The BALCO Bebop Story - Music with Slideshow
By Victor Conte
Exclusive to the New York Daily News
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/iteam/2010/08/victor-contes-bebop-story.html
I went to AT&T Park in San Francisco on August 9, 2010 to watch the Giants play the Chicago Cubs. This is my third season of providing nutritional consultation to the
Cubs' All-Star centerfielder Marlon Byrd and I decided it was time to go to back to a place I hadn't been since 2003. I've been a Giants fan for many years and have some fond memories of being at the ballpark by the bay.
Marlon is not only an awesome baseball player. He is someone I've come to respect as
a terrific human being. I'll always be grateful for his forgiveness and allowing me the opportunity to work with a player of his caliber again after making such serious mistakes in my past. He has taken a lot of heat as a result of our relationship, yet his belief in the value of my influence hasn't waivered.
Marlon and I had agreed to do an interview together before the game on the Comcast Chronicle Live show. Comcast had asked the Giants for a field credential for me, which was briefly granted. They planned to do the interview on the field after batting practice. Suddenly, the Giants came back and said they were denying my credential. They didn't provide a reason.
I was rescheduled to be in the Comcast studio a few blocks away from the ballpark and join the host of the show as he interviewed Marlon from the field. However, a Cubs staff member informed the crew when they arrived that Marlon was unavailable. I ultimately did an interview about our relationship without Marlon's involvement. Someone suggested later that MLB was likely "afraid of more negative publicity." After the interview I went to the ballpark with family members and wore a Giants jacket and Panda hat as the Giants beat the Cubs 4-3. All of us had a great time.
As always, baseball's theme song "take me out to the ball game" was played during the game. Before BALCO, I spent many years on the road as an R&B and jazz musician. I wrote and recorded many songs as the bassist with such groups as Tower of Power and Herbie Hancock's band.
During the game that day, I got the idea to write an up tempo and fun tune called
BALCO Bebop and use "take me out to the ball game" as a motif for a bass solo. As the tune developed, I did my best to recapture the happy feeling I had at the game. I've also decided to dedicate the song to MLB in an effort to help create a focus of positive change. I'm convinced the time has come for baseball and other sports plagued by drug use to begin the healing process. Enough is enough. There are better uses of
taxpayer dollars than funding a series of trophy hunting expeditions.
Valuable lessons have been learned by baseball over the last several years and drug testing has improved. But, we must learn to accept that it will never be foolproof and that there will always be athletes who will find ways to cheat to win without consequences, including some in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
BALCO Bebop was born in the pure fun and joy of a baseball game, and inspired by my years of passionate involvement in both music and sports entertainment. It was recorded on August 17, 2010, which was just eight days after I attended the game. Some incredibly talented musicians helped me capture the up beat and happy spirit of the song and I'm very grateful to them.
In closing, I sincerely believe baseball's fans are tired of the taxpayer funded steroid raids, grand jury indictments and ongoing negative publicity. In a spirit of healing and forgiveness, I truly hope that America's pastime will accept and enjoy our gift of music.
Victor Conte
BALCO Bebop was written and produced by Victor Conte and arranged by Victor Conte, Bruce Conte, Nate Ginsberg and Les Falconer. The music was recorded on August 17, 2010 by Angelo Rossi at The Cave in Mt. View, CA and mixed by Zach Phillips and Victor Conte on August 27, 2010 at the Hyde St. Studios in San Francisco, CA.
Musicians:
Bass: Victor Conte
Guitar: Bruce Conte
Keyboards: Nate Ginsberg
Drums: Les Falconer
More Victor Conte videos available at www.snac.com
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