Quite a number of years ago, the Seattle Symphony was doing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under the baton of Milton Katims. Now at this point, you must understand two things:

There’s a quite long segment in this symphony where the basses don’t have a thing to do. Not a single note for page after page.

There used to be a tavern called Dez’s 400, right across the street from the Seattle Opera House, rather favored by local musicians. It had been decided that during this performance, once the bass players had played their parts in the opening of the symphony, they were to quietly lay down their instruments and leave the stage, rather than sit on their stools looking and feeling dumb for twenty minutes. Well, once they got backstage, someone suggested that they trot across the street and have a few beers.

After they had downed the first couple rounds, one said, “Shouldn’t we be getting back? It’d be awfully embarrassing if we were late.”

Another, presumably the one who suggested this excursion in the first place, replied, “Oh, I anticipated we could use a little more time, so I tied a string around the last pages of the conductor’s score. When he gets to that point, Milton’s going to have to slow the tempo way down while he waves the baton with one hand and fumbles with the string with the other.”

So they had another round, and finally returned to the Opera house, a little tipsy by now. However, as they came back on stage, one look at their conductor’s face told them they were in serious trouble. Katims was furious! After all…

It was the bottom of the Ninth,
the bassists were loaded,
and the score was tied.

What happens when a bass player takes Viagra?
He gets taller.

A scientific expedition disembarks from its plane at the final outpost of civilization in the deepest Amazon rain forest. They immediately notice the ceaseless thrumming of native drums. As they venture further into the bush, the drums never stop, day or night, for weeks.

The lead scientist asks one of the natives about this, and the native’s only reply is “Drums good. Drums never stop. Very bad if drums stop.”

The drumming continues, night and day, until one night, six weeks into the trip, when the jungle is suddenly silent. Immediately the natives run screaming from their huts, covering their ears. The scientists grab one boy and demand “What is it? The drums have stopped!”

The terror-stricken youth replies “Yes! Drums stop! Very bad!”

The scientists ask “Why? Why? What will happen?”

Wide-eyed, the boy responds, ” . . . BASS SOLO!!!”

BASS PLAYER OFFENSES

NAME OF OFFENDER: ___________________________
INFRACTION DATE: _____________________________

MUSICAL OFFENSES FINES:

[ ] Playing loudly during warm up $10
[ ] Sound-checking amp with funk slapping $25
[ ] Loud cursing after mistake $10
[ ] Playing high and fast after mistake $20
[ ] Practicing 2-handed tapping between tunes $20
[ ] Asking for “E” tuning note $25
[ ] Playing E anyway when horns tune to Bb $50
[ ] Playing written-out walking line $50
[ ] Failure to play written walking line $75
[ ] Writing note names over ledger-line notes $50
[ ] Writing beat numbers under dotted figures $50
[ ] Playing eighth notes $5 each
[ ] Playing sixteenth notes $10 each
[ ] Playing above 1st octave immediate dismissal
[ ] Dragging fast tempo $75
[ ] Dragging ballad tempo $100
[ ] Blacking out during ballad $200
[ ] Ignoring drummer’s tempo $100
[ ] Following drummer’s tempo $250
[ ] Asking to borrow Real Book for All Of Me $1000

UPRIGHT PLAYERS

[ ] Showing up before first downbeat $25
[ ] Playing audibly $25
[ ] Faking changes $25
[ ] Slapping $150
[ ] Missing tutti lick, then mentioning vintage of bass $25
[ ] Excessive sweating $25
[ ] Pedal point double-stops during horn solo $50
[ ] Asking leader for a solo $30
[ ] Accepting solo when offered $50
[ ] Taking second chorus $100
[ ] Playing solo arco $400
[ ] Pretending to check tuning after playing out of tune $100
[ ] Playing “A Train” ending on every tune $200
[ ] Playing extended “A Train” ending on every tune $500

ELECTRIC PLAYERS

[ ] Checking hair between tunes $15
[ ] Experimenting with odd meters $25
[ ] Missing root at end of blistering fill $25
[ ] Playing with a pick $50
[ ] Tuning during ballad $30
[ ] Playing Jaco groove on samba $75
[ ] Playing Jaco samba groove on ballad $150
[ ] Attempting last word on final chord $50
[ ] Achieving last word on final chord $100
[ ] Long gliss down to final note $200

EQUIPMENT VIOLATIONS - ELECTRIC

[ ] Forgetting strap $10
[ ] Changing strings after every set $15
[ ] Using electric tuner $15
[ ] Setting up mic “just in case” $75
[ ] Forgetting to turn amp on $40
[ ] Bringing amp larger than 1 person can carry in 1 trip $50
[ ] Asking horn player for help moving amp $25
[ ] Bringing custom-made bass $100 per string above 4
[ ] Bringing more than 1 bass $100 per extra bass
[ ] Skull decals on bass $150
[ ] Bringing fretless bass $500

CRIMINAL BAD TASTE

[ ] Telling bone player about all the gigs you get $10
[ ] Asking bone player about their day gig $10
[ ] Sitting behind drums on break $10
[ ] Quoting “Birdland” $25
[ ] Practicing scales during break $25
[ ] Practicing scales during drum solo $50
[ ] Practicing $150
[ ] Beginning a sentence with “When I was a guitar player…” $50
[ ] Casually mentioning to Musical Director of cheap theater that you are “into sequencing” $10

BASIC STUPIDITY

[ ] Wearing old Buddy Rich tour shirt $10
[ ] Wearing new Whitesnake tour shirt $20
[ ] Asking when the rock set starts $20
[ ] Continually asking “where are we?” $25
[ ] Continually shouting “Yeah!” $25
[ ] Asking bone player where “1″ is $50
[ ] Taking cellphone call during 4’s $100

This entry was posted Monday, February 4th, 2008 and was filed under Jungle News, Classical/Big Band Artists. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.