Upright Bill

I still don't watch Hee Haw reruns.

When I was little and my parents when out my brothers and I would have to stay with my grandparents. If it was my Dad's parents we had to watch Lawrence Welk and if it was my Mom's we'd have to watch Hee Haw. Back then I hated both of them (Hee Haw and Lawrence Welk not my grandparents). Now I watch Lawrence Welk reruns all the time, I wonder what changed...

If they are as good tonight was they were Friday you are in for a good time.

You are welcome any time, Chuck. Kent Kessler is a very cool person as well. He invited me to visit him in Chicago to check out jazz clubs and swap bass stories. I was fascinated by the way people chose to leave. Old couples crouched and crept out between songs, little kids with their hands over their ears hot-footing to the door. I was also proud of my wife, she sat and listened to every song and after even commented on liking all of one and parts of a couple others.

I heard the greatest wah-wah pedal solo of my life Friday night! It was attached to a cello playing arco!

I'm a bass fanatic, but the ugliest sound in the world is steel strings bouncing off nickel frets out of time with the tune.

I recall an interview with him where he recommended that the "young cats" play both but he tried it and didn't like it. From my perspective, its a totally different instrument. It serves the same function in the band and its tuned the same but that's it. As a friend of mine likes to say, "Ones a guitar the others a violin."

I stopped participating because I felt guilty about not even having time to give the discs more than a listen in the car. I still intend to do mine, but stopped receiving until I can listen (once through is not listening),

First, note the User Name. Now that I've established my bias let me say this; Sometimes the choice in a live situation is simply a matter of volume. A Double Bass, even with a pickup or a mic, can have trouble competing with an electric piano or an organ in a live situation. I always prefer upright bass and like for everyone to turn down. On the other hand why do horm players (the loudest guys in the combo) always think that they need a mic reguardless of the size of the venue?

Happy Birthday Chuck. Let me know about Friday. Schuler's makes a great birthday espresso!

On US-31 North between Pontaluna and Sternberg.

It's a strip of hide that used to extend from just behind the deer's left ear to just after its shoulder. When I reached down to remove my seat belt that was on my right thigh.

The wierd part is the moment between when you realize what has just happened and you start to deal with it. I saw the first deer cross in front of me. I immediately looked for the next one, there is always more than one, at the same moment I hit it. It seemed like a long time before I stopped when actually it was just feet. When the cop arrived (with at least two entire cans of skoal stick behind his lower lip) he thought all of the blood on me was mine and kept try to talk me into calling for an ambulance.

Naw, I would never let a little thing like a demonlished car and pain get in the way of Live Jazz! Besides, its a company car, mine is fine.

I went to the local E.R. for PAIN in my left eye. I had scratched my cornea and cut the inside of my lower eyelid. I also had hundreds of tiny little cuts from the flying glass. All very minor.

I got one last night at 70 MPH. After a business trip to Chicago and back I hit a freakin' deer ten miles from home. The brown thing in front of the box of tissues is exactly what you think it is.

May 21, 7:30 pm at Schuler's on 28th Street in Grand Rapids. This is one of only five U.S. stops for this tour. Anybody else going? Chuck, would you like to ride along with me? Check him out at Jorrit Dijkstra Song samples at Song Samples

I'm sorry for your loss Randy. I know that whenever I hear you play in the future I will think of her even though I never had the honor of meeting her.

I'm listening to "The Real Howard Roberts" right now. He and Ray Brown should have done more stuff together. This may be my favorite version of "Darn That Dream". When I was a kid, playing Led Zeppelin and MC5 covers, I was also listening to Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel and Howard Roberts. However, my playing was probably more influenced by Wayne Kramer and Jimmy Page. I've always prided (fooled) myself about having a style that was totally my own. About 10- 12 years ago I did a studio gig where I was to record three songs. One classical guitar piece, one "rock flavored blues" and one heavy metal. All but the classical piece were totally improvised and it was just me, a strat, a borrowed p-bass and a drum machine. After recording the blues piece the engineer commented that I "really got that Carlos Santana thing down." I was devistated

I used to work as a floor walker. A floor walker's job is to wander around the store looking like a customer, watching for shop lifters. The situation here is apparently the opposite of that in France. The person that has stolen the item couldn't be stopped until they had moved to an area where it is obvious that they were not going to pay for the item. That is usually the outside of the store. We always walked up to the person, identified ourselves and asked to see their receipt. Sometimes asking for the receipt required something similar to a game of one-on-one football. It was a crappy job. I also worked as a bouncer, that was worse.

Influenced by Kenny G?

Howard Roberts. If you play I highly recommend his book "The Accelerator." Most of what I teach comes as a result of my time in that book.

It would have been nice to know that it was playing locally! Any chance it will be shown at UICA?

I have three of Wayne's newest CDs and, when in the right mood, enjoy them very much. The problem with mixing business with music is, IMHO, that most musicians are very trusting people and never expect another human to take advantage of them. Many business people see those types of folks as an easy mark.

You share your birthday with Duke Ellington! Happy Birthday Joe.