A little less than half of my live work involves my group, which now consists of my son on bass and my grandson on drums. We work about half of these as a trio, with the "old man" on guitar, piano, etc. Occasionally, we'll do a duo with the C-1 or at the club with a real B-3. The remainder of the work includes other players...sax/flute, flugelhorn, etc.

I saw Chick Corea and Return to Forever do their last show in 1975/6? before their current work this year. They did an electric set first, followed by a totally acoustic set, then a final electric one.

A switch-up might work fine for some of my bigger jobs. I'm thinking about doing a total acoustic set, followed by an electric one, including me on vibes. Now, I know that vibe samples are really good, and that real vibes are a potential pain. But, they're really cool and about as close as I can come to "showmanship".

What do you think? It'd be fun, but is it worth the hassle? I'm talking about a pretty traditional smooth jazz set first (George Benson, David Benoit, vibes, grand piano (digital) and jazz guitar solos), followed by a fusion set. Lot's of times, the first set is done during dinner, and most of the material I do then would work fine acoustically. The money is good, and I have a younger son who moves and sets up equipment and does sound and lights.

What do you think? Worth the hassle?

Russ

I love the sound ... c'mon ... you're a young guy, you only get one time around here, plus, you can start a collection of vibes ...
t.

Uhmmmmm. That's a tough one. I used to be a HUGE Vibes fan (I worshiped Milt Jackson and Vic Feldman). Almost everything I do personally is dictated by laziness. So for me, the answer is NO. On the other hand, if I were proficient enough on Vibes to perform publicly, I'd probably want to show it off. Visually, it's a good move. Will definately set you apart from any other act in town and NOBODY will question your musical credentials. Also creates a nice 'vibe' in a jazz club.


chas

Actually, Tony, I have Musser's, Deagan's, Jenco's and a odd little set of Saiko's which were never imported (70's-bought on trial from an ehibitioner at a NAMM show).

Man, I'm hooked on musical toys. Just ordered a second D'Angelico guitar an hour ago. Waiting on several other "toys", including a new Ibanez Montage hibred.

I know...it's an affliction.

"Junk Man" Russ

That sounds like a great idea Russ. Go for it. It would add an extra dimension to your performance. As you know I saw that Return To Forever tour and know exactly what you mean.


[This message has been edited by Nigel (edited 11-10-2008).]

Certainly it's worth the hassle...especially if you have someone to move your gear.

A lot of people "hear with their eyes" so the added dimension of you physically playing vibes as opposed to just using another preset on your keyboard will really add to your show.

Ian

Russ.....Go For It!!

Get Your "Hampton" On baby, Yeah !

Why did I not figure that ?????

t.

PS ... A lot of years ago when I was with the band in NY, we would often use a vibes guy to fill in to make the "union minimum" number of musicians working in certain rooms/halls ...
I loved it when he and I (on accordion) would do stuff in unison ... great sound ...
t.