end up repeating venues if you skip the meal plan.

Not that you asked, but... take the UB if you're comfortable, but if your elbow is bugging you, EB is not a problem. I'm not trying to sway either way, but I'm just saying that I only took my BG and never felt any negative vibes whatsoever. It is an extremely supportive environment and there are lots of great students and teachers to interact with.
 
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#126
INTP said:
... take the UB if you're comfortable, but if your elbow is bugging you, EB is not a problem. I'm not trying to sway either way, but I'm just saying that I only took my BG and never felt any negative vibes whatsoever. It is an extremely supportive environment and there are lots of great students and teachers to interact with.
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Agree - either is OK. It's about the musical experience. If you're driving, bring both! That way you can play the DB as long as you are comfortable, then switch to BG if there are any issues. Sometimes the amount of playing can overwhelm some DB players who are not used to playing that much in a day for so many hours a day. I've bandaged up more than a few blistered fingers in my time, and even loaned my old BG i my office to some folks who blew out their DB chops before the end of the week. It's all good - we just want you to play and be healthy!
 
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#127
+1 to Chris' advice to bring both BG and URB if you're not used to playing 3 or 4 hours a day. Blisters and muscle fatigue are very really issues for many campers. You'll be in your combo playing for 2 1/2 hours a day, and I usually practice another hour or two, and then there are jam sessions.

As for logistics, if you're driving then picking the dorm or a hotel is a matter of taste and expense. Motels will be slightly more expensive for a weekly rate and you'll have to drive back there the 2 to 5 miles away after you're pretty tired, versus walking 15 minutes to the dorm. The dorm rooms are serviceable; a good value, IMO. If I had a car... I'd probably still stay in the dorm. It's not as comfortable as a hotel, but I'm usually a zombie after the evening concert and wouldn't want to drive.

For the meal plan, it's roughly $10 per meal. Most people would say the food at the University Club is... barely okay, is probably a fair description. It's catered, inexpensive camp food, prepared for 300 people for less than $10 a meal. They're not over-charging you and the food is designed to be palatable to everyone which means nearly no one would say it's their idea of "good". I have heard it described as "inedible" but I'd say that's clearly an exaggeration because plenty of people eat it willingly without much complaint. "Plain" is probably more accurate. But, you get the lunch time concerts, which are great, and if you prefer to chat, there's another room to eat in. You can buy the meals a la carte and that's what I like to do because it gives me options. It probably works out to be a bit more expensive, but for $50, I like the ability to choose.

Be sure to look me up once you get there.
 
#129
Yeah, that's the plan. I'm hoping to spend a lot more time playing hooky and just playing tunes with others; I think I'm ready for that.

I didn't sign up for the weekend workshop this year. Two reasons: 1) it's too much after the busy week and 2) I don't usually get enough out of it because it tends to be more about the guitars than the bass+drums. I've gotten some great instruction in that class, but there's a lot of standing around waiting for the guitars too. Typically 12 guitars to 3 bassist and 3 or 4 drummers. Usually, John Goldsby teaches at least one weekend, if not both, and he makes it worth it all by himself.

You going to camp again too?
 
#131
Tom Lane said:
Yeah, that's the plan. I'm hoping to spend a lot more time playing hooky and just playing tunes with others; I think I'm ready for that.

I didn't sign up for the weekend workshop this year. Two reasons: 1) it's too much after the busy week and 2) I don't usually get enough out of it because it tends to be more about the guitars than the bass+drums. I've gotten some great instruction in that class, but there's a lot of standing around waiting for the guitars too. Typically 12 guitars to 3 bassist and 3 or 4 drummers. Usually, John Goldsby teaches at least one weekend, if not both, and he makes it worth it all by himself.

You going to camp again too?
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Indeed. It's hard to stop going when I have a lot of momentum going to the same teachers year after year and trying to get deeper into the stuff they're teaching - prob same for you at Aebersold. Not to mention the convenience of proximity and ability to network with local peeps. And then there's the intense immersion of getting cut off from the rest of the world while you're there.

If I'm still funemployed by then I might consider Louisville (but not liking the political climate right now should I visit KY). It's either that or driving up to Port Townsend to hang with John Clayton & Matt Wilson.
 
#132
Huy Nguyen said:
Indeed. It's hard to stop going when I have a lot of momentum going to the same teachers year after year and trying to get deeper into the stuff they're teaching - prob same for you at Aebersold. Not to mention the convenience of proximity and ability to network with local peeps. And then there's the intense immersion of getting cut off from the rest of the world while you're there.

If I'm still funemployed by then I might consider Louisville (but not liking the political climate right now should I visit KY). It's either that or driving up to Port Townsend to hang with John Clayton & Matt Wilson.
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Without going too deeply into politics, Louisville is almost like a state unto itself in KY. Very different from what's portrayed about the state in general in the national news.
 
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#135
Thanks @Tom for the nice comments. We'll be sure and play some more duets this year! What can I say about waiting for the guitars . . . it just takes them longer to understand things.

Just for the record, I'll be at both weeks and at both weekend workshops. I'm a glutton for a good time ;)

I actually like the food at the catering hall. It's "simple" but basically well prepared. For breakfast they always have oatmeal (my fav), eggs, toast, fruit, usually some kind of meat-ish item. Lunch and dinner always features some kind of salad and some kind of veggies, with some kind of main course—Sometimes good sometimes not quite what one would hope for. There's always music during lunch (which is great, high-level, killing' stuff), but if you have music overload, then go into the adjacent room. There are a lot of college-type restaurants within walking distance, but if you have a car then you can drive to a nice place once or twice during the week. I would do the meal plan (or go a la carte) and then go out for something good a couple of times. It's a nice vibe in the catering hall with students and faculty.

Just for the logistics: Bring your bass(es) to the audition on the first day, then you can leave it locked in one of the rooms there overnight. No need to move your amp until Monday, when you get assigned to a combo. (Or, you can rent/borrow an amp from the camp supply if you don't bring yours). I 2nd what Chris says—bring both instruments if that seems right for you. You'll be playing a lot and hearing a lot of music. It's challenging but a lot of fun.

See you there!
 
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#136
Ah yes, I forgot to mention that they always have vegetarian options in the food hall, and probably gluten-free too. They're thoughtful about it. Last year I cooked breakfast in my room, and, I'm no gourmet cook, but bacon, eggs, toast and coffee, I know how to cook better than most. Open invitation to anyone who's interested. And then I skipped theory and practiced/warmed up instead. The one thing I kept missing that I regretted was Chris' piano voicings class between dinner and the concert, but I'd either practice or just chat until 7 when I'd go over to the concert hall to snag my favorite seat in the balcony where I could get a good view of John's right-hand. It didn't help that Chris' class is SRO!

As for Louisville, Chris' comments sound right to me. I find the locals at the U have sincere Southern hospitality and charm and the downtown area is quite sophisticated with some excellent restaurants and hotels. Even the airport is very nice for a relatively small airport with again, a few very good restaurants. Like any medium-sized city, there are some sections I don't think I'd want to walk around at night by myself, but they're just here and there. Downtown's pretty cool if you're into that kind of thing, and what, about 3 miles away? Once you leave the U-area though, then... "some" of the folks look like the stereotype. But then, California's supposed to be full of "fruits and nuts" and, there's a grain of truth in that stereotype somewhere too.

Kentucky is definitely a beautiful part of the country.
 

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