Step on Some Toes — the Richard Davis—Mel Lewis Rhythm Section
This excellent article by Vinnie Sperrazza gave me food for thought. Sperrazza dissects the dynamic between Richard Davis and Mel Lewis in the early carnation of the Thad Jones—Mel Lewis Orchestra. I sometimes get tasked with playing the TJ-ML classics with the WDR Big Band, and it throws me into an introspective conundrum about how […]
Jazz Concepts: Why No One Sounds Like Charles Mingus
Jazz Concepts: Why No One Sounds Like Charles Mingus Photo: charlesmingus.com Bass Magazine, Jan. 9, 2023 He played with reckless abandon, embraced the joy of music making, and performed with a fervor displayed by few musicians. His music, a symphony of contradictions, used complex harmony that somehow always sounded like the blues. He came up […]
Jazz Concepts: High School Jazz
Jazz Concepts: High School Jazz In 1968, a student at Palo Alto High School near San Francisco had the idea to present a jazz concert. Danny Scher was in charge of organizing school dances, but he was a huge jazz fan. To Danny, it seemed like a reasonable idea to try hiring the Thelonious Monk […]
How To Practice — Presentation Materials
Here are the supporting materials for my “How to Practice Workshop” that I recently presented at ZUYD Conservatorium Maastricht. Download and enjoy! Download the zip file: Goldsby_Practice_Presentation Please check out my new online video lessons from Discover Double Bass a great way to jump start your practice routine!
Jazz Concepts: Back to the Roots
Jazz Concepts: Back to the Roots by John Goldsby — Bass Magazine — Issue 9 How large is the number called a Googol? You could Google it, but I’ll just tell you: A Googol is 10100, or one followed by a hundred zeros. That’s about how many quarter-notes I’ve played in my life, or at […]
How to Build a Walking Bass Line
Zusatzmaterial — Bergisches Jazz Workshop — Bass Master Class Hier klicken zum herunterladen.
“Didn’t Wake Up This Morning” … Get the Blues … Play the Blues … (workshop notes and links)
Here are the notes for my presentation on The Blues: “Didn’t Wake Up This Morning” … Get the Blues … Play the Blues Notes & Links 1. Intro — “Woke Up This Morning” was recorded on the album Down Home Blues by blues musician Lightnin’ Hopkins recorded in 1964 and released on the Bluesville label. 2. Bessie […]
Triads over “All the Things You Are”
Inside the Changes of ‘Confirmation’ — a Bebop Etude
Bass Player Magazine adieu …
As some of you might have noticed, Bass Player Magazine is going through some changes. The great US bass magazine — going on 30 years of publication — has been purchased by the Future publishing group, the owners of Bass Guitar Magazine in the UK. I’ve stepped down from my position as writer and contributing […]
