LIVE MUSIC CHICAGOs "Beginnings" Josephs BassView 08022026
NEW LIVE 70’s Horn Band and Joseph’s BassView!!!”
A Chicago tune on August 2nd 2026, with the Jazz Derelicts Horn Band.
Song: “Beginnings”
By: Chicago
The guitar starts and then the bass comes in. I thought it was another song with a bass solo for an intro. It’s not and I realized as soon as I played a high note. I turned it into a solo/intro part and the drummer was super smart in his compensation. I think he waited a bar or two so that my part made more sense.
The original bass part is unique, theatric, and awesome. Even with all that, I can improvise little or a lot. I improvised a lot on this rendition. I think it’s fine and I still serve the song and the changes. Nobody is complaining. I am grateful.
Differences in my playing:
I’m not waiting to see what happens anymore. I am announcing, guiding, bossing, and demanding communication while performing. The best bands do it. They are very slick about it. We did a great job of communicating at this August 2nd 2026 performance.
Gear:
Amp:
The venue has an amp that I like to use. I plug into a direct box and also the amp. I finally took pictures and I can say that it’s an Ampeg B2-RE head. 450 watts at 4 ohms or 250 at ???
The amp head is on top of a speaker cabinet with 4 ten-inch speakers. I like that for my boomy Fender Jazz bass tendency. 4 tens should be more punch and less big low boomy speaker sub type sound. So far, band mates have no complaints.
I also plug into a direct box so that the sound guy can get a clean feed directly from my instrument.
He told me later that it sounds good and he runs the bass signal though a compressor. He also plays bass. I ask him if it gets too clicks and he says all good. I like all of that. I have the freedom to accidentally play too loud a little.
Bass:
Fender Jazz Bass Deluxe 4 String… also known as “Bread and Butter.” I use this bass for long periods of time. I modified it for longevity. Light strings, heavy-mass bridge, low action, grenade launcher with cup holders, thick strap, MAC-10s, toilet seat cover dispenser, and very useful tone knob controls.
I’ve been obsessed with quarter ever since arcades existed. I’ll probably add a quarter machine to my bass soon. :)
Music Stand AND Lights:
I purchased the stand lights for these Gaslamp performances. I don’t remember the brand name. The lights are rechargeable and they come with a long long long charging cable. It’s amazing how long it is. Black and long. Very, very long and black. Hard… to see. I don’t know what you were thinking, but the music stand has been with me for a long time. It’s very portable because it breaks down into a small manageable shape. It’s long and fits well into a former telescope bag. I recently fixed the zippers with a busted keychain. I’m surprised the stand is not broken yet.
The venue: