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Cruise ship gigging

#21
whero said:
I'm not 100% sure who the bass player was on this song, but John Paul Young has used a backing band called "The All Stars Band" for most of his career. The bass player from that ensemble would most likely have been a guy named Ronnie Peel, who used the stage name "Rockwell T James". He played with a number of other Australian and New Zealand artists, and also had a short-lived spot with Thunderclap Newman. He died late last year.
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Sounds like John Paul Young managed to carve out quite a career without ever leaving the Australia/New Zealand area.
 
#22
Tom Read said:
I've been a pro bass player for 35 years. In that time I've ticked off most of the gig types out there - tours, festivals, pubs, clubs, venues, recording studios, stadiums, theatres, radio, TV, gigging abroad etc. One always eluded me - the cruise ship.



Well, at the tender age of 51, I'm on one now - the brand new Saga Spirit of Adventure, on its maiden voyage.



It's gone pretty well so far. I'm in a decent band (with a great drummer - essential). The rigs provided on board are all Mark Bass (same as my own at home).



There is a nice German double bass on board for the occasional background jazz set in the restaurant, but most of the time I'm plodding away on my 1988 Fender Jazz.



I have a nice passenger cabin with a balcony (and to myself as well), and eatring great food in the on board restaurants three times a day.



It's a shame that it's not all that practical to get off the ship on port days, but one has to remember that the tight Covid protocols are keeping everyone safe, and moreover, keeping the gig going. Many of my fellow pros are still not yet working again.



There's no day off - it's a 7 day working week. Those days tend to have 4, 5 or even sometimes 6 sets to play, and sometimes with the first at 12 noon and the last finishing at midnight! In between those sets, I'm still writing bass transcriptions in my cabin. I've brought a small tablet running Musescore with me, and a Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard. I've had a couple of orders from my website, but mainly I've been writing myself bass charts I need for the shows on here.



So I have new bass transcriptions for you!

Two of these result from orders from my website where the customer has agreed to share the finished chart freely via the website in return for a 50% reduction in the price paid. The other two have been transcribed for the band sets on the cruise ship gig I'm currently working on.

The "headline" of these is undoubtedly the transcription of the full 8+ minutes of virtuoso double bassist Esperanza Spalding's "Cuerpo y Alma". This is a complete transcription - no repeats, signs or coda - every note, every variation, main groove, improvisations and the bass solo! It took me rather a long time to complete it, working on it between band sets on the ship, so I hope many of you bass players find some entertainment and enjoyment with it!

https://05ee92f2-68dc-4cc0-94b6-973...d/238d8f_ab8644e1ed994742a3c8f5d19e86c315.pdf

Anyone remember when the four original members of Kiss brought out solo albums? I was surprised to be asked to transcribe a track from one of those - "Hooked On Rock 'N' Roll" by Peter Criss. This is a really good rock bassline recorded by Bill Bodine.

https://05ee92f2-68dc-4cc0-94b6-973...d/238d8f_6afbab65078a4c5ba740edb73b0e1e79.pdf

The next one is a track we're doing on board, and one I was unfamiliar with! A disco anthem from Donna Summer - "Last Dance" - and legendary US session bass player Bob Glaub's great part.

https://05ee92f2-68dc-4cc0-94b6-973...d/238d8f_12dda9f745ac45419ab38f0247abb8bb.pdf

Finally, the original John Paul Young version of "Love Is In The Air". I've no idea who the original bassist was on this!

https://05ee92f2-68dc-4cc0-94b6-973...d/238d8f_0298dd6eb4d94ec49285caef8bfbc754.pdf

(OK, quite an easy transcription that one, but plenty of work went into the other three!)

These four, and all the rest of the 878 bass transcriptions in standard notation, are completely free, and remain my gift to the fantastic Talkbass community!

Have a great day!
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On the other hand…you might want to read through this…
My Cruise Ship Experiences (as a bassist) - REDUX
I have no opinion either way beyond it was never something I ever wanted to do, although it might have seemed like an adventure when I was younger.
 
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#23
Great response everyone. I’ll try to share some photos one by one!

Playing upright with the pianist in the lobby.

403D3E44-41B9-4E2B-A551-9F49D69D70D0.jpeg
 
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#36
Congrats on the gig!

If you don't mind a few questions:
  1. How did you get your own quarters on the ship? I understand that that's usually reserved for guest bands. Are you technically ship staff, or no?
  2. You're transcribing a lot of music. Does the majority of your repertoire and setlist require you (personally) to sight read? Or are you playing standards and songs that are well-known to you?
  3. How long are you going to stick with the cruise ship gig?
  4. What's your method for transcription? In the past, when I've done it, it's just been a matter of listening and listening and relistening. (I used Dorico to do a multi-instrument transcription of Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up", as well as "Pick Up The Pieces" by Average White Band, and even though I have a good ear it was just a slow process overall. Especially with Move On Up - seemed like every time I listened, there was a new instrument waiting for me.)
  5. Final question - if you don't mind me asking, how old are you? I'm 35 and maybe in five to ten years I could see myself doing a cruise ship gig for six months to a year or so.
 
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#37
I have great memories from my short time doing cruise gigs. I was on three different ships, all varying in size. It was a pretty sweet gig as bass player with a guest artist, so we got treated pretty well. But you lucked out with a passenger cabin (and a balcony!), I was always on the 2nd deck sharing with the drummer :spit:
 
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#39
mcrawfordmusic said:
I have great memories from my short time doing cruise gigs. I was on three different ships, all varying in size. It was a pretty sweet gig as bass player with a guest artist, so we got treated pretty well. But you lucked out with a passenger cabin (and a balcony!), I was always on the 2nd deck sharing with the drummer :spit:
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I'm tellin' ya! Even when Bowzer did cruise ships on the regular, he'd get a suite and the three guys who sing with him got 2nd floor cabins. At least they got their own cabins and passenger status, but still...getting your own cabin when you're a ship bassist is a rarity in itself, let alone getting one with a balcony!
 
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