Hangin' With Victor

It's not everyday that you get to meet one of the world's greatest musicians, but I got to today!

Victor Wooten held a bass clinic in Catonsville this afternoon. It was way cool!

He started off playing some stuff for about ten or fifteen minutes, then took questions for over an hour. He's really into the idea of the bass being a means by which to express yourself rather than an instrument to be labored over. He said, "You don't think of how your mouth works when you speak, you just express yourself. The bass should be no different. Don't worry about playing the wrong note, just worry about expressing what you feel."

He also spoke a lot about how so many players worry about technique and being flashy. When asked to demonstrate a tapping technique, he showed an easy exercise and then asked everyone in the audience who wasn't a bass player to raise their hands.

"When you're looking for a bass player for your band, what do you look for?" he asked.

"Groove!"
"Someone who can play in the pocket."
"Solid tempo."

After a few responses, Victor continued, "Notice how none of them said, a bass player who can tap." The point being that the flashy stuff is cool but not what's gonna get you a job.

Another cool moment was when someone asked if it was really important to be able to read music.

"You don't have to be able to read to be a great player, but imagine if The Rolling Stones rolled into town today and their bass player, Darryl Jones, got sick. So, they come here because they hear I'm doing a clinic so they know there will be tons of bass players here. Since the gig is in three hours they're not gonna hire the best player; they're gonna hire they player who can read music the best, because you won't have time to learn the stuff. Now you may be the best player in the room but the best reader is gonna be gettin' paid!"

After the Q & A, he played one more tune and then hung out to sign autographs and stuff. It really changed my thinking some about how to approach playing. Although I did rush home and start practicing that tapping technique.

O's Commercial

Jason in HD

A couple of the commercials I shot for the Orioles are on the air. If you can stand the sight of my big head in HD, check 'em out. They shot ten all together and I was in five of them. So far, I've seen two of the spots that I was a part of. Y'know I'll be watching for the rest!

Marty

My friend Marty Baum passed away this morning.

Just this month, we had re-connected on Facebook after several years and I was looking forward to hearing all about his recent adventures, including his upcoming wedding. But I procrastinated and the next I heard he was in the hospital battling a mysterious infection, from which he never recovered.

Back in the day, when I was first embarking on my attempts to be a rock star, the band I was in would rent out local places, put a few bands together and put on concerts. We'd usually sell out with 100-150 kids. It was actually kind of a cool scene and as we searched for new ways to make the shows interesting, I came up with the idea of having Marty open one of the shows.

Marty was a poet. This was before Russel Simmons decided to make the slam poetry scene a cool thing and, frankly, Marty's style was a lot better than that.

I had no idea how he would go over, but when he took the stage, the kids were in awe.

We did a couple of more shows before we eventually "aged out" and had to start getting real and start playing the clubs of Baltimore and DC, but when we played in our hometown he tried to have Marty with us. He made us look cooler.

R.I.P. Marty. Your words always inspired me!

A friend sent this letter to The Washington Post.....
Our beloved friend, Marty Baum, died today. He was forty-four years old. He lost his job last Winter: no job, no health insurance. He had an infection in his leg; by the time he got to the hospital, it was too late.

Marty wasn’t a US Representative or a Senator or even a radio talk show host. He was just a great guy who loved life and spread joy and warmth to everyone he met. He couldn’t afford the Best Health Care In The World.

Oklahoma

This weekend I played in the orchestra for Oklahoma down at American University. I really hate all things Rodgers & Hammerstein (Sound of Music, King And I, South Pacific). The shows are all ridiculously long and, in my opinion, really dated, but they are considered classics, so it makes sense to me that schools still do these shows. As for the rest of you, it's time to move on.

Either way, the kids in the show were all very good and it was a drama-free gig.

It also wrapped up a crazy month for me.....five different shows and a commercial....not too bad.

Sweet Charity

Sweet Charity is kind of a racy show....especially for a high school to do......especially for a Catholic high school to do. So I was very impressed that my friends at Holy Cross pulled it off. I'm told there were lots of changes to the script.....it was my first experience with the show, so I'm no expert....but, the story was still there.

It's got a couple of songs that I had heard before, "Big Spender" & "If They Could See Me Now", and a real downer of an ending, even though it manages to leave you smiling.

Thank Youuuuu

Last night, there was an Orioles game on TV from 1996 and it got me seriously misty. Not because it was the game when Eddie Murray hit his 500th home run or because the O's had an amazing team that year and made it to the playoffs and all that, but because in the background you could hear Rex Barney announcing the players as they came up to bat at Camden Yards.

You may remember Rex's familiar, "Thank Youuuuu" or "Give that fan a contract!" whenever someone in the stands made a good catch.

I got to produce Rex's radio shows back in the day during my time at WBAL and we got to be good friends. His show would air before and after O's games on weekends, so during the game he'd hang out with me while I pushed the buttons for the broadcast and we'd talk baseball and stuff for hours. His post-game show would air from the time the game ended until 6pm when ESPN radio started, so obviously the longer the game went, the shorter his time on the air would be. He would spend the whole game yelling, "Play slower!" One Saturday the game got rained out and Rex did six solid hours of Orioles talk. He used to say that I helped him get thru it but all I did was answer the phones and push the buttons.

It should be pointed out that Rex pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was actually the starter for Jackie Robinson's first game in the bigs. He was also the only player to pitch a no-hitter at the Polo Grounds in NY, which is where the Dodgers played before they moved to L.A. Needless to say he had amazing stories to tell about some legendary folks, as well as some advice about which Orioles Hall of Famers I should never get in a car with. He was a caring and generous guy and I loved working with him.

When he passed away, I went to his viewing and a close friend of his approached and introduced herself. When I told her who I was, a huge smile came across her face"You're Jason?! Rex used to talk about you all the time! He would say how great you were and how much he loved working with you!"

Wow! That was all I could say.

The O's have a plaque dedicated to Rex in the press box at the stadium... ...and inducted him into their hall of fame. I got Rex to sign a baseball for me one day and he personalized it to me.
It reminds me of him but it also reminds me of the kind of person I want to be. A person who accomplished great things but is remembered first for his kindness.