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Double Bass My new bass.

J

Jgarrick86

Nov 27, 2013
2
0
#1
My grandpa was a badass. He spent most of his time in the drudgery of car manufacturing in Detroit, but his retirement from that life was only one of his many accomplishments. He was also a gifted jazz sax player, a WWII vet who earned a Purple Heart on recon in the Pacific theatre, a father of two daughters, a loving husband, and a business owner . . . In his free time. We were very close in my early years, but when my grandma suffered a stroke in '96 he devoted most of his time to caring for her and I wasn't able to see him as often as I wanted. He was my cub master while I was in primary school. I remember sitting, an enthralled ten year old, on the porch swing at the lake cottage he bought for my family while he tried to give me crash course on jazz theory over a summer break. I joined band the next school year. I played sax, but something always drew me to the upright bass. It seemed to fit the route I wanted to follow as a musician. Years passed. I became a fluent guitarist, fiddled around with the mandolin, banjo, and piano in a folk band, but the draw of the upright kept gnawing at me. I imagined me and papa hashing out a jazz duet together, though he had long since stopped playing at this point. Years passed. I became a chef and a father. I still felt that gnawing, but a UB was never in the budget. Papa passed away and I flew from Colorado to Florida to attend his funeral. Recently, the lake cottage was sold and I received a small inherentence. Based on advice gleaned from this forum I ordered a Thompson upright. It was delivered two days ago. I like to think it was crafted out of the same wood as that porch swing. When I draw dots in chalk onto the side of the neck, I think of him. And whenever I'm holed up in my bedroom practicing scales, he's right next to me, laying over a beautiful melody. Thanks for the bass, Papa.
 
#13
Got me a little mistyeyed. Made me think of my pa pa. He died when I was 10. We used to sit on his front porch swing listening to the rain while he would play the banjo and smoke. Sorry for your loss. He has to love that you are going to get some soothing and enjoyment from the sale of the house. I hope this helps you deal with his passing. Beautiful story.
 

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