So back in the day when I was performing a lot with my local San Francisco Bay Jazz Quartet known as “Jazz Express”, we’d normally do Sunday brunches at local restaurants in the Bay Area. We were hired by a young chef to play at his establishment - John Bradley Café also known as J.B.’s Café in downtown Concord CA.
We played standard jazz selections like “Take The A Train: and “Take Five”. We played every Friday evening 6-9p.m. outside. Big crowds would gather. The Jazz Express Quartet consisted of local Bay Area musicians.
One Friday night John Bradley said – here is your last check! No more live music because the BMI/ASCAP crew paid a visit and measured out his square footage and said he would need to pay about $2000 in royalty fees which will be distributed to all the composers of the different jazz standards we performed by great composers as Duke Ellington, George Benson, Coltrane, Jobim and etc. I told John in one week each band member will compose 5 original compositions and we will perform all originals.
And that’s how J.B.’s Café came to life. Enjoy a listen
Guitar students of all levels and ages are always searching for a method for theory and scales and chords and also jam tracks to gain more confidence. A professional instructor will help guitar students to set goals and develop a plan for achieving them.
Setting up your plan in 3-month increments is what I recommend to my guitar students. For example, I have a student that lives in Lafayette that wants to eventually play bass guitar in a local club that has open mic jam nights on a weekly basis.
This is an excellent goal, but at this point, he can barely play a complete song. So I gave him a method plan “ Hal Leonard Electric Bass Method Complete Edition “ with CD’s. This gives him a 12 month window to go through all 3 methods and play all jam tracks with CD. This will help prepare him for performing with other musicians while he develop his playing skills.
You can do this on your own, but a taking lessons from professional guitar coach on a weekly basis is an invaluable support and a treasure of lived insight and knowledge that are hard to find in most books.
I have students that have been playing for years and can only play bits and pieces of many songs but not a complete song. So, stay focused and have a plan and find some people you can jam with. Most instructors have students they can network you with. I perform all over the Bay Area and always invite my guitar, bass and banjo students to come and listen and eventually sit in and jam with me.
Bass Guitar Lessons Lafayette – Orinda CA (925) 695-7060
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