Crazy bass playing by Janek Gwizdala at the TC Electronics stand, NAMM 2009

[jlebesis]

Got to love the musicians poses while he is playing...Folded arms lol.. :) its so weird playing to a little crowd like this, admiring..but right in your face and personal space !

[geffel]

@jlebesis

Yes, he was right on the show floor at the convention center.

[jlebesis]

@geffel Yeah true, I figured that...Must have been a great energy being able to stand right there next to him!

[baptjazz]

hey,

does anyone can explain me what he is playing between 26 and 30 sec of this video please? something chromatic i think but it is so fast...

[alexbassguy1]

@baptjazz It's a kooky arpeggio-type thing. He plays it in key, then drops it a half-step, then another, rubato-style. The actual notes are anyone's guess. Lol He has a lot of licks like that, if you spend a lot of time listening to him you can pick them out. His playing is strongly influenced by a lot of Metheny's tamer stuff, which is a one reason I'm a big fan of Janek. Incredible player. If you really want to learn the lick, download it into Audacity and slow it down by 50%.

[geffel]

@alexbassguy1

Thanks for your comment - glad you appreciate him. I felt pretty lucky to have stumbled upon him at TC Electronics' stand that day.

[andrewbautista23]

look at the black guy and the blond guy in the front. their look and stance is funny.

[guiterry]

Only NON MUSICIANS would vote down on this. 

[geffel]

@guiterry

I was votebotted back in 2009 - some kind of automatic multiple down thumbing program that people were using - all my videos got the treatment, before youtube blocked that kind of hack.

[ehnock92]

cool~! janek's legs so funny! :D

Sound is too! very cool!

[ehnock92]

oh!!

[AnnaAnnaYes]

Somewhere in Heaven. Jaco has a smile on his face

[Miittle]

Why does this vid only have 2.5 stars?

I'm givin' it 5, this dude rocks!

[KanuZankoro]

Haha, so much fucking feeling in his playing! great, great musician

[alembicbassguy]

I think that tiny TC electrics rig sounds great!

[taufoofar]

His legs start moving funny after a while...

[paulalexanderjohnson]

I want more!

[abc123gpl]

Haha.... crazy shit ! 5 Stars ! good playin.

[toofpick151]

I just want to know what kind of rig was that?? Never seen those cabs or speakers before.

[geffel]

The giveaway is in the title - TC Electronics.

If you Google Janek Gwizdala+TC+Electronics you should get some more info.

I was mightily impressed by the sounds I heard there.

Check out Ida Fukhouser too.

[aliaobass]

DUDE. STEVE JONES.

[thatsokimstillfly]

I NOTICED HIM TOO :D

[scalethesummit]

thats funny that Steve (The Faceless) is standing right in the front.

[SickModeFilms]

I noticed that too.

[Zombbg4]

Let me guess, the guitar player was Tim Miller? He's for sure got a target on his chest to be ragged on for his style. I personally can't stand it. If it wasn't Tim Miller, sorry for this lol.

[Romans10Verse9]

Why not just block him?

[remoman]

great playing, but why not play guitar if you want to solo so 8va all the time?

[geffel]

Well, that's his instrument, not guitar. There are a many people who can and do solo on guitar - including myself - but I think it's a lot harder to solo well on the bass, speaking from my own experience.

Different strokes for different folks IMHO.

[jhowhdheyieh]

I think he plays in tenor tuning so that he can play in the same range as a horn player, not a guitarist, plus the bass has a very different timbre than the guitar.

If you check out more of his playing on his records you'll see that he's up there with the best of them when playing in a more traditional bassists role. At the end of the day he's just doing his own thing with the bass and that's probably one of the toughest things to do on any instrument.

[JPastorius3]

@jhowhdheyieh He plays 5 string tenor, so string tuned EADGC

[paulalexanderjohnson]

You extend the range by using a bass ... Then you're basically playing  a guitar & a bass

[kiteliale]

@remoman I am a bass player man .. Believe me just a man can solo hard like crazy on a bass doesnt they should play guitar cause its a whole different ball game ok .. And believe when you solo on the bass like this guy does you need some skills.. And reason why his bass soound so high its because he uses piccolo strings in his bass. So if you use regular string dont expect that high sound

[UvenKaru]

@remoman thicker sound

[Hobble]

@remoman I wasn't aware that high range was exclusive to guitar players. Seems to me, if you have the range available, why not use it? Besides, the tone between a bass and a guitar is very different.

[Coldplay2085]

that guy right there is Janek Gwizdala, a local NY jazz player, met him a couple of times here, hes such a great person

[kataklysm6969]

that black guy in the back is the guitarist from the faceless

[boulpikante]

The faceless is a fucking amazing band, i love the faceless !

[Unexpaix]

I'm so glad some one else noticed that!!

[linuox]

That's what I thought too!

[jeansbass]

I saw that guy at BASS PLAYER LIVE in L.A...he's one of the best new talent I've heard in a long time...fanatstic player.

[bio84]

what a groove!!!!!

[Zombbg4]

Damn this is funky!! I haven't heard much of his playing recently and I'm very much liking his new stuff...so much soul and feeling, and it grooves like a mofo!

[BodaciouslyHST]

I might have tolerated the scat singing, had he done it in tune.

[geffel]

Well we're none of us perfect, and enthusiasm makes up for a lot.

[Skunkfunk17]

@BodaciouslyHST when he scats and sings, he's not trying to hit the same note he's playing, he's singing out the melody he wants to play, and playing what he sings. It gives him that melodic voicing. There's a video of him explaining it somewhere on here.

[reynolds101]

Thats guys got the groove and the jig all together

[weasel7777]

sound doesnt matter with talent like that

[basstomika]

Yeeeahh!!! ;-)

[huraboma]

bad audio and it only shows the guy's back. thanks for trying tho.

[geffel]

Sorry I didn't have the Rolling Stones mobile with me, it's just a Canon TX1 and there was nowhere else to stand.

I'll let you do it next time.

[timothygroovy]

WOW Janek Gwizdala!

[geffel]

Thanks for the info - I had no idea.