New CD Project - "Coda"

I've started a new CD project, and it is one that I have been thinking about for a long time.

When my buddy and musical co-conspirator Paul Bass died in 1999, we had some unfinished business. We had been planning on making a sixth album in our Three-Day Weekend series. We never really got out of the planning stages before his illness had progressed to the point that doing any musical work together was impossible.

I became the caretaker of all of the demos, work tapes, and writing session recordings Paul and I had made over the years. I've been going through these over the past year or so, and there are some real gems there, certainly enough for (at least) one more CD.

I've decided to title this project Coda. For the non-musicians reading this, "coda" is Italian for "tail," and in music, it is a section of music that brings a larger piece to a close. I chose this title for obvious reasons - it will bring our Three-Day Weekend series to a close.

I'll try to post some updates as I work through the material.

A response from ASCAP

Well, my article of a few days ago about ASCAP and BMI beating up small venues drew the attention of someone at ASCAP. This was in my inbox this morning from an anonymous person at ASCAP:

We at ASCAP saw your piece from 10/4/09 about ASCAP and BMI, and the licensing of small venues. As a follow up, we wanted to share a link to a recent article we wrote for our members on this very subject: http://tinyurl.com/y9q8sea We thought you'd be interested in reading this. And in the specific case of small venues, our licensing team does work very hard to set reasonable, low annual fees -- or in some cases, exempts the smallest of venues altogether.

The article the nameless ASCAP drone references covers some of the same points I made in my original article, primarily the idea that if a venue is making money because of the work of a composer is being performed, then a portion of that money is owed to the composer. However, I still feel that their bar is set too low. If both ASCAP and BMI want even a small fee of several hundred bucks a year, many small establishments will simply stop having live music altogether, to the detriment of all. As a composer (and in the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of a performance rights organization), I would happily give up any revenue gleaned from these little 10-table joints to assure that musicians can still play in their neighborhood taverns, coffeehouses, and restaurants.

Here's the response I sent. I'm only publishing it here because my direct reply bounced (apparently, they have time to troll the internet for references to "ASCAP" and to email bloggers like me, but they don't want to be bothered with any inbound mail):

Dear anonymous person at ASCAP,

Thank you for the link to your article. In the pursuit of fairness, I have published your response -- unedited -- in my blog, along with its link to your article. Of course, I added my own commentary as well.

If you read my original article, you'll see that I really do agree with ASCAP's position in most respects. Where I disagree is mainly in where the line is drawn. I think there should be a reasonable threshold, below which the little joints get a pass.

The other area of some disgreement is one I did not address in my original blog entry: The assumption that a venue *must* have an ASCAP/BMI license, because music licensed via one or the other organization *will most likely* be played. Unless you have an agent staked out in every club to monitor what compositions are being performed, this is impossible to determine. In fact, I would counter that the songwriters in an unsigned band playing all original compositions are extremely UNLIKELY belong to ASCAP or BMI.
Membership more commonly comes *after* the band is signed or an established artist covers one of their compositions.

Now, I'm just a small-potatoes composer with a day gig. I will probably never see a dime from any of my compositions. If someone does profit from my compositions some day, then I want to get paid. But I'll give up the pennies I would theoretically make from my buddy's trio playing one of my tunes down at "Megan's Vegan Region" restaurant, to make sure that Megan can always book little bands like his.

ASCAP and BMI beating up small venues

I recently heard from a guitarist friend of mine that a nice little coffeehouse / whole foods store in St. Johns is being threatened by ASCAP and BMI if they didn’t take out a live performance license. This venue has a tiny stage and has a weekly jazz jam – one of the few places left to hear a truly open jam. My friend said they were thinking of having a policy of “Original Music Only” as a way around the problem.

However, ASCAP and BMI are taking the position that having a policy of only hiring bands that play originals does not let the venue off the hook for a performance license. The old CBGB club in NYC tried that, insisting that bands play only originals there. It built their reputation a place to hear new music (like the Ramones, Talking Heads, and Blondie), but then those bands put out records, and of course they had to be affiliated with one performing rights group or another, and CBGB was back in the same boat again. My opinion is that it would be a huge waste of time for either organization to come after a venue as small as this. I'm sure the owners are just barely keeping their noses above water financially, anyway. ASCAP/BMI would only succeed in driving them out of business, meaning one less venue for performers.

Here's a pretty good article on the situation:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0109/p14s01-almp.html

ASCAP and BMI have incredibly complex schedules - ASCAP alone has over a hundred different rates, based on square footage, type of establishment, etc.

I think this whole thing will eventually blow up in their faces. While I agree that composers should be paid when someone performs their works, there should be a threshold below which it does not apply. Right now, the threshold seems to be that for anything beyond backyard parties for friends and family, you have to get a license.

But I can see the other side of the coin, too. Say a small coffeehouse has a good -- not great -- business. They serve fine roasts, some pastries and sandwiches, and they have live jazz a few evenings a week. The marquee outside says LIVE JAZZ TONIGHT! Folks come in to dig the music, drink some coffee, and hang out. The bands play the standard jazz repertoire: All Blues, Night in Tunisia, Caravan, etc. I can see a case for the venue making some payment to the accounts of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Juan Tizol for the use of their compositions. After all, the owner of the venue is making some increased income because of the existence of these copyrighted compositions. Gregorian chants are in the public domain, but it doesn't draw the kids like it used to.

I suggest that ASCAP, BMI, and the other rights organizations take a hard look at their live performance rates and draw a line to drop off the bottom 10-20%. The total revenues recovered cannot add up to much anyway, and they are really making life tough for these small, struggling venues and the musicians and songwriters who often get their first exposure in dark little dives, redolent of espresso.

Mingus, Monk, Bird, and Roy Haynes at a little dive in 1953. LINK

So long, Facebook

OK, so I was never a wholehearted fan of Facebook to begin with. However, it turns out that a number of people I know use it fairly extensively, and they were sending me emails telling me that they just posted a great picture or something else on their Facebook page. Well, you can't see anything there unless you sign up yourself and friend them. (I hate this tendency to verb a noun). So I decided to play along a few weeks ago.

It was semi-OK for a while. I put up a half-dozen old pictures of myself, a link to the CD info page, and little else. I was able to see some fun pictures of my friends.

But, it gets out of hand. I've gotten "friend requests" from many people I don't know (or don't want want to know), and some of the ones who I did friend have been posting all kinds of offensive stuff, which I have to look at when I log in. They think it's clever and hip. It's not -- it's just juvenile, stupid, and offensive. And every one of their brain farts and conversations with their other Facebook "friends" shows up, too. Great stuff like: Wut up? Word! Dude! U R awsum. Puts the Algonquin Round Table to shame.

I pulled the plug on this nonsense tonight. So, my apologies to my real friends; you'll just have to reach me "old-school" -- email, telephone, or in person. And I will just have to forego seeing your latest holiday snaps or listening in on your chat with someone I don't know.

"Dad"

It's that time of year again. Father's Day. Time get something nice for dear old Dad. I'm sure he'd like a wild tie or some aftershave. Truth be known, a bag of matching black socks would make him just as happy.

The last few years, I've given a bit more thought to this day, and in particular what it means to be a father. Those of you who have been reading this blog for a few years will recall that in the Fall on 2006, I was re-united with Dawn – the daughter that my girlfriend and I gave up for adoption when she was born in 1970. Having her in my life is one of the most wonderful blessings I can imagine.

But can I call myself her father? Certainly she carries my DNA, and we share many physical traits (sorry about the back, the teeth, the migraines, etc...). But a father is so much more than the donor of genetic material. I know that I have not earned that title and I never will. And “Dad” is even more sacred – it's “father” times ten.

I only knew my own father for a few years. I have just a few memories of him, and I suspect that some may be “memories of memories.” So, here's what I think a father is:

A father is the guy that will put a band-aid on your skinned knee.
A father will buy your first instrument and go to your first recital.
A father is the one who will hold you the first time your heart is broken, and forgive you when you do something unforgivable.
A father will do anything for his family; he'll pass up opportunities for security, excitement for stability. And he asks very little in return – a card and a bottle of smelly water in June, and maybe a bag of matching socks.

It takes a real man to be a father and raise a family, and don't let anyone tell you differently.

So, on this Father's Day, I salute all those men who have stepped up to the challenges of being a Dad, and who ask so little in return. You have done something I could never do.

Memorials, Funerals, Celebrations of Life

I went to a memorial service yesterday, for the wife of a very nice man I’ve worked with for over a decade (we work at different companies now). His wife had passed away from an aggressive disease that had been discovered less than a year ago.

The service was held in an Episcopal church, and was quite lovely. I met up with a couple of old friends there and we got to chat a bit afterward.

The whole experience got me thinking about memorials – funerals if you like – and how we feel about them.

Something that surprised me was that only one of his current colleagues at work came to the service – his manager. Why did the others choose not to attend? What is it about a funeral that keeps people away?

I can imagine the excuses: “I didn’t really know his wife,” “I hate funerals,” “I’m not of that faith,” “I never know what to say,” and so on.

I’m calling bullsh*t on all of these excuses.

It’s an hour out of your life, folks. The deceased is well beyond caring whether you show up or not. This is not even really about her. This is about the human beings who are still alive – and someone you know who is in pain. You don’t have to say anything to the bereaved, other than perhaps, “I’m sorry.” Indeed, one of the worst things you could say is, “Oh, I know exactly what you are going through, because when my great aunt Jenny died......” Believe me when I tell you, dear, that you do NOT know exactly what he is going through. All you need to do is be there. That will tell your friend, your co-worker, the person you see at the coffee-machine every workday, everything he needs to know – that you care about him.

If the memorial is being held in a church, synagogue, temple, or mosque, and you have been invited, then please do go, even if it is not your own particular faith. This is not about you and your faith. These structures are places of peace, love, and fellowship. They are places where people gather to forget about themselves for just a little while, and ponder the infinite. What is so scary about that? You might learn something.

Perhaps we are uncomfortable with seeing people crying, in pain. I think that’s natural. But this is also good for us to see. Many individuals are there whose heart has been broken. These people must go on with their lives, carrying this hole in their hearts. It is a good reminder to us that our own hearts can – and will – break. Let yourself be there, in the presence of these fellow human beings. Let your own heart break just a little.

I suspect that at the bottom of it all, we simply don’t want to acknowledge or accept death. That’s a bit strange, because it will happen to all of us. I can understand that feeling, but I don’t think we should give in to it. Going to a funeral won’t kill you.

So let me encourage you, the next time you are invited to a funeral, memorial, “celebration of life,” or other similar event, to please go. Open your eyes, mind, and heart while you are there. Death is a part of life. Yours, mine, and everyone’s.

My CD is released!!!

My new CD, titled Sometimes Things Work Out has been released!!! It's currently for sale at CD Baby (a terrific local mail-order distributor) and for download at Digstation. It should be available for download at iTunes and Amazon.com soon, but I don't know exactly when that will be.


More information about the CD HERE.

Buy it HERE!

Deal of the year!

For most of my home recording projects, I use a Tascam DA-38 8-track digital recorder. This machine has served me well since the 1990s, and has been very reliable. However, tapes were always a bit expensive (at least $5-7 a tape), and my preferred manufacturer - Quantegy - has ceased production.

Imagine my surprise when I peeked into the bargain bin at the local supermarket last weekend. In among the expired Similac, discontinued spray-on salad dressings and dented cans of beans, there were four two-packs of Sony Hi-8 digital tapes, the same type my recorder uses, for $1.50 per 2-pack! I bought all of them. These hold nearly two hours of 8-track musical recording at 44.1 khz/20 bits.

This is totally cool. I never get a deal on anything like this, and in fact I usually end up paying much more than most people do, simply because I am not a natural bargain hunter. I am in awe of folks who are good at getting bargains, because I simply don't know how to do it.

CD is being pressed!

After a long wait (including a few more of the bits of "real life" I mentioned in my last post), I've finally sent the CD project out for pressing, which of course gives me something new to fret about. I got the first proofs of the printed materials today, and found problems with one of them. I think it will be easy to rectify, though. That's what I get for using an amateur designer (me).

Before sending the master out, I listened one last time to the whole album, uninterrupted, on my best headphones. I must say that it still sounds fresh. Charles at East2West helped me get the natural, live sound I was looking for, and with the headphones I could even hear people breathing in a couple of places!

I think we'll have the CDs by the first of March if no further snags come up. Then I'll need to fret about having a release party...

Progress on the CD project

A number of folks have asked about it, so I figure it's a good time for a little update on the CD project.

Last weekend, I spent six hours at East2West Studios in Clackamas with Charles Neal, our engineer and ProTools Cubase wizard deluxe. We managed to do some track transfers and made final mixes of four tracks. Only six more to go! I'm excited about the way the tracks are sounding; Charles was able to capture a pretty live vibe in the mix. I have a tendency to overdo sound effects and mix tricks, but Charles' good ears and taste kept me reined in pretty well.

One of the first things we did was bring in the cello tracks Dawn recorded in KC at Tom Ptacek's studio. These lined up really well and Dawn's cello sounds great. One challenge for me will be preserving her beautiful tone and not burying it in the mix.

I'm also starting to work on the CD design. That is to say, I've recruited a volunteer with much better design skills than mine to do the design! Rachel is a co-worker at my day gig, and a very talented writer, photographer and designer. I can't wait to see what she comes up with.

I'm still shooting for a release before Christmas, which will be available through a number of outlets, both as a CD and digitally.

My Kansas trip!

I just got home from a wonderful 10-day trip to Kansas, and I thought I'd share a bit of it here.

Of course, the highlight of the whole trip was getting to spend time with my daughter Dawn. I stayed at her house in Topeka, slept on her sofa, and got well acquainted with her cat Nigel, who enjoys singing loudly in the wee hours of the morning.

On the Friday I arrived, I met Dawn's parents, Larry and Denae. They are really terrific folks, just as I knew they would be. The surprise was that Larry and I knew a lot of the same people in the Kansas music scene, and that we had even played with some of the same bands. Larry plays trumpet and flugelhorn is a well-known educator in Kansas City. We had a barbecue and talked about music and Dawn all afternoon.

On Sunday, we drove out to Manhattan to see my old friend Dave "Zerf" Zerfas. We had another great barbecue and then we retired to his basement studio to make a little music. Dave's very knowledgeable about history and music, and I always learn new things when we talk. This day, one of the tunes we played was Well-Respected Man by the Kinks. There was a line in that song that I'd never understood before -- "She passes looks ?- - - - - - - -? to every suave young man..." In my first band, the singer decided that the line was, "She passes, looks, and shows her build to every suave young man..." A closer listening by a different singer determined that the line -- however improbable -- was, "She passes, looks at Weathersville with every suave young man..." We weren't sure exactly where Weathersville was, but we figured Ray Davies must know the place well enough to talk about it in a song. Dave set me straight -- "She passes, looks -- as well as bills -- to every suave young man..."

On the way to Manhattan, we stopped for a little while at the scenic overlook for the Konza Prairie. This is an 8000 acre area dedicated to preserving the last remaining unplowed region of native tallgrass prairie. I'm really glad we took this little side trip. A bit of me is still rooted in the Flint Hills of Kansas.

We had lovely dinners as Dawn introduced me to her friends. It was terribly hot the whole time, so we spent a lot of time indoors. A quick trip with Dawn and Kassie to Tad's Tropical Sno for some Hawaiian Shave Ice at 10 PM provided a much-needed cool-off (and one of the worst brain-freezes I've ever had!). We also got to spend some time with Dawn's friends: Kandi, who brought her to Oregon for our first meeting in 2006; Kassie, Dawn's talented and fun apprentice in her jewelry-making business; Amy and Andrew, who helped and encouraged Dawn in her search for her birth parents; and of course her good friends Nyree and Brian. I also got to meet a lot of the nice folks she works with at the Topeka Public Library. Dawn's beautiful jewelry is prominently displayed and for sale at the "Booktique" gift shop in the library. I also spent much of the week helping Dawn set up her laptop PC and introducing her to some cool things like Google Earth and Skype.

When we recorded some songs for my next CD last summer here in Oregon, Dawn borrowed a cello from a local symphony player. However, the instrument was not a good match for Dawn's playing style, and she was not happy with the results (although I was). She begged me to let her record her parts over. Luckily, I got in contact with an old friend of mine -- Tom Ptacek -- who owns Westport CoffeeHouse in KC. Downstairs from his coffeehouse, Tom has a theater and a very well-equipped recording studio. On Saturday, we re-recorded Dawn's parts in Tom's studio (she did a great job, even on a part she'd only had a couple of hours to rehearse). Then Tom and his wife Pam invited us to spend the evening at their place. Pam fixed us a terrific dinner (I really ate well on this trip), and then Tom, Dawn, and I spent the rest of the evening jamming in his home studio. Tom has mastered the use of the breath-controller with his synth to produce very lyrical and expressive horn parts. The combination of the three of us was really sweet. I'm hoping that Tom and Dawn can make some music together in the future.

I know I'm leaving out a lot of stuff -- burgers and ice cream sodas at Winstead's, dessert at the Cheesecake factory -- but for me this was a wonderful trip, memories I will cherish forever.

Nature or Nurture?

The title of this entry represents a debate that has gone on for years. What is it that makes us who we are? What matters most -- our environment, the people we grow up with, our experiences? Or is it all programmed into our DNA and we're just along for the ride?

For most of my life, I believed the former. I always felt like who I am, my values, my personality, etc, were formed by my experiences in life. And I've always felt like I had some degree of control over my destiny -- that I was free to become who I wanted to be, and could change that if I so desired.

I have changed my views.

Yes, I have read the anecdotes about twins who were "separated at birth," and exhibited remarkable similarities as adults years later. This I could see, since twins are genetically identical. What changed my mind was meeting my daughter Dawn and getting to know her of the last couple of years.

Every day I am amazed by the traits we share -- physical, mental, emotional, psychological, etc. Of course, we are not identical (I love puns and wordplay, and she doesn't find them funny), but there are similarities that are so striking, that I have to believe that DNA is the winner in this old argument. But -- and this is important -- I also think that many things about us can be either nurtured or damaged by how we grow up. I won't make a comprehensive list, but just consider -- Dawn chose to play the cello. The cello was my first instrument, before the bass. I was drawn to it for some reason. To be fair, Dawn's adoptive father is also a musician, and her parents supported and nurtured her talent. She started on the bassoon (a bass wind instrument), but, like me, she was drawn to the cello. To me, this just seems to bear the mark of genetic imprinting, like how birds just know to fly south for the winter. We both tend to work obsessively on projects. This is not news to anyone who knows either of us. By all reports, my mother and my maternal grandfather were the same way.

I could go on and on, but I see more evidence every day. I do believe that our natural tendencies can be nurtured or quashed by our environment to some extent. But I am astounded by how strong our genetic programming can be.

Here is a picture of Dawn playing the cello last summer at age 36, side by side with a photo of me playing the bass (photo is from the Kansas State University student newspaper) in 1971 at age 19. Check out our playing positions!


Dawn has just posted this same picture over at her blog, along with some words of explanation.

Back in the groove

Thursday was an important day for me. I played "house bass" at the regular jazz jam session at Proper Eats in St. Johns. This was an important gig for me, because it was my first time back onstage since my operation last November.

It was a good gig, and I did not embarrass myself too badly. My favorite pianist Ted Clifford was the host, Jack McCreary was there all night playing alto in his wonderful style, and there were a couple of young drummers and a guitarist who sat in. Christian Botto couldn't be there, unfortunately. No other bassists showed up, so I played the whole three hours, pretty much non-stop. But I did OK. I didn't raise any blisters like I thought I would. I dropped form on one song (forgot the last "A" section in an AABA tune), but recovered well enough to go on without making a trainwreck out of it. As always with Ted and Jack, there were some really great moments where it was all flowing and we hit some really unexpected cool stuff together.

I was pretty tired the next day, but I managed to arrange to show up at my day job a couple of hours late which really saved me. Now that I know I can still do it, I do plan to do more gigs in the future if I'm asked -- particularly with this group of exceptional musicians.

Cutting the cord

No, I'm not talking about getting a wireless bass rig (although that's a good idea).

June sent me an article recently entitled The Plug-in Drug, which very sternly indicts TV as a negative influence in our lives. Until recently, I probably would have said, "Yeah, it's terrible, all right," and then plopped down to watch a couple more hours. But our own recent experience with TV was very enlightening.

Shortly before Christmas last year, our TV died. It made a screaming sound and the screen went black. June and I decided that rather than just throwing it away and getting a new TV, we would have it repaired. Yes, it is still possible to get a busted TV repaired. We located a local shop and left it there, with an agreement that if the repair estimate were more than $200, we would replace rather than repair.

The estimate was right around $200, but due to the holidays and a scarce part required for the repair, it would take a couple of weeks to get the TV back. We were disappointed that we would miss the Grinch, Charlie Brown, and It's a Wonderful Life, but we accepted it. Then the shop botched the repair, so it was another couple of weeks without TV.

But something interesting happened. Just before the TV died, I had set up an inexpensive -- but good quality -- sound system for June's laptop. She could sit in her recliner, plug in the sound system, and we could listen to internet radio, CDs, or downloaded MP3 files. So while the TV was absent from our living room, we listened to music, talked, read books, and soon we found that we did not miss the TV much at all. June missed watching her weekend cooking shows, and I missed a few comedy things like The Daily Show. But with each passing day, we grew more accepting of the new rhythms and ambiance of our household.

We did finally get the TV back. I hooked all the cables up and tested it, then we closed the doors on its cabinet. Most days we do not watch it at all. June still watches her weekend cooking shows (I encourage this because I'm the primary beneficiary of it!). I like to watch a movie once in a while. But the spell has been broken. We've kicked. Internet music was our methadone, I guess. We now approach the TV with some mindfulness. TV news - both national and local - is not only deceitful, but relentlessly stupid. We don't miss it at all. We get a broader idea of current events by reading multiple sources online. Even the weather reports online are at least as accurate and certainly more timely than what we got on the local news.

Of course, we also try to approach our internet use with similar mindfulness. No single source of information can give you everything.

So, our withdrawal from TV addiction was accidental, and unintended. I wish I could say that we made a conscious decision to do it, but we did not. Like junkies who washed up on a deserted beach after a shipwreck, we had no choice to but to purge the toxin from our systems. But we are much happier and, I think, healthier now.

Spreebate!

What will you do with your spreebate? I'm talking about the "economic stimulus" checks that will be set out later in the year. The administration hopes we'll all go on a big shopping spree and keep the economy from tanking. Let's see, I could get some new Thomastik-Infeld bass strings, maybe upgrade my Sibelius notation program, get some blue suede shoes...

But mostly, I just like saying spreebate.

Paul Bass's albums are now online

I created a web page for the solo keyboard albums of Paul Bass this week. He was such a fine keyboardist and improvisor -- I want to help his music to live on to whatever extent I can.

Paul's web page is http://www.stevepinkston.com/paulbass.html

You'll also find links to other downloads on that page.

I still have lots and lots of music to upload, I just have to get around to actually doing it!

Welcome, 2008!

Well, 2007 is finally over, and I hope my medical woes are, too. I am finally starting to regain some strength and stamina. Anyone who knows me could hardly believe the description of me as frail, but that has been as good a word as any for the past month or so.

My New Year's Resolution is to never, ever have my gall bladder removed again. I'm pretty sure I can stick to it.

I finally got fed up with the poor performance and non-existent customer service at Yahoo/Geocities, so I switched my website over to a new host, 1&1. The new homepage is:

http://www.stevepinkston.com

I also got the domain http://www.fin-de-mundo.com which goes to the same place.

I may eventually move all my e-mail there, but for now, everything else is the same.

One fun thing about the new host is that I get a lot more space and monthly transfer allowance. I plan to post a lot of music -- both new and old -- on the website. Stay tuned!

Still alive!

Well, I seem to have survived my surgery, although last weekend I wasn't entirely sure that would be the case. The first few days after surgery were a little rough, but they gave me good pain medications (whee), and June took great care of me -- I really did very little for about five days.

June gave me a terrific book to read during my recovery: Musicophilia, by Oliver Sacks. I highly recommend checking it out -- Dr. Sacks is a great storyteller, and all of the stories are about how the brain is related to music.

Seven days after surgery I went back to work. I was really feeling OK. Not much pain, mentally clear, good energy. Then on the tenth day post-operative, I had a setback. Without going into too much detail (nothing like an "organ recital" to make people stop reading), I got very sick, and spent a very unhappy weekend flat on my back. I'm OK now, and going back to work, but I have had to cancel all gigs and other activities for the rest of the year.

Work on the CD is on hiatus as well, at least until after the first of the year. I am so looking forward to completing this CD!

Notes on the CD project so far

I figured it was time for an update on the CD project and things in general.

First, a little non-music-related update. I'm going to be out of commission for a while. I have to have surgery the day before Thanksgiving. It seems that for years now I've had a secret hobby of collecting rocks. Even I did not know about it. Apparently I've been hiding these rocks in my gall bladder, and now a doctor wants to take them away from me.

Now the good news. I went into the studio on November 11th with my core group of great local musicians and cut four more tracks: My Neighbor Is a Lunatic, Take Another Chorus, Almond Roca, and Sunday Morning Blues.

Combined with the four tracks we cut on August (with my daughter Dawn on cello) and two bass-showoff pieces I have already recorded, this makes ten tracks and over an hour of music. I think this is enough for a CD. I may add one more track, but I'm not sure at this point.

The session was terrific. This was Michael Kora's first time playing drums with this group and he showed that he was the perfect fit for the project. The other players -- Jack McCreary on sax, Ted Clifford on Keyboards, Christian Botto on guitar, and Milledge Bennett on percussion -- played wonderfully and imparted a real feeling of a live jazz band. Pete Uchytil came and took some more photos, which I'll link to when they are ready.

The next steps are to lay in some overdubbed tracks recorded remotely by Dawn and also some from my old friend Dawayne Bailey down in Las Vegas. Then it's just mixing, mastering, designing the package, manufacturing, and selling. I'll probably sell them through CD Baby. It seems easy enough to do, and I'm all for any process that results in less work for me!

The one thing that I have noticed throughout this project is how difficult it is for me to wear two hats -- producer and performer. As the producer, I'm responsible for the whole project. In the studio, the producer part of me has to listen with a critical ear to not just my own part, but to everyone else's parts, and the sound of the whole take. That requires some distance and detachment to do well. As a performer, I need to distance myself from the mikes and computers and everything else, and just focus on playing the bass. I'm afraid that the producer side usually wins at the expense of the performer side.

Honestly, I think that what I want is to either (1) Have a separate producer in the control room, or (2) Just BE the producer in the control room and have a different bass player out in the studio.

In any case, I am wildly enthusiastic about the results of this last session. I think the overall project will be very pleasing when it comes out. Every individual musician gets a chance to step out and show what they've got, and it really does have a "band" feel, which was one of my goals.

Photos from the August 11th recording session

My friend Peter Uchytil is a terrific photographer. I invited him to take some shots at our recent recording session at East2West Studios in Clackamas.

You can see the entire set of color and b&w photos at Pete's Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shinyobject/collections/72157601590760651/

Here are a few shots I like from the session:

What a weekend!

I just had a really amazing weekend, one I'll remember for a long time. My daughter Dawn arrived from Topeka on Thursday for a visit. We hung out, played some music together, walked in the woods, then on Saturday we went up to East2West Studios for a recording session with some of my jazz friends. It was a total gas. I don't have rough mixes yet, but what I heard in playback sounded great. This marks the official start of my new CD project. We recorded four tunes on Saturday, all originals. Many thanks to Adrienne Welsh for loaning her cello to Dawn!!! My friend Peter Uchytil took some photos of the recording session -- I'll post links when they are ready.

Another little treat was that an expanded version of the story of Dawn and me was published in the August 2007 issue of the Mensa Bulletin, which is the monthly magazine of American Mensa, Ltd. I had submitted it months ago, and never heard back from them, so I figured it had been rejected. It arrived in the mail just as I brought Dawn home from the airport.

Also, on Sunday night there was a good meteor shower predicted. Dawn had always wanted to see one, but had never been able to. However at bedtime, it was completely overcast -- too bad. I happened to wake up about 2:30 AM and it was completely clear outside, so I shook Dawn awake and we went out and saw the shooting stars. It was cold, but great fun.

It was truly a wonderful time.

R.I.P. Gerard Lock

We lost another member of the Portland jazz community last month. Gerard "Gerry" Lock, a very talented young bassist, was found dead in his apartment. This was totally unexpected and a shock to all who knew and made music with him.

Gerry played with a local group called the Groove Collective, and was a frequent performer at local jams. Last night, a number of his friends and colleagues raised a glass and played some music in his memory at the regular Thursday night jazz jam at Proper Eats in St. Johns. It was a very sweet evening. I got to sit in and play Gerry's 6-string bass for a few numbers, and I spent some time talking to Gerry's uncle, who had flown in.

I first heard Gerry at one of the jam sessions sponsored by Portland Jazz Jams at the Fireside Coffee Lodge a couple of years ago. I was impressed by his pocket playing and his soloing when he sat in. Many bassists fall back on clichéd licks and phrases when soloing, and I sometimes play a little game of humming their solos along with them. Not so with Gerry. His solos were always fresh and inventive. One of the imperatives for any jazz musician is to develop a distinctive personal "voice," and to my ears, Gerry was well on his way to achieving that.

Bassists are an interesting lot. Who chooses this instrument as the vessel for their creative urge? Certainly the upright bass is an unlikely choice for a youngster selecting an instrument -- it's big and unwieldy, with thick strings that will raise blisters on your hands should you try to coax more than a few notes out of it. There's no place to put it in the house where it's not an obstacle to navigation or -- for those with pets -- a magnet for urination. At least you can tuck a bass guitar into a closet.

While I'm not big on sports metaphors, I have heard it said that the bass player is like the third-baseman of jazz. Nobody pays a heck of a lot of attention to you -- unless you're not there. One advantage of playing the bass is that every band needs a bassist (I don't want any emails from B3 players, OK? I know you can do without us), but the disadvantage is that most bands don't need more than one. This means that we dig each other's work from a distance. At a jam session, we sit in one at a time. We never get the experience that horn players and guitarists get -- of jamming with someone else who plays your same instrument. When we tell non-musicians that we play the bass, often they have no clue what that means. Most of us have had the experience of playing a recording and explaining to our spouse or lover, "Now that part there -- doom, da-doom-doom, doom -- that's the bass. That's what I do." I think there is a kind of a bond, perhaps a brotherhood, that bassists feel for each other. We'll never be in a band together or even play music together, but we just kind understand.

We lost Gerry too early; he was in his 30s, I think. Like so many bassists, he left before the third set. I think of Scott LaFaro, Jimmie Blanton, Jaco, Mingus. Gerry joins them now, but he'll just have to wait for his turn to sit in.

Memories of Greensburg, Kansas

I've been very affected by the recent devastation in Greensburg, Kansas. Although it's been many years since I've lived in Kansas, I felt a kinship with the folks I saw on TV, who had lost so much.

I have a memory of Greensburg that was triggered by this event. In the 60s, when we traveled around the midwest with bands, we'd look for the odd roadside attractions to liven up the trip. Prairie Dog Town, the Big Ball of Twine, and of course The Big Well in Greensburg was a must-stop.

I remember stopping at the Big Well one time on the way back from a gig. We bought some junk in the gift shoppe: The singer bought one of those giant novelty "Texas" cigars that's a foot long and three inches across. One of the other guys bought a rubber snake. Then we just HAD to go down in the well. Yes, you could go down to the bottom on rickety wooden steps.

We got down to the bottom and decided it would be funny to throw the rubber snake into the water. It wasn't as funny as we thought it would be, since it sank instead of floating. Then the singer decided to fire up that huge stogie. Oh, my god, what a stench! It was like burning chicken feathers in a rubber boot. The well filled with thick, acrid smoke and we could hardly see or breathe. We beat it up the stairs as fast as we could, stepping on each other's heels and laughing and choking all the way, but the smoke seemed to follow us up. Then I saw that the singer still had the stogie going! I yelled at him to get rid of it and he reluctantly tossed it into the water.

That rubber snake is probably still down there in the bottom of the well.

Aerial Photos of Greensburg

Greensburg's Website

LV's Jazz Brunch is no more

All good things must come to an end, it seems, and the management at LV's Uptown has informed Ted Clifford that they are canceling the Sunday Jazz Brunch -- at least the live music part of it. Ted and I have enjoyed this gig very much over the past few months, and LV's management has assured us that this is a business decision and not a reflection on our music.

I am disappointed, of course, but this is how it goes in the music business. We are now free to accept other gigs, and I'll keep you all informed of upcoming appearances.

Thank you for your support, and for supporting live jazz in Portland!

A Musician Story...

St Peter is welcoming new arrivals at the Gate.

A guy walks up and Peter says, "Welcome to Heaven. What did you do for a living on Earth?"

The guy says "I was a carpenter".

"Very good", says St Peter, "Go right on in".

Next guy walks up and Peter says, "Welcome to Heaven. What did you do for a living on Earth?"

The guy says "I was a doctor".

"Excellent", says St Peter, "Go right on in".

Next guy walks up and Peter says, "Welcome to Heaven. What did you do for a living on Earth?"

The guy says "I was a musician".

"Great!", says St Peter, "Just go around the back and you'll see a door next to the dumpster that'll get you through to the kitchen....".

New CD from Dawayne Bailey

My old friend Dawayne Bailey has a new CD out called Joyland. Dawayne's a fantastic guitarist, and has, over the years, enhanced the bands of Bob Seger, Chicago, Veronique Sanson, and many others. He has also just been named a 2007 inductee into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.

I would highly recommend you check Dawayne out, and give his new CD a listen.

Things to be thankful for today

Thanksgiving 2006

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I still have reasonably good health, my wonderful wife June, a good (non-music) job that pays all our bills, and I've had the opportunity to play and write music with some of the most talented musicians in the Portland area.

But this year I have a special reason to be thankful. Let me tell you a story, my friends. It's a bit long, but bear with me.

When I was in high school back in Kansas, I was in love with a beautiful girl who also played in the school orchestra. She was my first real love. By the time we graduated from high school she was pregnant. It was a difficult decision to put the child up for adoption, but we knew we could not be good parents at that stage of our lives, if ever. In the fall of 1970, our daughter was born, and she went immediately to the home of her new adoptive parents.

Over the years, I wondered about this child. I always hoped she'd had a good life, good parents. I tried several times to contact the adoption service at the hospital where she'd been born, but was always stonewalled. I registered at a number of "reunion registry" agencies. I finally decided that my best hope to ever know about her was just to make my self "findable," and hope that she would look for me. So, I have a website, a blog, and lots of postings on the net. As the years passed, I had just about given up hope that it would ever happen.

On October 20th, I got an e-mail that changed everything. It was titled "Friend in Kansas" and it had a picture attached. It was from a 36-year-old woman named Dawn, who lives in Topeka. The face in the picture seemed somehow familiar.

She is my daughter. And she found me. Dawn is tall like me (she's about 6 feet tall), and she is a professional musician. She plays the cello beautifully. We have talked and e-mailed a lot since then, and I have gotten to know her better. She is a wonderful sweet, guileless, altruistic person. Her parents obviously love her very very much, raised her with great values, and nurtured her interest and talent in music.


There's more. Dawn was coming to Portland! However, this trip had already been planned before she found me. A friend of hers had an opportunity to relocate to Portland for her job, and wanted to check out the city first. She invited Dawn to come along as a traveling companion. Dawn is a jazz fan, so while planning the trip they looked online for "jazz things" to do in Portland. They found the portlandjazzjams.com website, and browsed some of the links there, including mine. They found that there was a Jazz Brunch every Sunday at a place called LV's Uptown, and decided that they'd go to that just for fun. Of course, that's where I play most Sundays with Ted Clifford. So, when Dawn finally got my name and looked at my website, her friend said, "Oh, we've seen this guy before!" So, I have to believe that this meeting was truly meant to be.

Dawn and I met face-to-face for the first time on November 5th. From the first moment, we were at ease with each other, just like family. She came to LV's and heard me play with Ted Clifford, then we went back to her hotel (I got a room there, too) to talk and share pictures. It is a day I will never forget. It was beyond wonderful.

So, you can forgive the old man for rambling on a bit. I have all of the pride of a brand new father, and I don't even have to change any diapers. I am truly fortunate, and very, very thankful.

Gigs in September

Just a couple of quick notes: I'll be backing up pianist Ted Clifford most Sundays in September at what has become a pretty regular gig for us -- the Jazz Brunch at LV's Uptown. Details HERE. Check my Yahoo Calendar for exact dates.

And, Since I'm on vacation this week, I'll be able to play the role of "house bassist" at the regular Tuesday night jazz jam at Mississippi Pizza on September 5th. These jams draw some of the best players in Portland and are always great fun. You never know who's going to stop by and sit in. Details are HERE.

Is summer over already?

Well, my bursitis ("Bass Player's Elbow?") is finally better, after taking steroids and other anti-flam type meds. It did not affect my playing much, other than not being able to do octave down-slides. It did affect almost everything else I did with my left arm, however, so I'm very glad to be feeling better.

The semi-regular gig I've been playing at LV's Uptown has been going well. It's a very nice room, I get to play in the daytime instead of late at night, and the food is excellent. And the best part is that I get to play with Ted Clifford, who is an excellent jazz pianist. It seems like every week we find new connections through the music, and take new paths through the tunes. For me this is what it's all about.

I'm always learning something new, too. Last week, I discovered a sweet spot on my E string for plucking with my right hand. By plucking with the side of my fingertip, an inch or so closer to the bridge from my usual position near the bass pickup, I get a very upright-like growly tone that works very well on long sustaining notes in ballads. I had been playing near this spot, but I luckily found the exact place last weekend. It will probably change when I change strings, but now I know what I'm looking for and how to find it.

Oh yeah -- the subject line. Summer is almost over, and I'll be glad for the return of the rain. We've had more 90-degree-plus days this year than I can remember since we've been here. I know some people consider hot & sunny to be the perfect weather conditions, but you just can't take that kind of attitude in Oregon. This weekend is going to be 90+ again, and I hope that will be the last of it.

Hey guitarists -- Funtwo is awesome.

And finally, R.I.P Maynard Ferguson.

Bursitis

OK, I'll admit that I did not really know what bursitis was. That was before I got it in my left elbow. I had noticed a kind of dull pain right behind my elbow joint for a week or so, but hadn't paid much attention to it, but then last Wednesday night it started swelling and hurting like hell. It was even red and hot to the touch. My doctor prescribed some steroid pills, which I did not really want to take, but I went ahead and toke them like a good patient. They do seem to be helping my elbow, but the side effects are horrible. I'm hungry all the time, alternately jittery and mopey, trouble sleeping. I don't think I could endure a long period on steroids.

Ted Clifford and Steve Pinkston at LV's Uptown

UPDATE: We've been extended! Ted and I will be back at LV's this Sunday, July 23rd. All the other details are the same (see below). We had a great turnout on the 16th, so the manager invited us back. We will probably be invited back (or DIS-invited) on a week-by-week basis for a while. Many thanks to everyone who came out!

I'll be appearing with the fine jazz pianist Ted Clifford this Sunday, July 16th 10:00 AM to Noon at LV's Uptown. We'll be playing mostly jazz standards, with the unique flavors and spontaneous twists that Ted and I always create together.

If you're looking for a pleasant activity for a Sunday morning, please come out and join us. LV's Uptown is a very nice venue to listen to jazz, and they serve a delicious and decadent brunch buffet-style for 16 bucks, with smoked salmon, blintzes, fresh fruit and pastries, and much more. Details are at: http://www.lvuptown.com/menu.htm#Brunch

ADDRESS:
310 SW Lincoln
Portland, OR 97201
503.221.0140
http://www.lvuptown.com/

LV’s Uptown is located adjacent to the University Grill at University Place, Portland State University’s conference center on the site of the former Doubletree Hotel. The address is 310 SW Lincoln St, which is on the south side of Lincoln street between First Ave and Fourth Avenue, about 5 blocks south of the PSU Campus.LV's features free parking for patrons – that rarest of rarities in downtown Portland.

We hope to see you there!

A Place Called The Bla-Bla Cafe

A remarkable book has just been published, titled A Place Called The Bla-Bla Cafe.

I performed many times at this venue on Ventura Blvd. in L.A. with singer/songwriter Lisa Nemzo, both as a trio (with Marylee Tyson on cello) and as a full rock band. It was a very magical place, sometimes frustrating as hell and other times simply sublime. I have very good memories of the place, which provided a place to be heard for many rising stars in the 1970s.

And yes, there is even a mention of yours truly in the book, in a funny anecdote written by Lisa Nemzo.

For more information, or to order your own copy, go to http://www.bla-bla-cafe.com/

Bye-bye Fireside Jam

Well, the Fireside Jazz Jam is no more. Apparently, a combination of factors has led to the owner of the establishment cancelling the regular Saturday jazz jam that I've played at regularly for quite some time now at the Fireside Coffee Lodge at 12th & Powell. This is still a very nice, mellow place to hang out, have a cup of jitter juice, and access the internet; they just won't have a bunch of jazzbos and their friends hanging out on Saturday night anymore.

The good news is that Portland Jazz Jams is sponsoring a new weekly jam session at Proper Eats in the St. Johns area of Portland. This will be on Thurdays, and will have acoustic bass players only, so I'm out of luck on both counts. But it should be a good session and I'd encourage all jazz fans and players to come out and support this new venue. More information HERE.

Xeno's on April 14

New date added! I'll be playing as a duo with the fine pianist Ted Clifford on April 14th at:

Xeno's
8527 N Lombard St
Portland, OR 97203
(503) 735-9125

We'll start at about 7:00 PM. This should be a fun gig; Ted and I play together frequently at the Saturday night jazz jam at the Fireside Coffee Lodge, but this will be our first chance to play as a duo.

Steve on TV

Now, I know this is really no big deal, BUT, a local public access cable show featured footage of yours truly this weekend. You can see the program online at:

http://portlandjazzjams.blip.tv/

It's the show called "PJJ-TV #7 - Fireside Jazz Jam - 01"

You'll probably have to update your QuickTime player to the most recent version to view it.

Performance Schedule

UPDATE:
I will have a light schedule at the Fireside through the end of March. I'm playing tomorrow night (Feb 25th), then again on March 11th and 25th. On March 4th Dan Presley (of Tall Jazz fame) will be filling in the bottom end, and on March 18th Brian Lowe will be sitting in. Two Saturdays off in a month -- wow!

sick

I'm sick.

I don't get sick often, but this is for real, and I hate it. I think one of the guys at my day job brought a virus into work with him, and now I have a stinking cold.

There are benefits, of course. Sympathy is one, although that wears off pretty quick when your spouse is emptying wastecans full of damp, infectious Kleenex. Rest is another -- you're supposed to get a lot of sleep. But I always feel like I should be getting something done...like, um, updating my blog.

NYQUIL! Now yer talkin' some fun! Since I don't drink alcohol, Nyquil is one of my little guilty pleasures. That little shot of booze you get, along with the witch's brew of god-knows-what and the green color and horrible anisette taste, make it my party-drug of choice when I get my annual cold. And man, does it put me to sleep. At least for about 4 days, until I get habituated to it. June says I should just save money and take a shot of tequila at bedtime, but that would be wrong.

Along with this is a side problem that is actually more long-term and worrisome. My arthritis has started showing up in my finger joints. So far, it has not directly affected any of my primary bass-playing fingers, but that may be inevitable. The best thing I can do is to keep moving as much as I can, and take anti-inflammitories when I need to.

Our health is precious, and can be taken away at any time. I think of those people I've loved, who I've lost too early, and I feel very lucky to have lived so long. I realize that there are many who would gladly trade my little aches and pains for theirs. I try to appreciate each day, and those people in my life that make each day a joy.

Tall Jazz

A fine local jazz group is Tall Jazz. This group consists of Dan Presley on bass, Mike Horsfall on piano and vibes, and David Averre on drums. Check them out at http://www.talljazz.com/

I had the pleasure of watching Dan Presley (and yes, he is tall) doing his bass thing up close on Saturday night at the Fireside jam. He had sent one of his students down to get some practical experience (he was quite good, by the way), and then he decided to sit in for a few numbers himself. It was quite a treat. Dan's playing is strong, fluid, and he's always in control. Plus, his intonation is excellent even in the upper register, which is one of my pet peeves with many string bass players.

That's one of the joys of an open jam -- you never know what's going to happen, or who's going to fall by.

Professionalism on the stand

Here's today's question: What does it take to be a professional musician?

Chops? You bet. You need to practice regularly, listen to those who have gone before and established their voice in the music world, and strive to develop you own voice as a musician.

Good looks? I sure hope not. I am reassured when I look up pictures of Albert Collins, Keith Richards and others. Of course, Chet Baker started off beautiful and ended up looking like 50 miles of bad road. Which brings me to...

Health? It certainly helps if you can stay healthy as long as possible. this may take some effort if you are traveling a lot. Road food and long hours spent on buses and planes do not make for easy good health. If your muse is summoned by ingestion of chemicals, well, that's for you to decide, but I'll say that even though I've met some great musicians that were drug users and alcoholics, I haven't met very many old musicans that were.

But that's not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about professionalism. I am here to tell you that professionalism is the one trait that can keep you working even if your chops are not the hottest in the county.

I recently met a young bass player whose playing impressed me. I thought I might do a few things to help move his career along -- at least to the limited extent I could. I lined up an audition for him with a working band I knew about that needed a bass player. He showed up for the audition, but failed to bring an amp, assuming that one would be provided for him. Oops - strike one. I also arranged a 3-session gig for him. Not much money, but again, a chance to build his reputation and make valuable contacts. For all three gigs, he showed up late, no call, no apology. Oops - strikes two, three, and four.

The funny thing is that this fellow probably does not even realize what he did. Perhaps he figured, "no money, so no big deal if I blow it off." Later he may wonder why some guy that doesn't play half as well as he does is getting more work.

What is professionalism for a musician? Here are some thoughts. Bear in mind that this comes from the perspective of a bass player:

1. Show up. Plan to arrive at the venue early. Really early, like an hour or two. So, if you get stuck in traffic, or get a flat tire, or can't find parking, or can't find the venue, you'll still have time to get there, load in, tune up, and kick back while you watch the others straggle in.

2. Have your gear together. Do you carry extra strings, reeds, sticks, batteries, picks, cables or whatever your tools are? Why not? These are important components of what you do for a living. Keep your axe and amp in good repair. If you can afford it, have a backup for your axe and amp. If it's a jam or a casual, bring all your fake books, a stand, and a stand light.

3. Learn to read. Yes, many great musicians did not know how to read music. But reading music is like reading in your native language. You will be better for it, and you will work more. If nothing else, learn to read chord charts and rhythmic patterns.

3a. Learn to write. This may sound silly, or even too simple to mention, but you must must MUST bring a pencil with you. Particularly on big-band gigs or commercial gigs where there is sheet music, you will need to mark cues, key changes, imoprtant dynamics, and other things on your page. Of course you should always ask the owner of the music if it's OK to mark it up, and always mark in pencil, not in pen. If the owner says it's OK to use highlighter, go ahead. You did bring a highlighter, didn't you?

4. Pay attention. You are not the only player on the stand. Listen to what the other cats are laying down. Find a way to make the soloists sound good. Involve your ears with their playing, and find where you can fit in. Is the leader or soloist calling for "fours" or "eights" or "stop time?" These things only work if the whole group understands them and responds.

5. Be kind. Not every musician has fully realized their skills and talents yet. You may work with players whose abilities are less than yours. Do your best to help these players do their best. If they are having trouble hearing the chord progression or finding the beat, simplify your playing -- maybe down to quarter or half notes, roots and fifths. Help them find the music going on around them, and they may find the music within themselves. By the way, you will work with musicians who are better than you. I guarantee it. How do you want them to treat you?

6. Know when to shut up. There is a time to make noise with your instrument. That's when the song is being played. And there is a time to be quiet. That's in between songs. Noodling or riffing between songs -- whether on the stand or at rehearsal -- is very unprofessional, and makes for chaos. Don't do it.

7. Don't be a snob. Are you a "jazz player" or a "rock player" or a "bluegrass player?" Do you absolutely HATE some genre of music that is currently popular? Well, it would be to your advantage to get over it. You may love jazz more than anything, but if you're going to be a professional, you need to learn how to play the characteristic styles of many kinds of music, and play them well. There's a reason there are so many genres -- people like different kinds of music. For myself, I HATED disco, and refused to play it. Guess what -- I lost a lot of work.

8. Keep your word. If you say you're going to be there, be there. If you said you'd back up that young singer at her showcase for $10 and a slice of pizza, and then you get an offer of $200 for a corporate gig, what do you do? You keep your word, play the showcase, and enjoy the hell out of that pizza. Because once you get the reputation that your "yes" means "maybe," you won't be first-call anymore. And that young singer -- she might be Diana Krall next year. Wouldn't it be nice to have a friend like that, one you kept your committments to?

I'd be interested to hear how other musicians define professionalism. E-mail me if you'd like to discuss it, or point out how full of baloney I am. That's all for now.

Kansas Music Hall of Fame 2006 Inductees

The 2006 inductees into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame have been announced. They are:

• Gene Clark


• Eric & the Norsemen


• Melissa Etheridge


• Jerry Hahn


• Kelley Hunt


• The Jerms


• King Midas & the Muflers


• Spider & the Crabs

My own perennial nominees did not get in this year:

Dawayne Bailey, who began his musical career in the state of Kansas, and went on to play with Bob Seger, Chicago, Veronique Sanson, and many others, as well as his own bands.

Dave Zerfas, who has had a long musical career in Kansas, most notably with his original rock group Plastique, and his cowboy troubadour persona "Zerf."

Vaughn Bolton, who has run a dance band in Kansas since the 50s, and gave me one of my first paying jobs in music.

Performance schedule through the end of the year

Here's where I will be playing through the end of 2005, as far as I know right now:

• Nov 5: Fireside Coffee Lodge 9:00 PM - Midnight
• Nov 12: Fireside Coffee Lodge 9:00 PM - Midnight
• Nov 19: Fireside Coffee Lodge 9:00 PM - Midnight
• Nov 22: Mississippi Pizza 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM
• Dec 17: Fireside Coffee Lodge 9:00 PM - Midnight
• Dec 27: Mississippi Pizza 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM

Fire destroys collection of Kansas music

My earliest musical experiences were in my childhood home state of Kansas. The local bands were big influences. Through the years, a gentleman named Bill Lee in Lawrence, Kansas has been collecting records, tapes, photos, and other memorabilia of these artists, and a few years ago he founded the Kansas Music Hall of Fame. Last week, the apartment building where Bill lived burned to the ground, and Bill's entire collection was destroyed.

Read more about this here.

Fireside Jazz Jam this Saturday

As many of you know, I frequently play in the "house" rhythm section at the Saturday night jazz jams hosted by Darren Littlejohn at the Fireside Coffee Lodge in Portland. This week, Darren has asked me to be the host.

So, I'm casting an open invitation to my friends in the Portland jazz community to come out and play. That's Saturday, Oct 22, 9 PM - Midnight (approximately) at Fireside Coffee Lodge, 1223 SE Powell Blvd, (503) 230-8987.

Six-String Justice

My old friend Zerf has a new CD out called Six-String Justice. Zerf is a walking history book of the frontier days of Kansas, and his new CD has great tunes that incorporate the colorful characters and stories of those days. Zerf's a fine singer, musician, and composer. We go way, way back to my school days in Manhattan, Kansas.

If you'd like to get your own copy of this CD, surf over to Drover's Mercantile (a pretty cool establishment, by the way).

Armonica

The jazz world lost a powerful presence and strong voice yesterday. Portland area singer Armonica died of complications of an auto accident. I only played with her a few times, but I could see that she was a powerful and unique person. She always seemed to be in a great rush to get her thoughts out, and she demanded a very high level of attention and performance from her backing musicians. I am sorry that I did not get more chances to play music with her.

She made a terrific debut CD that you really should give a listen to. She has world-class backing musicians like bassists Ben Wolfe and Dave Captein, drummer Ron Steen. Check it out at her website.

The Mingus Method

Folks who know me know that I frequently cite Charles Mingus as an influence. Of course my own playing and composition can't touch his. But I've also been interested in some of the non-music-related aspects of his life.

One very interesting thing Mingus did was to develop the "Mingus Method" for toilet training a cat. Mind you, this is not a method for teaching the cat to use the litter box. With this method, you teach the cat to use the real, porcelain, human potty!

Here's the page on Sue Mingus' website:

http://www.mingusmingusmingus.com/main/words5.htm

So, this morning I ran across a website called "CitiKitty" that seems to have ripped off this idea entirely, and is selling a kitty toilet training kit for $29.

Judge for yourself:

http://www.citikitty.com/

So, I decided to write to Sue Mingus' website and tell her people about it. Here's what I wrote:

From what I can tell, this outfit has ripped off Charles' "Mingus Method" for toilet training a cat:

http://www.citikitty.com/index.htm

I hope Sue is getting royalties, or at least some props as to who really came up with the method.

Steve Pinkston
Bassist
Molalla, OR

And -- surprise, surprise -- Sue herself wrote back:

Have sent your letter on to my son, the lawyer! I suspect that it is one more great idea down the financial tubes. But thanks for the info....... Sue Mingus

To me, this is just about like getting a personal postcard from the Queen. Probably inconsequential, but it made my day.

What's important?

In the month or so since my last post here, we have experienced the awesome power of nature to humble man's constructs, plans, and conceits.

We've also seen the failure of our leaders to respond with the courage, strength, and intelligence that such an event demands. I hope that people will remember these days, and the actions -- and inactions -- of these leaders when they vote next time. Then again, Americans have a pretty short attention span. I know I certainly do.

I just got back from a too-brief visit to Santa Cruz, California, where I stayed with my dear friend Esther and her family. Esther is the widow of my longtime musical collaborator Paul Bass, and is a very gifted healer in her own right. I had some time to myself while there to reflect on a lot of things -- particularly what we value and how we relate to the world around us. Santa Cruz is kind of a hippy-trippy place, so it may just have been the stray patchouli fumes and random energy surges from all the crystals that adorn every car's rear-view mirror that was taking my mind those places -- I don't know. But it's clear to me that one can lose absolutely everything, and if you can still hold on to someone you love, and show them that you love them, then you have absolutely everything you need. Needless to say, I gave June a big hug and kiss when I got home.

I'm taking tonight off from the regular Saturday night jazz jam at the Fireside Coffee House in Portland. I wanted to end my vacation at home, eating pizza for dinner and just kicking back with June.

I thought it was important.

Final concert with 7th Street Jazz Band tonight

Well, tonight will be my final public concert with the 7th Street Jazz Band. We auditioned a new bass player last week, and I think he will work out, and probably be an even better fit (he plays string bass as well as electric).

If you're interested, tonight's concert is at the Carnegie Art Center, and downbeat is at 6:30 PM. For more information, click HERE.

Cool Thing of the Week: Mr. Fastfinger

Spotted by the ever-vigilant folks at Music Thing:


Mr Fastfinger's Guitar Shred Show is a brilliant Finnish interactive flash animation/toy telling the story of Mr Fastfinger, a mysterious guitarist who travels to the Mountain of Tapping Dwarfs. At one point, you have to use your widdly-widdly guitar skills to defeat the devil's accordion playing, before performing for a tribe of pink loincloth-wearing zombie dwarves. Its creator, Mika Tyyskä, is clearly a genius destined for superstardom.

Meshell Ndegeocello on the role of the Bass

I heard an excellent interview with Meshell Ndegeocello this morning on NPR. If you are not yet hip to this gal's playing and singing you have a new opportunity with the recent release of her new album, Dance of the Infidel.

In the interview, she talked a little about her philosophy of bass playing. One of her statements sounded like something I might have said myself:

"If you want foundation and groove, I'm the bass player for you. I don't want to solo -- I just like to groove. I want to create a space and bed for everyone else to do what they do. I'm very traditional, so to speak, as a bassist. I just lock it down, keep the chord changes clear; I'm the foundation -- that's my style"

-- Meshell Ndegeocello

Well, except that I do want to solo once in while. But I can relate to her vision of the role of the bassist. I have infinite respect for the bassists who can solo like Jaco or Vic Wooten. But for me, my job on the stand is to make sure everyone else knows where they're going. You should be able to listen to the bass and drums alone and hear very clearly where the chords are going. The roots and fifths play an important part in defining the chord, of course, but the passing tones and anticipatory phrases help carry the ear through the changes, too. I also have a little rule of contrast that I try to keep in my consciousness; the more "outside" or wild the soloists get, the simpler I will play. If the soloist goes into his upper register, I try to keep down low. If he goes down low, I can walk up to my high notes for a while. If they're keeping to roots, I can play the "flavor" notes a little more. You get the idea. By providing a contrasting musical idea, I think a kind of yin/yang balance can be achieved.

Listen to the full interview with Meshell and hear clips from Dance of the Infidel at NPR's website: CLICK HERE.

Cool Thing of the Week: La Pâte à Son

The nice folks at Music Thing (a very worthwhile addition to your RSS accumulator, by the way) found this "Fantastically strange French Music toy."



Yes, it is strange, and it is very musical and quite addictive. Check it out!

Changes...

I've decided to give notice on my gig with the 7th Street Jazz Band. I've enjoyed playing with this traditional big-band the past two seasons, but I've found that I just don't have the energy to keep up with the pace of the band any more.

So, if you're a bass player looking for a fun big-band gig, drop me an e-mail!

Podshows

I've recently been introduced to the terms podcast and podshow. I'm sure most of you reading my words are already familiar with those terms, but for those who are a little behind the curve, here is a definition from Wikipedia (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast):

Podcasting is a method of publishing files via the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new files automatically. It became popular in late 2004, intended largely for downloading audio files onto a portable audio player. However, listening to podcasts does not require a portable device and it is not traditional "broadcasting" to a mass audience at a fixed time.

The word "podcasting" was coined in February 2004, combining "broadcasting" with the name of Apple Computer's iPod audio player (although podcasting was not invented by Apple, nor do podcasts require a portable player or Apple software).

It is distinct from other types of online audio delivery because of its subscription model, which uses the RSS 2.0 file format. Podcasting enables independent producers to create self-published, syndicated "radio shows", and gives broadcast radio programs a new distribution channel. Listeners may subscribe to feeds using "podcatching" software (a type of "aggregator"), which periodically checks for and downloads new content. Some podcatching software is also able to synchronise (copy) podcasts to portable music players. Any digital audio player or computer with audio-playing software can play podcasts. The same technique can deliver video files, and by 2005 some aggregators could play video as well as audio.

I've been introduced to this new media primarily through guitarist Darren Littlejohn, who is the host of the highly successful Portland Jazz Jams series, and publishes a regular podshow on jazz topics. The PJJ podcasts can be found at:

http://portlandjazzjams.libsyn.com/

Darren also includes edited versions of the weekly jazz jam sessions in the podcasts. You may be interested in PJJ episode #11, which features excellent local jazzbos Jack McCreary and Hal Cooper on alto sax, Jesse Feinsetein on piano, Darren Littlejohn and Matt [sorry - I didn't get the last name] on guitar, Joe Hoyt on drums, and Michael Paul on trumpet. Oh, and yours truly on bass.

Also from out of the blue, I got an e-mail from a podcaster from Canada who wants to use a song Paul Bass and I recorded a few years back in his podshow. I'll post more details when available.

How long is yours?

Well, how long is it, really? Mine's kind of short, to be honest.

I'm talking about your neck, of course.

That is...the neck of your bass.

Bass guitars, like string basses, come in different sizes. The primary measure is the scale length -- the distance the string spans between the bridge and the nut. Leo Fender's original Precision bass had a scale length of 34 inches. When Gibson got into building electric basses a few years later, they used a scale length of about 30.5 inches. Most modern basses are built to a scale length of 34" or longer.

For better or worse, my first electric bass was a 1965 Gibson EB-0. I had started out as a cello player, and then played electric guitar in several bands. I became accustomed to playing on the Gibson short scale, and found that I could play with a lot of speed, particularly because I played with a pick. The pick also imparted a brighter sound, partially offsetting the EB-0's deep, dark sound.

Once I got to L.A. and started making some decent money playing, I started seeking "improvements" in my tone, and the primary way I did this was by adding pickups and knobs. First was a Fender Jazz pickup near the bridge. Then came a Gibson EB-3 bridge pickup and a Fender Precision pickup. Pretty soon I had a genuine Frankenbass! I ran each signal out a separate jack to a mixer -- a quadraphonic bass!!!



A few years later, in 1973, I picked up a Gibson Les Paul Triumph bass, and that remains my main bass to this day.

All of this is a roundabout way to come to the subject of tone. Short-scale basses are perceived to be at a disadvantage tone-wise. The shorter string length means the same string will be at a lower tension to produce the same note. Lower tension means less sustain, fewer high frequencies, and a generally more indistinct tone. I do own one 34" scale bass, but I really play my best on the short Gibson. So I have had to learn how to get a good tone out of it in different settings.

Playing position:

Today I mainly play with my first two fingers (and occasionally my thumb) when playing in a jazz setting. I anchor my thumb on the neck pickup, and pluck the strings at different spots varying from directly over the neck pickup to almost directly over the bridge pickup. There are several "sweet spots" in there that maximize the tone for each string. Of cours, the closer to the bridge you pluck, the richer the tone will be in upper harmonics. One trick I use a lot is that if I'm trying to play a really sweet low note on the E string, I'll shift my fingers to play it closer to the bridge. This brings out the pitch and really lets it sing. Conversely, I'll sometimes play high notes on the G string by plucking near the neck to give them a mellow tone.


Strings:

Ah, the eternal quest for the perfect strings. When I started playing, flatwounds were all you could get. I always looked for the brightest-sounding flats possible, particularly for the E string. I often had a mis-matched set, if I found a particularly nice E. String technology has advanced a great deal since those days. I find that I get a nice full sound with modern roundwounds, and a good set that's made explicitly for short-scale instruments has just as much tension and sustain as a long-scale set.

Amp:

Your choice of amplifier is as personal as your choice of instrument or strings. There are choices to be made: tube vs. transistor; single big speaker vs. multi small speakers; and on and on. I have owned huge tube rigs (and I do mean HUGE -- my biggest rig had 2 18" speakers and 4 15" speakers, and 400 watts of amp). I've also owned a 2x15 Kustom transistor amp, a 2x15 Traynor tube amp, and I currently play through either a Roland Cube-30 (transistor, 1 10" speaker) or an SWR combo amp with a 15" speaker. Something I like to do is to crank the input level up and the output level down. This lets me "dig in" and get a little edge of distortion on the attack of the note if I want it. The Roland also has amp-modeling, a little compressor, and a couple of effects which is very cool.

Also, I have found that getting the amp up off the floor and tilting it back a little has a very positive effect on the tone, at least to my ears. I bought a collapsable stand that lifts the little Roland amp and tilts it back. For the larger SWR amp, I installed removable casters. If I pop the rear casters out, it tilts back quite nice nicely.

Well that's my little rant about bass tone. Feel free to post comments, rebuttals, etc.

Perseverance on the bandstand

The Seventh Street jazz band played last Saturday outdoors at the Visitor Center at Multnomah Falls. We played this gig last year, too. Last year it was viciously hot, and I nearly got sunstroke from the sun beating down on my bald head! This year was decidedly different.

There was a forecast of rain, as there had been for several days previously. Here in Oregon, we realize that rain comes and goes, and you can still schedule events for rainy days. We got set up at about 1:00 PM, and the park rangers provided a couple of canvas shelters, about 12x12 feet each. We squeezed under these, and just as we started the first tune at 2:00 PM, the rain started coming down.

Through the first set, the rain increased in intensity. The flashes of light that I first thought were fans taking pictures, turned out to be lightning. Thunder rolled through the gorge, and the temperature started dropping.

We took a break about 3:00, and huddled under the shelters. There was a place where the two shelters came together, and of course, that's where the water ran off in serious quantities -- right onto the trumpet section. We kicked off the second set, and by then, the only audience members still listening were under umbrellas. Our drummer Joel was defending himself from insects that were leaping off the nearby underbrush onto his drumheads and onto his face. All the players were fighting the cold and wet, and our fingers grew more and more numb. We kept pulling the amps closer into the shelter to try to keep them dry.



Finally, we finished about 4:00 PM and started to pack up. This, of course, was the cue for the rain to stop, and we managed to load out without getting too soaked.

I'll be interested in how some of the younger players in the band react to this less-than-ideal gig. It certainly is not the worst I've had. I recall in the '70s, our band went to Detroit to play a one-nighter on an island in the river between the US and Canada called Bob-Lo Island. We had to ride on a barge with the equipment to get there, and it was hailing the whole way. When we got onstage, we found that our gentle prog-rock melodies were being drowned out by the next band -- Brownsville Station -- "warming up" backstage at more-or-less full concert volume.

I think no experience is truly bad if you get a good story out of it.

A few more pics from Fireside

Here are a couple more photos from the Fireside Jam last Saturday:



To see more pictures, take a look at the Portland Jazz Jams Blog.

Los Angeles and old friends

[This is a re-post from May 25]

I think I've finally recovered from my trip to Los Angeles enough to write about it! I was down there May 7th through 14th. This was my first real trip back to Southern California since June and I left there in 1989.

Impressions:

• Well, it seems to me that they have not repaired any of the freeways since I was last there. They have gotten very, very ratty.
• Governor Ah-nold is on TV all the time. I don't know who's paying for it, but every single commercial break on every channel has at least one ad with him imploring the populace to "Help me to fix Calli-fawn-ya."
• During the day, you can get a break from soap operas by watching one of the many car chases live on TV. This has become such a big draw that the TV stations compete with each other for who covers car chases the best. Some stations have equipped their choppers with HDTV cameras, so you can get a really good look at the perp when the cops shoot him. And yes, they will definitely shoot him. If there's anything they understand down there, it's the importance of the "money shot."
• More than half the broadcast TV stations are non-English, particularly in the UHF band.

Not that I actually spent much time watching TV. I spent the majority of each day hanging out with my 87-year-old Mother-in-law, running errands with her, and swapping stories. She's a terrific person, and I'm glad I got to spend so much time with her at the retirement home she lives in. He home is in Alhambra, which is south of Pasadena. Alhambra has become a largely Asian community in recent years, and at one local market I was able score some rather rare Chinese spices for June to use in cooking (which, of course, benefits me directly!).

In the evenings, I got to visit with some old friends from my LA days. It was very interesting to me that -- almost without exception -- each of these folks seemed to be at or getting close to a turning point in their lives. These are all people who are very special to me, and it was a wonderful gift to be able to spend time with them, share a few laughs about the old days, and catch up on what's been going on in the last few decades.

I'll try to get some pictures posted soon.

UPCOMING GIGS:

• I'll be at the Fireside Coffee Lodge with Darren Littlejohn and lots of other great Portland Jazzers most Saturdays through the end of Summer at least - 9:00 PM to Midnight.
• May 18th, 2:00 - 4:00 PM the 7th Street Jazz Band will play at the Multnomah Falls visitor's center out in the Columbia Gorge. We did this last year, and it was a lot of fun.
• June 30th, 8:00 - 11: PM at C-Bar with guitarist Darren Littlejohn and jazz singer Armonica.
  
• July 4th, 5:00 - 7:00 PM the 7th Street Jazz Band will play at Clackamette Park in Oregon City. I don't know too much about this gig, but it's Independence Day, so there will probably be hot dogs, beer, and sparklers.
• July 16th, 7th Street Jazz Band will play at the Hubbard Hops Festival. I know this sounds corny (or maybe hoppy?), but it's a fun gig.

Getting fired...

Like a lot of musicians, I work a (non-music-related) day gig. Today we had a big layoff. In corporate-speak, that's a "RIF" (Reduction In Force). I still have my job, but a lot of good people don't.

It made me recall the two times I was actually fired from a band.

The first time I was fired from a band was in the mid 70s. I was traveling in Canada with a trio that was backing a lounge singer. It was New Year's Eve, and we were playing the Banff Springs Hotel. The piano player and I decided to drive to Calgary (about 100 miles away) for the day, and drive back in time for the gig. Well, winter being what it is, the drive that took about two hours on the way to Calgary in the morning, turned into a five-hour slog through a blizzard in the afternoon (and evening). We showed up about an hour and a half late, to find the singer doing his best to entertain the audience with just drums for accompaniment. We were both fired the next morning.

The second time, it was such a bizarre scene that I sometimes wonder if I remember it accurately. I was touring in a band that was backing a singer who had been famous at one time. We had been booked into a lounge in Vegas, and I was kind of looking forward to it -- I was going to get a Vegas union card and everything. However, the lounge manager came to hear us rehearse, and she minced no words. I was too tall and too "funny looking" to play in her lounge.

So, fired twice -- once my fault, once due to genetics.

Fun at the Fireside

I'm having a great time jamming with Darren Littlejohn and the other great musicians that come to the Fireside Coffee Lodge on Saturday nights. Last week we had FOUR terrific sax players and a fine young guitarist from California sitting in, as well as the luscious singing of Armonica.

Here's a snapshot of me and the aforementioned young guitarist (Eron) from June 4th:



Part of the fun for me is the variety, and the challenge of playing tunes that I have not played in years (or in some cases have NEVER played). Also, as a bass player, trying to establish a pocket with the variety of drummers that play at the jam really keeps me on my toes. They are all good players, but they are also very different from one another in their approach.

Happy birthday, June

Happy birthday to my beautiful, smart and creative wife, June!