That's some fancy Slappin': Concert Review: Solo Bass Night at The F&S
I just saw the 4th annual Solo bass night concert held by the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, and damn do these guys know how to thump it. The show consisted of Michael Manring (headlining), Jean Baudin on Warr guitar, Jeff Schmidt, and Dave Grossman. Each bassist played about a 45 minute to an hour long set. I am no bass player; and the crowd was surely full of bay area's finest bass nerds (which tends to be the people who go to these events) but even if you are not a bassist you would have found this show not only enjoyable but magical. Since each player did a separate set its only fair to review them as such;
Dave Grossman: Grossman is best described as a classical player. He is known for recreating Bach pieces for the 7 string bass which he does very successfully. He played three classical pieces including a very clever recreation of the "Sonata No. 2 in A minor for Solo Violin". The beginning was a little rough considering that he had no time to warm-up. But Grossman's stiff fingers loosened up as he played his second and third pieces which turned out to be more complex then his first Bach interpretation. These last two were played with ease and comfort. Bach and bass never seemed to go together in my mind but Grossman has convinced me.
Jeff Schmidt: Ok, this guy rocks. Schmidt is a lefty bassist with amazing tapping abilities. His playing is very effect oriented but he still manages to get the deep clean sound of the bass to shine through. His compositions are explosive with multiple voices, looping effects, and beautiful melodic lines. Schmidt makes complex bass playing look easy with his relaxed yet focused onstage presence. His style, like most revolutionary bassist is hard to pinpoint, but he is best described as ethereal melodic funk. Schmidt came on after Grossman bringing the energy from 5 to 10 with a stunning performance.
Jean Baudin: Are 11 strings to much for you four string bassist? For Baudin it seems to be no problem. I had never heard a Warr guitar live, which is a bass that can range form 7 to 15 strings, but Baudin was the perfect introduction. Baudin is known for his awesome recreations of video game theme songs from Zelda and Mario but at this concert we were not whisked into the world of video game fantasy. Baudin kept it to his intensely complex and well thought out pieces. His music is less ethereal then Manring's and Schmidt's but is just as intricate and melody driven. Baudin's works are what Rachmaninoff would have created if he was trapped in a room with a Warr guitar. Multi-layered and fluid, his listeners enter a labyrinth of sound every time he performs.
Michael Manring: I was drawn to this show because of Michael Manring. Besides being nominated as the best bassist in the world numerous times, I first heard him on the recordings with Michael Hedges, a top-notch finger-style guitarist who sadly passed away. Manring was one of the few musicians who could keep up with Hedges's complex and beautiful pieces. Manring played a bizarre bass created by Zon where he can tune a string while playing. I don't know how it works exactly but I think it tunes his note down a half step when he turns it but then it immediately tunes back. This bass allowed Manring to exhibit techniques never thought possible. Besides his fancy bass, Manring played an eclectic yet ground breaking set. At times it was a little spacey (which he actually apologized for during his set) but then he would drop into some hard funk contrasting the mood. Manring's music is difficult to describe because there is nothing like it. He falls in the experimental category. He manages to somehow create a sound that is haunting, jazzy, spacey, melodic, and funky all at the same time. Manring is a true pioneer of the bass.
Overall the concert was phenomenal. The most interesting aspect was to see how all these players interpreted the bass differently. From Bach to Spacey experimental noise, this is a concert where anyone could pick out something they would have loved. Although these guys did some serious groovin'… the only question I still have is— Yo! Where's Victor?
Dave Grossman: Grossman is best described as a classical player. He is known for recreating Bach pieces for the 7 string bass which he does very successfully. He played three classical pieces including a very clever recreation of the "Sonata No. 2 in A minor for Solo Violin". The beginning was a little rough considering that he had no time to warm-up. But Grossman's stiff fingers loosened up as he played his second and third pieces which turned out to be more complex then his first Bach interpretation. These last two were played with ease and comfort. Bach and bass never seemed to go together in my mind but Grossman has convinced me.
Jeff Schmidt: Ok, this guy rocks. Schmidt is a lefty bassist with amazing tapping abilities. His playing is very effect oriented but he still manages to get the deep clean sound of the bass to shine through. His compositions are explosive with multiple voices, looping effects, and beautiful melodic lines. Schmidt makes complex bass playing look easy with his relaxed yet focused onstage presence. His style, like most revolutionary bassist is hard to pinpoint, but he is best described as ethereal melodic funk. Schmidt came on after Grossman bringing the energy from 5 to 10 with a stunning performance.
Jean Baudin: Are 11 strings to much for you four string bassist? For Baudin it seems to be no problem. I had never heard a Warr guitar live, which is a bass that can range form 7 to 15 strings, but Baudin was the perfect introduction. Baudin is known for his awesome recreations of video game theme songs from Zelda and Mario but at this concert we were not whisked into the world of video game fantasy. Baudin kept it to his intensely complex and well thought out pieces. His music is less ethereal then Manring's and Schmidt's but is just as intricate and melody driven. Baudin's works are what Rachmaninoff would have created if he was trapped in a room with a Warr guitar. Multi-layered and fluid, his listeners enter a labyrinth of sound every time he performs.
Michael Manring: I was drawn to this show because of Michael Manring. Besides being nominated as the best bassist in the world numerous times, I first heard him on the recordings with Michael Hedges, a top-notch finger-style guitarist who sadly passed away. Manring was one of the few musicians who could keep up with Hedges's complex and beautiful pieces. Manring played a bizarre bass created by Zon where he can tune a string while playing. I don't know how it works exactly but I think it tunes his note down a half step when he turns it but then it immediately tunes back. This bass allowed Manring to exhibit techniques never thought possible. Besides his fancy bass, Manring played an eclectic yet ground breaking set. At times it was a little spacey (which he actually apologized for during his set) but then he would drop into some hard funk contrasting the mood. Manring's music is difficult to describe because there is nothing like it. He falls in the experimental category. He manages to somehow create a sound that is haunting, jazzy, spacey, melodic, and funky all at the same time. Manring is a true pioneer of the bass.
Overall the concert was phenomenal. The most interesting aspect was to see how all these players interpreted the bass differently. From Bach to Spacey experimental noise, this is a concert where anyone could pick out something they would have loved. Although these guys did some serious groovin'… the only question I still have is— Yo! Where's Victor?
Comments
About the Author
Also by this author
Enjoy the music, and thanks again.
BB