So I Want To Play The Bass

before I stopped my regular blogs I was going thru my history that led me to TK BLU
to catch up with some of the stories go to
www.tkbluband.blogspot.com
I left off last week about our recording
but previously I left off when I went to sing do wops to wanting to be a bass player at the age of 16

also when I first attempted to write all this I did write about my first bass work before I wrote the blog on google so some of you might have read parts of today's blog
anyway-------------------------

so I want to play the bass
there I was a student at my high school Saint Leonards all boy Catholic high school. There was a student who played the upright and dug jazz at the school.
we had no band or music at our school so my opportunities were limited

but I took two lessons with him. But there were two problems,
he was a junkie and I had no bass to practice with.

So it was not until I was 18 I got my first bass
a bass guitar
it came with a lot of opposition from the family. How could I want to be a musician and I am already 18 !!!
I am already a young adult !!!
If you want to be a musician you tried that at a young age!! But what they did not put in the equation was all my years passionately singing do wops on the streets of Brooklyn.

I first got a cheap Japanese bass, I think I paid $40 for it
and my uncle Dominick part wise guy and part musician got it for me.

He told me to go to the old neighborhood where I was born in Brooklyn to study with a guitar player who use to gig with him at the time when my uncle was playing a lot of dance gigs.
He was an Italian guy with nick name was Feedboy

I would drive form east new york/ozone park border where I lived (a 1/2 hour ride) to the old neighborhood in Williamsburg/ Greenpoint and have my lesson. I was pumped, I was excited.
But after two lessons, Feedboy turned ill and was not available for a few about two months. Before he took his hiatus he told me bass players play the chord tones,
so I took upon myself to totally memorize the chord chart in back of my "mel bay bass method book " and apply it to the bass.

when he returned he was shocked that I did that so well

he taught me me to use my thumb like bass player Monk Montgomery ( guitar player Wes Montgomery's brother)
but I later learned to use my fingers to pluck.

Believe it or not a month after my first lesson, I had my first paying gig!!! I got $35 to play as a duo with an organ player name Demitry at a American legion hall. And the people actually danced to us!!

wow that was exciting
so that was about 1967
sometimes I wonder if the money has gotten much better since then
(just joking!!!!)

a few months after Feedboy returned he died.
I went to his wake
and are you ready for this?

I guess as I look back it kind of shocks me !
As I knelt at his casket, I made a promise to him that I would never give up working to be a professional bass player.
So I guess you can say that I made a promise to God as well, since Feedboy lied there while his soul was resting in peace with God

wow that blows me away thinking about that promise all the way back in 1967.

so this is blog 2
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new people added to my blog
drummer John from Canada and Tampa who played on my album
and my son Anthony
so tk blu people say hi to our added family!!!1

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My blog is back

TK blog is back!!! Blog 1 of 2010

Everybody, Im back!!! I know it has been a long time since I wrote what was becoming a daily blog. But around mid November my schedule became impossible to keep up with the blog. I guess that’s a positive thing to be that busy in these times.
First there was our transformation under Jodi Kalick’s management to upscale our show. Then the big wedding gig Dec. 5. What about the time I needed for success with my High School music production of the Wiz. Then a major busy Jan. and Feb. with gig runs with Dean Reagon, Greg Bonhamn and Sal Richards. And then!!!!!!! -----------our new album.
My focus with this bog, is on our new album. I am so moved by this project. I have had some great accomplishments in my career. Actually on paper ( my resume probably reads so well that it challenges me to live up to the person on my resume ) but the album is truly a caption of where my musical life has evolved. Not to sound morbid, but of course we all eventually will move on to the next life, but when I do I will have felt good I did this recent album because I know I will have left to the planet a good part of what I wanted to say artistically. Of course I have a lot more creativity that is waiting to get out but at least I did do this album.
And part of this great project is the people I have done the album with, and still are supportive of the completion of the album in progress. First of all producer Chris White who is not only my producer but dear friend, my strongest mentor and In many ways has been family that always I looked up to and have been inspired by. And I can not say enough about the TK blu band and the time they put in giving me the there t talent and devotion. In the group our band members, our three lovely ladies and the 4th lady --- our manager Jodi Kalick . How about the two drummers who came for Tennessee and Canada.
And outside of band members, Mark Sheridan who has given his home and studio equipment and time. His graciousness shows me the great potential of the project.
As a producer Chris White has been phenomenal. His ear, his ability to get the most out of the musicans, his knowledge of the craft to producing and good sense of what is good.
It s really difficult not to think something wonderfully is coming out of the album. Actually let me re write that, so much wonderful is coming out of this album!!!
Looking forward to the next blog

Ok everyone -- good to be back—but better to gig!!!
LEE PLEASE PUT THIS ON THE WEB BLOG
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lou caputos response to the first time I dug jazz

TK BLU NEWS
our video is is the process of a post edit
this was step one

and the girls are getting ready to perform in a musical revue that an agent performer is putting on
about the 50's 60's 70's
wow the girls did a Chiffons medley at one of their rehearsals and man i felt like i was reliving my youth
There sound was so good
had the right timbre vocally of the time period
Sabrena Sandra and Jeanne are something else they are really becoming quite the vocal group
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LOU CAPUTO'S RESPONSE TO MY FIRST TIME I DUG JAZZ

this is my story about doo woops to Jazz...........I first heard the word Jazz in a movie....the Jolson Story I was very young this might have been a second run for the film probably in the early 50's...............a line from the movie was "...........it's called jazz they make it up as they go along and it's never the same twice" that sounded like the coolest thing I ever heard. I had some older cousin's who liked jazz Shearing, Kenton, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, Woody Sinatra Billy Eckstien, Gene Krupa with Charlie Ventura, The JATP groups......kind of the light Jazz of its day the 1950's Another cousin was married to a guy who was a drummer Al Bellington ( Bellitano) He was into the Big Bands and some modern jazz especially Dizzy........I enjoyed sitting around while he and my cousin Louie Percella would listen and talk about the music, It was nice but I was more into the R & B and doo woops my street friends were into...............then about 1960 an Uncle of mine sent away for an album the the Lucky Strike Ciggertte Co. sponsored you sent in 10 package lables and you got a record that had a bunch of big band things It was called "REMEMBER HOW GREAT" which was there advertising bit at the time "remember how great a cigarette used to tasteI became glued to the stereo set in particular Harry James playing "Ciribiribim" and Duke playing "Mood Indigo" featuring Ben Webster they also had Cab Caloway doing "Blues in the Night' and Pops doing the St Louis Blues" After that I started raiding my cousin's record collections and really listening and paying attention on the Sunday afternoon after dinner get together's with my cousin Al and Louie
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VIDEO MAN/WHEN I DISCOVERED JAZZ

I wrote stay with the plan and if you were reading previous blogs I had to make an appointment to see video production tech Mike Harvey but I had to work on getting a return call
well we are set for Monday Jan 11
so the next step is to get his view point on the video. then follow up with the right pictures
meanwhile some great things are happening with the girls look for the next blog
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FROM DO WOPS TO JAZZ
When I was about 16 years old, I was hanging with my late friend Jimmy Loughlin. he was cleaning out his sister Maureen's record collection. I am not sure he had permission but he was just giving her albums away. I asked for a Louie Armstrong album and a Dukes of Dixieland album. When I listened to them I fell in love with the music. It was fun talking about these albums with my Uncle Dominick who played trumpet and enjoyed these artist ( his real favorite was trumpet man Harry James ). so jazz becomes part of my new love and since I was singing bass with the do wops , I thought the next step was to play the bass. To me the connection made sense.

At the catholic high school where I was attending there were no band classes but there was a student I found out who played the upright bass and loved jazz . So I took a few lessons with him. Due to me not having a bass yet to study with and his leaving the school due to his heroin problem the lessons stopped after just a few. He did hip me to anther jazz other than New Orleans Dixieland. He turned me on to modern jazz, especially focusing on Oscar Peterson Trio with bass player Ray Brown. That trio helped me formulate the groove I have when I play even today.

So I now at 16 want to play the bass the rest of my life but unfortunately it wasn't till after high school that I actually got a bass and took lessons.
I remember in high school when my English teacher heard about my love for jazz and he spoke about the recent passing of the legend Charlie Parker . Unfortunately at the time I still was a rock and roller for the most part and embarrassingly was not really sure who he was talking about. Man if I could talk to him now!
So from do wops , now I know I wanted to be a jazz bass player, that became the dream.
And I must admit when I get the occasion today to play Jazz in a comfortable situation it is so therapeutic I probably could play the music to my death.

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the follow up

I wrote about our tk blu goals and the importance of a plan and start with step one
well let me add one more thought in the equation to be persistence and to follow up
success can not come without those two actions
so back to step one
I have not heard from Mike Harvey yet on getting an appointment with him to possibility post edit our video
not getting return calls promptly not uncommon in Florida
so
as of Thurs I now go into next action
call him thru out the day till I get him

I have done this method a lot to get people
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our world wide blog is www.tkblubandblogspot.com
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the video edit/my early do wop days

from Mondays process to reach our goals--------------
step one make a decision on the video to leave it or post edit
after speaking to our manager Jodi the decision is I am going to take it to Mike Harvey who is a very highly qualified musician and and video production tech
we are bringing the files and looking at our edit and will will make a decision
I called him to meet next week
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MY DO WOP EXPERIIENCES

I do not remember specifically how I started singing do wops back the late 50's early 60's but it became real serious stuff for me. I was not a real natural bass singer but I loved the bass parts so much that's what I decided to do.
We sang with about 4 to 5 guys on the streets of Ozone Park Queens and East New York Brooklyn and many times at a tough park in Queens called Smokey Park . we would sing, hang out drink booze and get into fights. That was a routine.

I remember in high school an Irish kid named Vinny and I sang the Frankie Lymon's song I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent. I sang the bass part and Vinny did Frankie. We sang it for for our class and the Franciscan Brother Pius who was the teacher really enjoyed it. He got a big kick out of me singing the bass part. Another time, I remember going to Al Victors recording studio with a group and cutting the song ZING WENT THE STRINGS OF MY HEART and YOUR A THOUSAND MILES AWAY. This became my main group and we even sang at a night club once. Wow that was an experience! My very first time as a teenager singing in a club. The audience gave us a polite reception. The main act was a guy guitar player singer and girl that looked very much like the act Mickey and Sylvia.( remember the song Hey Lover Boy form dirty dancing) I remember my Father ( God bless his soul) driving us the the job.
Many times we sang in the subway . that was always fun and had a great echo. One time we sang on a city bus and a black guy with a real deep voice who was a passenger complimented my bass singing. That was an exciting moment for me!!!

.I wasn't always the bass singer, there was a group where I actually sang the fist tenor and falsetto . I actually had a vocal range back in the day. I loved the do wop scene especially the great R & B do wop groups like the Cadillacs and the Orioles and the Channels.
and so it was back then that I made my decision that in some way I would be in the arts for the rest of my life.
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SO WHATS THE PLAN FOR 2010

So many people make new years resolutions. I would always make a list of mine but a few years ago stopped because the resolutions I made a few years ago are still the choices that mean the most in my life and either I am presently making them work or still trying. However, I did set some goals for my career for 2010 which of course is related to TK BLU.

When Jeanne joined the band in about 2007 it was truly the new beginning for the band and we had a pretty decent 2007 - 2008 and 2008 - 2009 season, especially considering we are still a new operation. A lot of that was due to agent Jackie Howard who did get us some decent work. But the 2009 - 2010 season has not been good with the volume of work and the funny thing is we are better than ever! Its no secret that the economy has been a major factor for this slow down. But you can say the economy has not affected Alicia Keys or Justin Timberlake, so much for excuses!!

So drum roll please!!! My goals for the 2010- 2011 season, and I hope these goals feel good to the rest of the band are.-----------------

1 ----------- at least 3 times the amount of gigs for the band during 2010 - 2011 season compared to the previous season.

2- and 3 ------------------ to be directly involved with a recording that will get national air play whether it be me as a performer, writer. producer , mentor.etc and in turn ---
the recording will open the door to connections for TK BLU to do at least one major music festival or concert by the 2010 2011 season.

I do have a few personal goals that are job connected such as depositing a very large check to help the needs of my family and TK BLU performing on Saturday Night Live.

So these are the goals but now what will be done to get there ???!!! I will in the blogs give updates on the process and / or the steps to reach the goals

Step One
make a decision on the video we now have if it needs more post editing or we can transfer it to DVD and send it out to buyers.

This is something I will discuss with our manager Jodi Kalick and of course her advise after our discussion would be the decision I would go with.

to the tk blu family check out the video on the web site
www.tkblubandband.com then go to video show and give me your view.

to all happy new year and lets get the goals accomplished!!!
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