Thursday we returned to Java Monkey for a rare non-Wine Tasting theme night. We are playing there every Thursday in May to make use of rehearsals for the recording. The only problem is that I'm not taking part in the recording. Rob Henson, professional bassist who is busy on various small yet lucrative tours with country/blues/rock singer/guitarist Corey Smith, among many others, came out with his NS Bass Cello (new models are sold with the new moniker Omni Bass). It sounded full and articulate. It's a 5-string with the visually alluring EMG circular pickup array. Rob claims (rightfully so) that it helps the tone cut through a band mix more clearly than the piezos are capable of by themselves. He is a masterful player who melds his expressive glisses and upper choral linearism with a deep and somewhat busy pocket. Sight reading the charts in my book, he played and connected with Adrian in ways I certainly haven't explored. I sat and watched, taking pictures and video. It is a surreal experience to check out a great player do his thing over original music that I had been playing for close to a year now. Rob has a vast vocabulary from which to draw to underscore the melody & harmony. His expressive counter melodies & emotive driving grooves were certainly an inspiration. He invited me to meet up with him at his house some time to jam together. This might be a mart move for me to him up on this offer. It would be the closest I could get to having some private instruction. At the very least, I'd like to take the plunge & pick up the strap attachment for my NS WAV. I liked the mobility he enjoys & it seems to bring the whole enchilada together on a more personal level.
After the first set, which was a long one by our standards, Rob took off to make the tour bus. I meekly tuned up & we settled in to some more of the same. The level was not quite as high but we held our own. Bill Panter joined us again for some bluesy jamming. He brought his custom made (actually self made) Panter amp. Sweet tube tones. I spent a few of my waking hours in the previous week constructing Finale charts for the wedding the AAG is set to play on Memorial Day weekend. We didn't go over them, but look out next week for "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" & "One Love/ People Get Ready". The charts came out well & I was actually hoping to do "One Love..." with Sweetwater Junction, but nobody was that smitten with it enough to comment or learn it. Before we knew it, our time was up. Next week...
No comments:
Post a Comment