The TB / DB Project
Talkin' Bass
Like Someone In Love (4.2MB)
From north of sixty degrees comes our Finnish correspondent with these two tracks by Digband, an eight-piece club house band that obviously knows how to keep things warm. Check out Arto's driving on this classy track.
Rupert The Robber (4.3MB)
Arto mentions these cuts were recorded in December 2002 at Arabia Studios, Helsinki, for a marketing demo. The tracks were recorded live in studio, only the horn and guitar solos are additional takes. The bass was recorded with a dynamic microphone and mixed with a hint of direct signal from pickup.
Glom On To This (4.1MB)
T-Bal lives near Washington, DC. This track and the next are from Tom's 2001 self-released record Glom On To This. The album - 65+ minutes of Tom's compositions - was recorded in New York City in one day. It showcases Chris Bacas on sax, George Colligan on piano and Howard Curtis on drums.
Almost (5.7MB)
A tasty bossa also penned by Tom.
Mood Indigo (5.1MB)
From a 2003 CD Bob co-produced with singer Kathleen Holeman (http://www.kathleenholeman.com). The personnel are Kathleen Holeman, vocal; Paul Smith, Steinway grand piano; Al Wiley, drums; and Bob Branstetter, bass. The bass used is a 1938 7/8 size by Albert Rodier with Helicore Hybrid strings. It was recorded using a single Neumann U67 microphone.
Cupcake (5.1MB)
From Introducing Champian by The Bull Stewart Quartet, recorded June, 2000. The band is Champian (age 15), piano, Monte on bass and Stephen Fulton on drums. Monte says: "We recorded in a 100-degree space with no air conditioning. The bass was my 1930s Juzek strung with Velvet Compass 360s and recorded with a single CAD e1000 mic."
East of the Sun (5.3MB)
With Champian (age 17) from Crazy, Hackensack Southwest #902, recorded June, 2002. Monte says : "This is the same bass strung with Oliv D & G/Eudoxa E & A, recorded with a single AKG C3000 mic."
Take The "A" Train (4.3MB)
Stella By Starlight (3.5MB)
Bob's Blues (5.0MB)
In Monte's words: "These three recordings are of the Bob Norris Trio: myself, Bob Norris on piano, and Hal Corn on drums. We have just started playing together, and got together to record a demo to get some gigs. The recording is virtually a live to 2 track recording, just sans audience. No second takes on any of the 9 cuts other than Stella because the bass player's arco sucks. ;-)
This is my first time recording with my new Solano Klotz bass, strung with the new Velvet 180 strings. The bass sound was taken from an AKG C414 in front of the bass and two room mics. The piano was a really nice Bosendorfer Imperial Grand.
Bob Norris moved to Oklahoma from Michigan, and interestingly enough has played with Ray Parker and Ray's dad before. Both he and Hal are old school players and are a lot of fun to play with because of the joy they bring in just getting to play. I met Hal Corn a few years ago when Bob talked him into sitting in; Hal is Bob's boss at the FAA. He sounded good, and we were shocked to find out he hadn't really played in over 25 years, although he played with some pretty heavy cats in the 50's while in Europe (Herb Geller for one). He got inspired to get a drum kit and sounds better every time he plays.
Solar (2.2MB)
With this track and the next, Mike da Mook kicks in this demo material recorded September 2003. Says Mike, "I met the guitarist and pianist in school last September we've been playing and growing together since then. The drummer is a friend of mine who I've been playing with for the last 3 years him and I have really developed a connection with each other. The personnel are: Kostas Konstantinou, guitar; David deGeus, piano; Rick Beenders, drums; and me."
Stella By Starlight (4.7MB)
Keep on the Firing Line (2.8MB)
This track and the next are from The Eastwind Bluegrass Band's 2003 release Never Grow Old. Out of Phenix City, Alabama, "mchildree" has played all kinds of music, now focusing on Eastwind. This cut highlights Mike's tough tone using an Arnold Schnitzer New Standard Bass. Catch that slappin' at the end, too!
In the Garden (4.3MB)
Well beyond I-IV-V here.
Here are a couple of new (June 2004) tracks from Mike and Eastwind Bluegrass. Both are from their new CD, Raconteurs.
Middle Georgia Rundown
Here's Mike: "This tune is a simple little instrumental that moves along at a good clip ... we like to call those 'traveling tunes'. Contains my first attempt at soloing on upright. I think we could have gotten a much better bass tone, but we got in a time crunch on mixdown and I had to leave it alone."
White Cross Highway
This tune is one of Mike's originals. "Just your standard bluegrass groove, but I tried to convey a little of the dark mood of the song. Not so easy with such a simple bassline, and only a few note choices to work with."
Milt's Rhythm (2.5MB)
"... a slap bass thing I do in dedication to Milt Hinton."
After You've Gone (4.1MB)
Accurately Misunderstood (3.9MB)
"... are from a demo I recorded with some friends from college, Sam Taylor on tenor and Israel Bannerman on drums. Sam wrote Accurately Misunderstood."
Recorded June 26, 2004 at with Geffrey Gee on piano and Fred Bancroft on drums:
Recorded May 29th, 2004 with Joe Simon on piano and Fred Bancroft on the kit (says Wil, "the recording was made using a Sony MZ-N707. The microphone was on a shelf behind the band, so the cymbals were a bit loud."):
From August 2002 here is the 3-Jazz-Trio, comprising Karl Helmer and Jim Kangas on guitars with Wil on bass:
...and from January 2004 the 2-Jazz-Duo is Jim Kangas on guitar along with Wil:
This track and the next feature Chris with the Harry Pickens Trio:
I've Never Been In Love Before
(Make sure to visit Chris' soundclips page to hear lots more!)
The Moon (3.1MB)
With the Jeff Silverbush Quintet recorded February/March, 2003 in -- where else? -- New York City. Ed is playing with Jeff Silverbush, sax, Jacob Garchik, bone, Jacob Sacks, piano and John Bollinger, drums.
Einstein Sunshine (4.1MB)
With the Jeff Silverbush Quintet, as above.
Cool Blues (9.8MB)
With the Gig Guys: Ed with Bob Arthurs, trumpet, Dave Frank, sax and Jon Easton, piano. Ed says this is "a nice bunch of players" in NYC.
Dedicated To Bill (5.5MB)
With the Jon Raney Trio (Jon Raney, piano; Ed Fuqua, bass; Eric Halvorson, drums) from their record Before I Close My Eyes. Recorded in 2000 at Peter Karl Sound Studios, Peter Karl, engineer.
Says Ed: "dedicated, of course, to one of Jon's influences - Bill Evans. I don't know any of us who have not been affected by the trio records with Scotty and Paul. Jon really wanted us to keep a loose and open feel on this one. The one funny thing, the bass solo doesn't start at the top of the form, but instead starts 4 bars in. Jon thought it would be a little more fun that way. Plus we make up for it, the tag out is also the first four chords of the tune."
Some Other Time (12.6MB)
The Tuesday Night Prayer Meeting are: Dan Greenblatt, tenor; Dan Furman, piano; Ed Fuqua, bass; and Chris Roselli, drums. Recorded on mini disk at rehearsal studio sometime in 2003.
Ed: "I'd been getting together with a buddy of mine, pianist Dave Marck, regularly on Tuesdays for a couple of year's (and I've been playirlg with Dave+n-u varieTy' of situations since I got to NYC in '87). The sessions had been pretty open, different horn players, drummers etc. But something just clicked when Dan and Chris got involved and we've been trying to make a steady group thing since summer of 2002. Dave was gone for this session and I got to call a buddy of Joe Atlanta's, whom I had actually played with last in 1984 at the Charlie Haden masterclass, pianist Dan Furman. I think Dan sounds really great on this cut."
Bittern And Pintail (6.6MB)
With The Jeff Silverbush Quintet: Jeff Silverbush, saxophones; Jacob Garchik, trombone; Jacob Sacks, piano; Ed Fuqua, bass; and Jon Bollinger, drums. Recorded at Systems 2 Studio 28 Feb & 2 Mar 2003, Jon Rosenberg engineer.
In Ed's words: "This is one of several tunes on the next record (due out sometime this year) that are based on birdcalls, the two birds in the title. Bittern is the first motif, pintail is the "bridge", it's sort of AABA going in. Solos are open and get a little out. Definitely not "standard time". I really like the loose funky time feel and the way it just goes OUT in the solo sections. Jon nails the groove throughout and the hookup with him and with Sacks is one of my true pleasures in life."
She Dances (5.9MB)
Loren Daniels performs Don's composition.
Nuages (9.9MB)
With Gypsy Pacific. Hailing from Maui, the band is Marcus, Tom Conway and Phil Benoit, guitars and Willy Wainwright, violin. Marcus says this was a "show-up-at-the-radio-station-and-play recording."
Gypsy Fire (5.1MB)
Once again with Gypsy Pacific -- the Roma visit Maui.
Someday My Prince Will Come (3.8MB)
Along with Adrian on bass, the track features Steve Bijakowski on tenor sax, and Doug Mundy on piano. Adrian is playing his late 1800s Czech double bass with Thomastik Superflexibles. The bass was recorded with a Neumann U87.
Here is almost one hour of David playing duets with Bill Davis on flute and sax. These recordings were made at gig in Philadelphia in early 2005.
Night and Day (9.8MB)
Bessie's Blues (11.0MB)
Well You Needn't (14.9MB)
Alabama (12.2MB)
These tracks are from a minidisc recording of a recent (these tracks posted January 2006) piano trio gig with Laurie Hamilton (piano) & Bert Craig (drums, leader). Jay is playing his contemporary Hungarian bass with Oblis and a Stat-b through a MiniBrute III.
Come Rain Or Come Shine (7.2MB)
Beautiful Love (4.0MB)
Brian is with The Creaking Tree String Quartet, purveyors of fine new acoustic string music from the bluegrass tradition. At their site the group is offering six tracks of streaming material. You'll find two tracks from their eponymously-title debut album -- which was nominated in Canada for a Juno award, no mean feat -- and four tracks from their second album Side Two Don't miss it!
Meanwhile, check this out:
Jimmy Ain't So Fancy (4.2MB)
This composition of Brian's is on the Side Two album, but it's not streaming at the Tree site; it's a Talkin' Bass web exclusive, folks! Brian says "the album was recorded in two weeks in March and April of 2004, at a house in just outside of Toronto. This was an old Czech bass with a carved top recorded with a Lawson L87 tube mic 12 inches in front of the bridge, and a Neuman 582 small-diaphragm tube mic about the same distance pointed down at the bottom of the fingerboard at a 45 degree angle. I sold that bass a few months after the recording."
Beautiful Love (3.9MB)
This is Dennis with the LaVerne Christie Trio. Dennis is playing his Juzek.
Stolen Moments (5.4MB)
Here Dennis is playing his King with his smooth jazz group, Forte.
Jim offers these two tracks from his old band: "These were recorded in '97 and released on the Jazzology label. I was using a laminated Meisel 8900 strung with Weichs. It was recorded with a large diaphram condensor mike. I don't know which make or model. The band is The Ray Bush BBC Jazz Band. The personnel are: Ray Bush - leader, clarinet and vocals; Rocky Goins - trumpet; Don McGrath - trombone and vocals; Don Richardson - guitar and banjo; Joe Snow - drums; and Jim Lownds - bass. Hope you enjoy it."
Taboo (5.2MB)
Lady Put The Light Out (4.3MB)
Groseillers (10.4MB)
Dit Olivier: "Free improv: double bass and piano duet recorded in Montreuil, France in May 2005. Trying to keep it spontaneous: don’t discuss, choose neither tonality nor tempo in any other way than on the fly, as the music evolves. It’s Riko Goto on piano."
These songs feature Kip and his wife, Geanie Stout, on piano and vocals.
When I Fall In Love (6.0MB)
"Hart McNee on Bari. The 1-6-2-5 structure should generate some suggestions on substitutions. This was recently recorded in New Orleans, and at this point I've had a DB for about two years."
Prescription For The Blues (4.2MB)
"Just a blues, but I like the energy. Piano and bass only. Also done in NOLA."
Buck's County Blues (8.0MB)
This track is from Jed Levy's Steeplechase release Round and Round. The personnel: Jed Levy on tenor, Jeff Brillinger on drums, Bill Gerhardt on piano and Mike McGuirk on bass.
If You Never Come To Me (6.2MB)
Personnel: Paul Meyers on guitar, Tim Horner on drums and Mike McGuirk on bass. This track hasn't been mixed and is unreleased.
The Entrance Of The Exit (5.2MB)
"I penned this tune along with the tenor player, Chase Baird of San Francisco. Everyone in the group is 17 years old, and we're all seniors at non-arts high schools throughout the country. Musicians are: Julian Pollack, piano, Berkeley, CA; Coran Henley, drums, Dayton, OH; Billy Norris, bass, Seminole, FL; Chase Baird, sax, Lafayette, CA; and, David Rosenthal, guitar, Longmeadow, MA."
These tracks feature the big band sounds of Jon and Dimensions in Blue, part of the USAF Band of the West. Folks, this is the entirety of their CD, Jazz Heritage II, The Music of Gordin Goodwin. Jon's using his carved Christopher in front of a Neuman M147 (there's some slab-thumping in there, too, but we won't tell anyone...)
Sing Sang Sung (5.3MB)
L Almeja Pequeno (The Little Clam) (6..MB)
It's Alright With Me (4.3MB)
A Few Good Men (5.2MB)
Swingin' For The Fences (6.4MB)
Samba Del Gringo (6.7MB)
When I Fall In Love (4.9MB)
High Maintenance (6.0MB)
Invention #2 in D Minor (7.4MB)
Count Bubba (7.0MB)
There's The Rub (6.9MB)
Let The Good Times Roll (3.1MB)
A variety of goodies from jazzbass72:
Bb Blues
Marco Panascia: acoustic bass / Eldar: piano / Todd Strait:drums
Mood Indigo
Marco Panascia: acoustic bass / Lisa Thorson: vocals / Maggie Scott: piano / Deon Hairston: drums
Good And Plenty
Marco Panascia: acoustic bass / Walter Smith III: tenor saxophone / Christian Scott: trumpet / Warren Wolf: vibes / David Doruzka: guitar / Daniela Schaechter: piano / Kendrick Scott: drums
Wonsey Groove
Marco Panascia: acoustic bass / Anthony Wonsey: piano / Paolo Orlandi: drums
Falling Leaves
Marco Panascia: acoustic bass / Ayako Shirasaki: piano / Lewis Nash: drums
I Remember You
Marco Panascia: electric bass / Ayako Shirasaki: piano / Pete VanNostrand: drums
Here are a bunch of clips (in Windows media format) from Ray's album The Girl With The Flaxen Hair (featuring Chris Bacas on saxophones, Mike Pavone on guitar, and Marcello Pellitteri on drums and percussion):
In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
(Click here to load a playlist of all the Flaxen clips.)
Here's more Ray!
Falling Grace
From a recording Really Live Over Gristede's made with the trio Gastrosonic which includes Sanni Orasmaa on voice and Mika Pohjola on Piano.
Everything I Love
A duet with Bob Fraser on guitar.
(Make sure to visit Ray's demo page to hear more.)
Here's a pile of roots music to check out from me and my bluegrass pals The Clearwater Boys. These are live performances from the 2005 Prairie's Edge Bluegrass Festival in Beausejour, Manitoba. I'm playing my Christopher hybrid with an Underwood pickup going into an AI Clarus and Ampeg Portabass 112 cabinet. The PA got the AI's direct out and the recording is taken out of the air with a stereo mic near the sound board.
Why You Been Gone So Long (3.5MB) Recorded by -- among others -- Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, Mickey Newbury wrote this song. I love it and Ricky sings the heck out of it.
Sophronie (2.0MB) Alton Delmore of the Delmore Brothers wrote this tune, but Jimmy Martin made it famous. I ride out the first few bars as my brain recharges this kinda rusty tune. This one clips along pretty good.
Waiting For A Train (1.8MB) The old Jimmie Rodgers tune, complete with harmonized yodelling.
Sitting Alone In The Moonlight (3.5MB) Banjo player extraordinaire Tim Osmond was a hired gun for this job and he brought in this old Bill Monroe tune. Listen to me overplay in 3/4 time.
Way Downtown (3.7MB) Everyone's had a run at this old chestnut. This isn't perhaps the greatest take in the world but I have the second break in the tune and I like it.
Walking In Jerusalem (2.3MB) Have mercy!
And now some jazz for your listening pleasure from Starlight Jazz, a quartet I've been playing with for a couple of years now. These three cuts are from a job we did in October, 2005, at a bookstore cafe here in Winnipeg. With the mic just place on a table in front of the band, these recordings have a lot of crowd noise and some table talk. Also, the bass sound ain't the greatest -- it's a bit low in the live mix and it's a bit boomy compared to my normal sound. Same set-up as for the bluegrass stuff above.
A Smooth One (3.5MB) This tune is associated with Benny Goodman but Charlie Christian wrote it. No bass solo here but I love the groove.
'Round Midnight (6.4MB) This one is just me and Gord Wood on guitar. Monk originally called this one Grand Finale.
Return To Bass (5.1MB) This is a minor blues that Brian Chipney -- the soprano player -- wrote. I have a longish solo on this one although there's a lot of table talk over it!
Here is a link to Robin's website. Select "Audio" to hear the samples. Particularly recommended for TBers are Old Country, a straight-ahead live version that has a nice bass solo about halfway through; Obsidian, a modal original with a Dave Holland inspired groove; and, Stella By Starlight which is ECMish and has all of Robin's favorite chord subs.
Autumn Leaves (2.5MB)
Aaron tells us "... here's something quick I did with a former teacher of mine by the name of Ian Montgomery in his home studio for a jazz summer camp I'm going to in August 2005 so that they can place me in an ensemble. Ian overdubbed, comping the chords and playing the head (with an unexpected bossa feel!) while I just did a quick walk. Recorded with my 7/8 50's Hofner, Spiro Mittels, direct from the Underwood pickup (hence the abundance of fingernoise.) Drum loop made in FruityLoops from live samples."
Fandango Mix (4.7MB)
Says Mike: "Here's a track from my upcoming cd. It's a 5/4 romp I composed for my group The Animal Channel. Featuring Sebastian Noelle on guitar, Zac Colwell on Flute, K Ishibashi on violin, Mathias Kunzli and John Hadfield on percussion."
Dawn 1 (9.5MB)
"This track is a nice recording of my La Scala and how much I love it. The tune is a traditional turkish song played with Jay Vilnai on guitar and percussionist John Hadfield."
Go! Go now to Sam's site and check out the goodies that await! You won't be sorry you did, I guarantee it.
Owen's Lullaby (6.8MB)
"A pretty 3/4 ballade", saith Steve.
Kiyomi's Garden (9.7MB)
"A swinger with a nice groove..."
The Train I Ride (3.1MB)
"I moved out to western North Carolina for about a year to seek out the legendary oldtime fiddlers of the region. I had just moved from New Orleans and was impressed at how the local style was heavily influenced by black music. In a few counties in NC they played a style of fretless banjo that was a direct decendant from older African banjo styles. To my New Orleans ears it sounded extremely funky and I began to play lines and melodies alone on the bass that would mimic that style. Eventually, I devised a way to incorporate precussive techniques, hammer-ons, pull-offs and drones to create the effect I wanted. I went on to further the techniques (got better at it) but this was the first recording of them fresh out of the mountains."
The Pencil Factory Blues / St. Thomas (4.7MB)
"This was a solo that I extracted from a live perfomance at an art gallery open house where I had a practice studio for a few years. The building was six stories of artists, painters, woodworkers etc all housed in an old pencil factory. The loading dock buzzer in the background always makes me laugh."
Limehouse Blues (3.6MB)
"The Limehouse Blues cross-pollinated by The Howard Fishman Quartet, the first band I worked with after arriving in New York. We were all influenced by different kinds of music but particularly taken at the time with the music of Bix Beiderbecke and the Goldkette Band. Russell Farhang sprints around on the violin and Peter Ekclund contributes a quirky, punchy solo on cornet. We had just gotten a two week stand at the Algonquin's Oak Room and were determined to give the wealthy patrons something to rattle their jewelry about."
Shabes (2.8MB)
"Shabes is a somewhat overdone Yiddish classic. NIKITOV tried to give it a soulful and simple reading void of the schmaltz that often plagues modern "folk" recordings. I was thinking of the Chalie Haden/Pat Metheny recording Under A Missouri Sky throughout this recording trying to figure out how to make it sound bigger by keeping it sparse, a true challenge that I feel was met by the band."
Cotton Eyed Joe (2.6MB)
Bad Dog's take on an oldtime classic. Coming soon to a mountaintop near you. Andy Williams fiddling, Mark Olitsky on fretless banjo and Leo on guitar.
A La Turk (3.9MB)
"...a rough rehearsal recording by a gypsy collective I play with here in NY called Romashka. Although it's rough, I thought it would give folks an idea of what kind of gypsy music I enjoy playing."
Sweet Substitute (3.4MB)
An old Jelly Roll Morton tune recently released by The Howard Fishman Quartet.
Liebeslied (2.7MB)
"Another discovery from The Howard Fishman Quartet archive - a live performance of Liebeslied, a well known classical piece, performed parlor-style in rowdy New York bar. I like the juxtaposition of the crowd noise with the melancholy waltz. Mixing it up like this was what the band was all about...and still is."
Who Will The Next Fool Be? (4.3MB)
"Recorded in New Orleans with one of my favorite singers of all time, Butch Trivette. I had moved to New Orleans about six months earlier with a new plywood upright bass determined to learn how to play the thing. Butch came by my house one day and said, "Let's go make a record". To say I was petrified is the understatement of the world. Once in the studio, we had to wait about eight hours before the engineers could get the mics set up properly. Butch and I got a bottle of Jack and proceeded to drink and eat fried chicken all day. Finally, it was time to record and they asked Butch what he wanted to sing. Butch turned to me, smiled and said "who will the next fool be...in Bb"! I never heard the song before and I never heard Butch play anything in Bb before so I just laughed and said "Ok let's go". We did one take, warts and all and they dropped a harmonica part in later (played by Sonny Green.) It was my first studio experience and I've never had one quite like it since."
Chef's Blues (6.7MB)
Peder -- that's Lovebown to you -- wrote this blues and recorded it at a graduation ceremony in the spring of 2004.
Boplicity (10.4MB)
Paul's quartet from their 1996 Synergy Music release. After playing around the world with leading jazz artists, Paul settled in Golden, Colorado. Each player in the quartet has received national exposure: Ron Miles on trumpet, Eric Gunnison, piano and Nat Yarborough, drums.
Lost in a Dream (5.8MB)
This gem, from The Dick Hindman Trio's 1984 CD Secret Garden, features Paul, Dick and Colin Bailey. This rhythm section recorded with Richie Cole, among others.
Paulo (7.3MB)
With the Dick Hindman Trio. How about that low B?
My One and Only Love (9.7MB)
The Paul Warburton Quartet.
Erik handles the low end for a group called The Lomax. Eric says, "these tracks were recorded in the summer of 2003, about 6 months after I bought my first double bass and started playing. It's an old Kay, I stood in the control room with a really sensitive mic and tried my best not to hum, tap my feet, or slap my bass. It took a few takes to accomplish this."
(Check out The Lomax at their website .)
Says Don: "These cuts are from a free improv cd that Wayne Grim and I recently completed. Wayne and I studied together at the University of Maryland back in the day and both of us come from a heavy avant-garde background. While both of us have mostly given up on trying to shock people we both feel that highly improvised music still has great room for study. I recorded my tracks in Philadelphia and Wayne recorded his in San Francisco. Neither of us heard the tracks before mixing and we decided not to change a thing regardless of the outcome. So here it is warts, noise, and all. Guaranteed to agitate."
Here's Don with singer/songwriter Blake Allen, wherein Don conducts"... an exercise in long tones."
The Executioner's Song (4.5MB)
