I asm going to be doing an interview with Ralphe Armstrong for Gibsonbass.com soon and wondered if you guys had any great questions or anything you wanted to know about Ralphe, his basses or music?
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Ralphe Armstrong interview
- Thread starter Barkless Dog
- Start date
SNAP! Ask him who his biggest influences were, and what it was like to play with Jean-Luc Ponty and the rest of JLP's dream team if you would!
Ralphe Armstrong!! Yes!! Here is my contribution:
-Is it true that you and Jaco auditioned for a gig with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1973, with you getting the gig?
-Were you and Alphonso Johnson among the first fretless bassists in jazz?
-Who were your main influences with regard to electric and upright bass?
-What is your opinion on the contributions of Stanley Clarke, Alphonso Johnson, James Jamerson, Anthony Jackson, Jaco Pastorius, Bunny Brunel, Larry Graham and yourself with regard to the evolution of how the bass is played, recorded, mixed and accepted in it's relatively brief history?
-Do you have any plans to record and/or tour with Earl Klugh, Henry Gibson and/or Jean-Luc Ponty?
That's all for now!
Keep God First!
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!
-Is it true that you and Jaco auditioned for a gig with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1973, with you getting the gig?
-Were you and Alphonso Johnson among the first fretless bassists in jazz?
-Who were your main influences with regard to electric and upright bass?
-What is your opinion on the contributions of Stanley Clarke, Alphonso Johnson, James Jamerson, Anthony Jackson, Jaco Pastorius, Bunny Brunel, Larry Graham and yourself with regard to the evolution of how the bass is played, recorded, mixed and accepted in it's relatively brief history?
-Do you have any plans to record and/or tour with Earl Klugh, Henry Gibson and/or Jean-Luc Ponty?
That's all for now!
Keep God First!
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!
MikeBass
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- Nov 4, 2003
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A side bar- Low Down Sound (here in Detroit) will be hosting a performance/clinic with Ralphe in September sometime, don't recall the date off hand, may be something to mention in the interview as to where guys can catch him play. I know I'll be there!
(and no, I am NOT affliated with Low Down Sound in any way)
(and no, I am NOT affliated with Low Down Sound in any way)
A side bar- Low Down Sound (here in Detroit) will be hosting a performance/clinic with Ralphe in September sometime, don't recall the date off hand, may be something to mention in the interview as to where guys can catch him play. I know I'll be there!
(and no, I am NOT affliated with Low Down Sound in any way)
YOU BETTER TELL ME WHEN IT IS!
"How did you approach creating that great classic fusion solo on 'Egocentric Molecules'? What kinds of effects did you use for it (octave divider?), and why?"
MM
MM
-Is it true that you and Jaco auditioned for a gig with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1973, with you getting the gig?
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!
Ive asked Mr. Bob Bobbing who runs the message board at Jaco pastorius.com and who grew up with Jaco (and was hanging with him well into the late 70's )this very question before when I first read a Ralphe Armstrong interview that stated the same thing. Bobbing said while Jaco hung out with Narada Michael Walden and a couple of the other guys from Mahavishnu , Jaco never tried out for them.
I'm doing the interview tonight so it will be at least 3-4 months before it goes on line.
We do a lot of info, music clips, pics & guitar specs, etc, plus the getting the artists final approval, to put these things together. It can take some time. I want to do this right for Ralphe.
I'll post a link when it's finished on Gibsonbass.com. I already talked to Ralphe once. It reminded me a bit like the Mike watt interview, where he was going on & on about his Gibson basses.
Both Watt & Ralphe are really super nice guys to talk to. Ralphe has no home page or internet site so it was hard tracking him down.
I really going to enjoy doing this interview.
We do a lot of info, music clips, pics & guitar specs, etc, plus the getting the artists final approval, to put these things together. It can take some time. I want to do this right for Ralphe.
I'll post a link when it's finished on Gibsonbass.com. I already talked to Ralphe once. It reminded me a bit like the Mike watt interview, where he was going on & on about his Gibson basses.
Both Watt & Ralphe are really super nice guys to talk to. Ralphe has no home page or internet site so it was hard tracking him down.
I really going to enjoy doing this interview.
I did the interview. again a great guy-
Ralphe begs to differ. Ralphe said they both tried out and Ralphe got the job because he had a fretless Precision (the only bassplayer other than Jamerson to play/own one at the time, whom he was friends with as well).
He said you could not find a fretless bass anywhere back then, they were new. He got lucky when he found his. He said after Jaco lost the Mahivishnu gig that's when he tore out the frets on his Jazz bass. Ralphe said he was a friend of Jaco and knew him well.
That's what Ralphe stated. I asked!
Ralphe begs to differ. Ralphe said they both tried out and Ralphe got the job because he had a fretless Precision (the only bassplayer other than Jamerson to play/own one at the time, whom he was friends with as well).
He said you could not find a fretless bass anywhere back then, they were new. He got lucky when he found his. He said after Jaco lost the Mahivishnu gig that's when he tore out the frets on his Jazz bass. Ralphe said he was a friend of Jaco and knew him well.
That's what Ralphe stated. I asked!
I guess Ralph is entitled to what he says but its well documented that Jaco ripped the frets out of his bass in 1968-69 while on tour with Wayne Cochran and The CC Riders. Jaco's wife around this time says nothing happened with Mahavishnu so Im not really sure. Ralphe is cool and an awesome bassist but I guess all musicians forget certain things over time. Not putting Ralphe down at all though.
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JAUQO III-X
Inactive
John McLaughlin on the first time meeting Jaco Pastorius.
JM:
The first time I met him I was rehearsing with the last edition of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, which was with Narada Michael Walden, Ralphe Armstrong and Stu Goldberg on keyboards. We were at S.I.R. studios in New York and at some point the rehearsal room door swings open and in walks Jaco. Now, I didn't know Jaco from Adam and he said, "Hey man, let's jam!" You know Jaco...walk right in, move in, take over. And I said, "Oh yeah' What do you play'" And he said, "I play bass." So I said, "Oh, OK, let's jam." And he was unbelievable. But before we started jamming he said, "Hey man, can you lend me $20. I got a flat tire driving in from Florida. My car's parked outside... I got a flat." And it took him like 17 years to pay back the $20, not that I wanted it back. But it was very sweet. I used to tease him about it all the time. But he came in that day and he was playing unbelievable. I mean, if I didn't have Ralphe at the time...Ralphe was and still is a great bass player. So I told Jaco, "I got a great bass player, man." But I called Tony Williams that night and said, "Tony, you gotta hear this kid play. He's unbelievable." Next thing I knew...it must've been a couple of months later, I know he did some gigs with Tony. Tony did call him to play but nothing much came of it because shortly after that Jaco got hooked up with Wayne (Shorter) and Joe (Zawinul). So he moved in and took over Weather Report, as you remember. But actually, he did a good job because he did a lot of renewal feelings in that he brought this modern kind of sound and tone into the band. I mean, he brought the Jaco sound, and that was wonderful. And that was great what happened to Weather Report. At that time too, the edition of Weather Report with Jaco and Alex Acuna and Manolo Badrena toured with Shakti. And it was a great combination for a tour. We did a lot of tours together but what was amazing was every night we'd be playing and the Weather Report guys would be at the side of the stage digging it, and then on their set we'd be at the side of the stage, because they were killing! This must've been '76-'77. That was amazing. And then we'd jam too, every now and then. I remember one great jam we had in London at the Hammersmith Odeon. I have some great memories of Jaco and I have a great picture at home too of Joe, Jaco and me on the beach of Havana.
Taken from this interview
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JM:
The first time I met him I was rehearsing with the last edition of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, which was with Narada Michael Walden, Ralphe Armstrong and Stu Goldberg on keyboards. We were at S.I.R. studios in New York and at some point the rehearsal room door swings open and in walks Jaco. Now, I didn't know Jaco from Adam and he said, "Hey man, let's jam!" You know Jaco...walk right in, move in, take over. And I said, "Oh yeah' What do you play'" And he said, "I play bass." So I said, "Oh, OK, let's jam." And he was unbelievable. But before we started jamming he said, "Hey man, can you lend me $20. I got a flat tire driving in from Florida. My car's parked outside... I got a flat." And it took him like 17 years to pay back the $20, not that I wanted it back. But it was very sweet. I used to tease him about it all the time. But he came in that day and he was playing unbelievable. I mean, if I didn't have Ralphe at the time...Ralphe was and still is a great bass player. So I told Jaco, "I got a great bass player, man." But I called Tony Williams that night and said, "Tony, you gotta hear this kid play. He's unbelievable." Next thing I knew...it must've been a couple of months later, I know he did some gigs with Tony. Tony did call him to play but nothing much came of it because shortly after that Jaco got hooked up with Wayne (Shorter) and Joe (Zawinul). So he moved in and took over Weather Report, as you remember. But actually, he did a good job because he did a lot of renewal feelings in that he brought this modern kind of sound and tone into the band. I mean, he brought the Jaco sound, and that was wonderful. And that was great what happened to Weather Report. At that time too, the edition of Weather Report with Jaco and Alex Acuna and Manolo Badrena toured with Shakti. And it was a great combination for a tour. We did a lot of tours together but what was amazing was every night we'd be playing and the Weather Report guys would be at the side of the stage digging it, and then on their set we'd be at the side of the stage, because they were killing! This must've been '76-'77. That was amazing. And then we'd jam too, every now and then. I remember one great jam we had in London at the Hammersmith Odeon. I have some great memories of Jaco and I have a great picture at home too of Joe, Jaco and me on the beach of Havana.
Taken from this interview
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Maybe he felt that Jaco coming in and jamming was a way of him trying to steal his gig and since Jaco wasn't hired, he felt that he beat him out?
Or maybe it is just cooler to say I beat Jaco out of an audition.
Well i'd have to say that Ralphe is right up there with Jaco, so...
Ya know what, pretty much every bassist Ponty's had has been amazing.
Ya know what, pretty much every bassist Ponty's had has been amazing.
