Ghost of a Chance...

[windshieldbug]

Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Jack Teagarden, Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz (his sound IS breathing...) or others and you will hear their humanity BECAUSE of these human moments.

That's assuming that Joe WANTS to be thought human...

[bearphonium]

Very nice, both the music and the story behind it. Couldn't tell you all weren't together.

[Art Hovey]

That's a beautiful recording, worth cherishing. You will enjoy hearing it again when you are 80 and your friends are gone. I did notice one breath that you might have done differently on a second take, but it's no big deal. I only wish the tuba were a little more audible. Non-tubists will probably like it just where it is, but I want to hear you more. Thank you for sharing it.
Bueschers Rule!

p.s. Next time try box.net. I had to get my son to help me jump through some hoops to hear your recording. Since Chuck on this forum called my attention to Box.Net I have move all of my downloadable files there.

[windshieldbug]

"sheesh. Talk about bending over backwards in exaggeration to make a point, jumping up one's own butt, and disappearing"

That's why there's the smilies, to indicate good natured attempted humor.

bug "double sheesh!!"

[tubatooter1940]

Nice job, bloke. You played with nice tone and a grasp of what a string bass line might sound like. Your professionalism overcame the obstacles and the session was warm and wonderful and, IMO, successful.

[circusboy]

Just lovely -- particularly the bass line.

I love this kind of music and, until now, have thought that I'd need to learn string bass to be able to play it. Now I know that, with practice and patience, I'll be able to play it on my tuba. Thanks, bloke!

[Donn]

That "clipped" comment is weird. Part of the charm of using a tuba as the bass instrument are these "human" factor moments. You are breathing life into the music by breathing. It makes the listening experience more organic and less mechanical. I want to hear the musician is alive during the music making.

Yes, I loved listening to it, on all counts (really with the introductory buildup I was expecting something kind of wobbly), and the tuba was of course very tasteful.

But speaking of the introductory text:

I was both relieved and mortified at the same time: 1/ Thank goodness, that is one of those old tunes that I had learned "way back" at those crusty old country club gigs and 2/ Whoa. I didn't bring ANY sort of string bass, and you want me to play a delicate ballad like that on (basically) a friggin SOUSAPHONE?!?!

I don't hear that as briar-patch modesty, it is very, very hard to substitute for string bass in this style. Louis Armstrong or Lester Young or whoever on the tuba doesn't make a bass player, and a divinely talented tuba player can feel pretty good about managing as well as a decent string bass player could do half asleep. This music practically evolved around the string bass, I guess it breathes life into the music by not being so human, but by laying down a clean, steady, just right rhythmic and tonal structure that the voices can jump off.

That's what I think, anyway, but for me, the string bass is too quiet to keep up without amplification, so forget that. Plus I get blisters, and I'd have to tie it to the top of my car, and the price of a good bass makes tubas look absurdly cheap.

[Alex F]

I really enjoyed listening to the recording. Nice work.

[Alex F]

We often believe that we can forever capture a precious moment by taking the perfect picture or making the perfect recording. Sadly, such moments are special because of all the infinite variables that somehow came together at one time and place to create that moment, or hour, of a lifetime. Any visual or aural image can commemorate the moment, but can never re-create it. That moment will remain etched in our memory for so long as we are capable of remembering anything.

I'm thankful to Joe for sharing part of his memory with us.

[Naptown Tuba]

bloke: A bass line "artist" in the truest sense of the word. Bravo

[hbcrandy]

What a beautiful tune, great recording and inspiriing story. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[Alex C]

Thanks for giving us the background on the guys. I enjoyed getting to know them a bit.

Nice work all around.

[cjk]

I loved this track. It's great. I could listen to stuff like this all day and never get bored. What's really impressive though is that my non-musician wife absolutely loved it too, tuba or not.

I consider her to be my litmus test for discerning between "tuba nerd music" and "good music".

I actually had to point out that there was a tuba in it since it fit in so amazingly well. She actually liked it before she knew who was playing too. After I told her, I think she thought it was even cooler.

And FWIW, I didn't provide her with the background story until after she heard the track. After that, she was even more impressed.

[Mark E. Chachich]

Very nice, thank you for putting the recording on Tubenet.
As for the tuba, the word musician comes to my mind.

best,
Mark

[acjcf2]

Just beautiful Bloke. I've never really heard a helicon in action let alone in a jazz setting but that was freakin' great.

Thanks for sharing.

Jim

[The Jackson]

That's a really touching, Joe, and thanks for sharing it and the music. Eighty-five or not, Mr. Hitchcock still had it in him and his singing was beautiful.

(And now, with tuba in hands, I will play along with the track... )

[tubaforce]

Bravo, Joe!
I'm 49, and was once asked to sub a Dixieland gig on Bass, much less challenging than playing Jazz on Tuba and getting it "right"! Most of the "old timers" I've enjoyed making Dixie and Jazz with on Bass and Tuba are gone, too. You're so lucky to have a nice recording of your friends!
Al

[Todd S. Malicoate]

Excellent stuff, Joe. Thanks to whoever "bumped" the thread.

The only thing I could nitpick is your choice of Eb for the Ab-G turnaround toward the end (Yes, I'm that anal-retentive). The sound was perfect and you went "into 4" at all the right times. I particularly liked the moment when you used straight eights to play off what you were hearing around you. Kudos!

[Steve Marcus]

Joe, you are far too modest about this and other examples of your musicianship.

The story behind the recording that you related is poignant. With or without knowledge of the circumstances behind the recording, it is tastefully done.

So often today, a sousaphone or helicon will be very closely miked (sometimes with the mike braced to the bell so that it is centered in the plane of the rim), and then over-amplified/EQ'ed, etc. to sound like anything but its original source (e.g. the loud brass bands that are derived from NOLA styled bands).

In contrast to that, we are treated to the natural sound of your tone, timbre, and articulation with a presence that is recorded so that it sounds as if we're in the studio with you.

Bravo.