Double Bass George Mraz' Book

[Jeff Bonny]

This is my semi-annual plea to anyone knowing where I can get a copy of the Georeg Mraz book of walking basslines? Loaned mine out twenty or so years ago and never got it back. I'm not sure how much I really need it at this point but it really bugs me not to have a copy...

Thanks.
jeff

 

[Mark Carlsen]

Is this a joke like the thread for his bow or strings? I've followed George for years and as far as I know he has never written a book of any kind for bass;are you sure you're not talking about Mike Richmond's book which George has endoresed.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

Is this a joke like the thread for his bow or strings? I've followed George for years and as far as I know he has never written a book of any kind for bass;are you sure you're not talking about Mike Richmond's book which George has endoresed.

No joke. It was a deceptively simple little book of walking blues lines. I bought it in the early '80's.

 

[Mark Carlsen]

Who published it?I think if it was on the market it would still be out there today and as far as I know there are transcriptions of George's walking lines in other books ,but nothing George ever put out himself.Ever try to get a lesson from him?

 

[Adrian Cho]

Is this a joke like the thread for his bow or strings?QUOTE]

I thought those posts for George Mraz's bow and strings were intended to be serious. Not suprisingly though, none of us took it seriously.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

Who published it?I think if it was on the market it would still be out there today and as far as I know there are transcriptions of George's walking lines in other books ,but nothing George ever put out himself.Ever try to get a lesson from him?

I wish I could remember the publisher. If memory serves me the book was a thin, brown magazine sized paper cover. The whole thing was a blues in C starting with just chord tones, moving through rhythmic devices and non-chord tones and finishing with a transcription(s?). I don't recall having seen the Mike Richmond book, is that what I just described? I was sure it was from Mraz but maybe the years have clouded my recollection.

 

[Adrian Cho]

What you've described is not the Mike Richmond book.

 

[Mark Carlsen]

Well the Brown paper magazine cover,C-blues,chord tones,Etc. seem to fit the Richmond book pretty much .Maybe pick one up thru Lemur Music and I guess yuo'll know,,,
Thanks for an interesting thought: must go transcribe some George.

 

[Adrian Cho]

The Richmond book has a yellowish, cream coloured cover. The various examples are given in different keys - not just C and there are no particular transcriptions that I remember. I'm on the road at the moment and don't have my copy to check that last point but I'm quite sure. I know definitely that it does not have everything in the key of C.

 

[Mark Carlsen]

Mine is Magazine size,it starts in C and does move to other keys and adds rhythmic devices,but has no transcription ,But think about it;what other book comes close to this discription and sounds alot like George's type of lines.It's worth the money anyways....

 

[Jeff Bonny]

The Richmond book has a yellowish, cream coloured cover. The various examples are given in different keys - not just C and there are no particular transcriptions that I remember. I'm on the road at the moment and don't have my copy to check that last point but I'm quite sure. I know definitely that it does not have everything in the key of C.

The Mraz book has everything in C Maj and was a medium brown, definitely not cream. Why the hell am I the only one who's ever seen this thing? That seems REALLY strange... I kinda feel like at some point I shifted here from a parallel universe where everything is exactly the same except that George didn't write a book in this one.

 

[anonymous0726]

It's pretty funny to have a 'Sliders' reference in the DB arena!

 

[Mark Carlsen]

I forgot to mention the little drawing on the cover of the Richmond book of a Secret Agent/Bass thumbing a ride ,walking down a path of footsteps.
Adrian was right on the current editions color ,although mine is a tan/ brown color.[Maybe 15 years old]
There's a photo on Lemur site under jazz books.I would attach it,but I'm not that good w. the computer.
The only other thing this book could be is maybe a copy of anything George used when he taught for Atilla Zoller up in Vermont at his jazz camp back in the 80's.But I feel you just had the first couple of chapters of the Richmond book.Mike does give good examples of pull-offs,and other rhythmic devices.$11.00 US from Lemur Music.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

I forgot to mention the little drawing on the cover of the Richmond book of a Secret Agent/Bass thumbing a ride ,walking down a path of footsteps.
Adrian was right on the current editions color ,although mine is a tan/ brown color.[Maybe 15 years old]
There's a photo on Lemur site under jazz books.I would attach it,but I'm not that good w. the computer.
The only other thing this book could be is maybe a copy of anything George used when he taught for Atilla Zoller up in Vermont at his jazz camp back in the 80's.But I feel you just had the first couple of chapters of the Richmond book.Mike does give good examples of pull-offs,and other rhythmic devices.$11.00 US from Lemur Music.

Definitely not the Richmond book. It had the feel of something that might have been put together for a jazz camp though and I'll bet that's what it was. I probably just got lucky finding a copy in a music store.. oh well.