Hi,

Just want to share with you some new videos of our Statii member Jacques Bono ...
Only Status basses are used ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7uyk9...7uyk9NANmY

o.k. ... not all is Bach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwfTO-...wfTO-ymKgw

what a tone ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtmsyM...tmsyMxsEdU

Have fun,
Uli

Fantastic!

The 2nd one had me grabbing for my bass. Loved the ending.
Everything from the setup to the sound to the outfit (was he barefooted?) was 1st class.

Bravo!

Always loved Cello Suite No 1 :o) Well played, that man

Not that I think I can do any better, but....its too dramatic yet rudimentary for me. Nice Basses though!

None of the clips did anything for me I'm afraid! (not that I can do any better)

Much prefer this for "soul" and entertainment value:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8Q_J2...8Q_J2fIKPI

i'm with todd.

the first clip seemed to me to be simply playing the right notes in the right order, but with little emotion or feel, and the tone, i just HATE that tone, and it also seemed inappropriate for the piece. the second had me screaming at the guy to buy a guitar, ffs, and the third, well, i dunno, i've already forgotten it. apart from i think he was barefoot.

i can see the guy is technically good, but completely misses the point of bass for me.

does about as much for me as those first three.

bah.

i'm going to go and sit in the corner with no friends and play some Chic.

Everyone's entitled to their opinions and preferences...but sheesh there are some harsh critics here. Those are some top notch players, and I really liked what they did with those classical pieces. Yeah, they're showing off a bit, but I think they've got the skill and chops to rightly do so. How come Victor Wooten and Marcus Miller don't get slammed for that I wonder? I've seen (and very much enjoyed) quite a bit of showing off from them. Seems every time I see a youtube, etc. video with someone showing high level technical skill, especially when playing a classical piece, they get bashed for not having "soul" or "creativity". Its not all an artist should do of course, but it doesn't make it illegit when they do, nor do I think those guys lacked feeling in their work.
Oh well, that's my 2 cents.

It's interesting you should mention the likes of Marcus Miller & Victor Wooten being lambasted on here, Mike. Generally people on Statii are quite reverent towards professional players & soloists, but go over the basschat & the story is very different. Not only the great players are decried all the time, but anyone who slaps a bass is dragged across the coals, too.

So unfortunately, there are some narrow minded d*******s around who think the universe ends with a Precision bass, 20 year old dirty strings & a plectrum. Sad, huh?

As for the Bach Solo Suiten, I play them a lot on my cello :)

Rich.

who says they don't? theres a lot of VW and MMs stuff i personally find horrendously dull to listen to. just because they CAN do this stuff doesn't necessarily mean they should, or need to, and it certainly doesn't mean i should sing it's praises just because they can make more noises simultaneously on their basses than i can.

i agree that everyone is entitled to their opinions, and is entitled to voice them, just because it doesn't match yours, doesn't mean its an invalid opinion or should go unsaid. technical skill is all very well, but i have certain criteria that i like to be met in order for me to find something enjoyable to listen to, and its good old 'feel' and 'soul' every time. creativity can often be displayed at the expense of a good, solid groove. call me old fashioned and all that...

edit as rich posted while i was ranting

i thought i should probably make it clearer that i admire skill when i see it, and i love to see people pushing boundaries... but i do not automatically decide i like or dislike something simply because its 'awesome bass player x' playing it. if it hits the spot for me, it hits it. if it doesn't, it doesn't.

you sure get more drama over there ;) but i think there is perhaps a greater cross-section of players on BC.

i see as many people posting for slap as against it usually though. and i do like a good debate sometimes. especially when i am feeling grumpy with an ear infection.

I am not a big Wooten fan, I do like Miller a lot but dont have any of his music in my collection.
But.....I can say they both understand that the style and feel you put into playing is what seperates it from being several random notes consistantly.
I gave the that Bono guy another listen just to make sure I wasn't jumping the gun, but then felt that I was actually too easy on him the first time.
Stu is great, no denying that, light years ahead of Bono, but when you listen to someone like Stanley Clarke or Jeff Berlin, there is just such an obviously different level of feel and comfort to their playing.

As we are on the subject of Bach & Todd mentioned Jeff Berlin. Has anybody ever heard Jeff's Bach cover on his 2nd solo effort Pump it. It is the Prelude in C minor & is played by an amazing set of muscians to boot. Jeff Berlin's improvised solo on this is right on, melodic, creative, full of emotion & the band arrangement is very beautifull, and it also rocks.

By the way, playing complex lines & surpassing ones self, performance wise, is simply OK with me anytime. Last time I checked, the bass guitar is listed as a musical instrument who has the right to explore anything the musician can trow at it in any musical format what so ever.

I will never bash on anybody for trying & working hard, hats off to you Jacques Bono, I enjoyed the 3 clips, cool stuff.

Be well & play hard people,

Don.:D

Don, it boggles my mind how someone that plays like you can remain so humble. If this Bono guy saw you play, there would probably be a few Status basses available on the used market!! :D:D:D

Why is it necessary to blame others for being creative in a way that differs from the "popular sense" ... ?
Why is it necessary to compare who is the better bass payer?

To be honest ... I hate it to read about who is the "better" bass player - just say "different" instead!

Playing classical music for a solo instrument is a very high challenge. You can put in your own interpretation but also you have to listen o what the composer intended. Bach himself said "no limits to my music", but he was very keen on giving instructions how something should be played - legato, fermata, accentuation, etc. The "soul and feel" lies in the way the notes are expressed and combined. Listen to he Cello Suite 1 played by Rostropovich and you know what I mean. And to my opinion Bono delivers the best interpretation of Bach's Cello Suites I have ever heard on an e-bass.

It is all about expectations ... I know Jacques very well and when he played in front of an audience with only the interest in classical music, they listen to the music (maybe wonder about the strange instrument) and get pleased because the listen to what they expect. If he played in front of bass players, they get amazed by technical skills and start to compare him with others, but do not really seem to have deep interest in the music.

Live and let alive ...
Uli

personally find it tiresome to read threads where differing personal opinions are translated to 'bashing' by people who agree with the OP.

i'm not sure anyone was trying to impart blame, were they? perhaps i misread.

one of the reasons creativity exists at all is due to people mismatching what is out there already... not going along and doing the same old thing just because that's the way it's done. most of the great creatives and innovators in this world are those who challenge what they currently see.

Some say that Bach was a left-handed, because all his compositions have a very busy and complex parts for the left hand. hence, great bass lines

Quite true. Most of Bach's compositions are very 'bottom to top' written, as his "Well Tempered Clavier" set all the rules for diatonic chromatic harmony. Most music of the time (Baroque period) has a 'motor rhythm' bassline upon which the harmonic movement is based. Although, if you start to look at the Fugues in any detail, most left handed theories are scuppered straight away. Try following the flow of a fugue and you'll see the four parts actually interveaving! Scary stuff.

I can get through the first prelude and fugue on the piano but then it becomes a minefield!

I'm not even going to view those clips... how's that for radical?

Wooohooooooo....

I really like this version too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9F3vwvrWM4&feature=related

I think I may challenge myself to do something new for me when my new bass is ready, and try and learn to play some of this piece. Whether in a slow, fluid Yo Yo Ma way or in the more strident, staccato Baroque way... I will have to see if my hands are up to the task lol