MUSIC
Click on the tracks & albums below to listen.
NEW METHOD BOOK
Back in August, Troy Nelson asked if I would be interested in writing a book about building bass lines. Five painstaking months later, the book is complete, and available HERE.
"Build Walking Bass Lines in 14 Days: Jazz & Blues Bass Lines for Upright And Electric Bass" covers the critical aspects of bass playing in a systematic format. Divided into six 15-minute lessons per day, the book is intended to be a resource for beginning and intermediate bassists looking for a methodical approach to improving their ability to create great sounding bass lines. The book is available through Amazon in print and E-book formats, and includes play-along tracks.
Also, I will be holding a 7-week online course through The Milwaukee Jazz Institute using "Build Bass Lines in 14 Days" as the text.
Join us for some discussion, demonstration, group exercises, call-and-response, and a little accountability as we work on the craft of bass playing!
Begins Wednesday, February 2nd. 2022 6-7pm (CST). REGISTER HERE.
MJI ONLINE COURSE
Notes From Home:
Here are two solo bass videos from the lockdown... Working on Thelonious Monk's beautiful tune "Ruby, My Dear" & Bud Powell's "Bouncing with Bud"
Previous MJI Workshops:
Bass Solos Workshop
From Thursday, January 7th 2021 6:30 - 7:30pm
In this workshop, we discussed some of the basic challenges of soloing on the bass, examined a step-by-step process for developing freedom in improvisation, and identified some of these concepts in classic examples from great jazz musicians.
And Download Workshop Materials:
BetterBassSolos.pdf or BetterBassSolos.pptx
Building Better Bass Lines
From Thursday, August 4th 2020 6:30 - 7:30pm
In this workshop, we examined the fundamental structures of bass playing on the blues form; discussed some simple strategies to help make your lines clear, strong, and forward moving; and finally identified these components in some classic and modern examples from great jazz bassists.
Previous Workshop Materials:
BetterBassLines.pdf or BetterBassLines.pptx
Other Work:
Upcoming Shows:
EVERY MONDAY
6:00-9:00pm
with Eric Jacobson (trumpet) &
Pamela York (piano)
at Mason Street Grill
424 E Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
EVERY TUESDAY
7:00-9:00pm
with Dave Bayles (drums) &
Russ Johnson (trumpet)
at The Uptowner
1032 E Center St.
Milwaukee, WI 53212