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Re: loops in a new light



Dan wrote:

>this being my first post to kim's marvelous world of the loopy, i'd
>like to recommend to y'all something i've come across:
>
>'eberhard weber : pendulum'
>
>it's a great disc on the ECM label, number 1518. weber is better known for
>his side-man work as the bassist for jan garbarek (and others, i suppose).
>he plays a six string electric upright (helluva tone! it's that silky
>smooth sound that warms you to sleep - the 'walking on air' tony levin
>thing).
>anyhow, the pendulum disc is weber's curiosity with loops/overdubs and
>solo performance in action.
>

[stuff deleted]

>and, while we're on the subject of loops, his uses of them are admirable.
>the bass isn't incredibly varied in tones; he doesn't use any effects
>except reverb and possible a thickening chorus (but it could be the
>natural tone of the bass - it's great, whatever it is!), but he does use a
>bow to some interesting degrees.
>so, he uses the looping concept to establish backgrounds, lines,
>percussive noises, and chords, and then runs several different melodies
>over the top of it all.
>
>theoretically, it could have just as well been a sixteen track production
>of bass overdubs played one at a time... it sounds that good. i don't know
>what unit he's using, but it's probably the echoplex.
>
>i highly recommend it to all interested in the bass (whether for tone or
>for technique or for style) and/or loops.
>

cool review....reminded me that the day before I resigned from Gibson I
spent a rather pleasent day at Bob Weir's home studio demoing and teaching
the Echoplex to Rob Wasserman. He also plays a 6 string fretless/upright
electric bass, custom built by Ned Steinberger. Awesome player. It was
really cool to hear such an excellent musician take to looping. Only took
him a couple of tries to get some really great loops going. And his tone
was just so marvelous. I imagine it will show on his next recordings,
something to listen for.

I know he's using it in performances, because in a recent concert review of
a Rat Dog (band w/ Weir and Wasserman) performance in our local excuse for
a newspaper, the SF Chronicle, a paragraph was devoted to a solo bit
Wasserman did. Don't remember exactly what was said, something along the
lines of "unusual but interesting." That can only mean looping! Of course
most of the review was about the fact that various members of the Grateful
Dead played together that night for the first time since Jerry died blah
blah blah. In the photo, behind the smiling faces of Bob, Mickey and
whoever the hell else is left from the Dead, was Wasserman's rig with a
blurry yet distinguishable echoplex.....

And that was the only pang of regret I had about resigning......ah well.

kim


______________________________________________________________________
Kim Flint                   | Looper's Delight
kflint@annihilist.com       | http://www.annihilist.com/loop/loop.html
http://www.annihilist.com/  | Loopers-Delight-request@annihilist.com