On June 25, 2017, we held the 2nd Walking Bass Showcase — a student performance event where the people taking lessons with me get up and play what they’ve been working on.
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Setup Begins at 10 AM
June 25th — and it was raining.
One of my students came over to help me move equipment in the morning. We hauled the upright bass by train (a standard sedan taxi can’t fit one) and I took a cab with the keyboard, electric bass, and PA rig.
Setting Up from Scratch
The venue doesn’t have its own sound setup, so we built everything from the ground up.
Having done this once before made setup faster. Rehearsal at 1 PM, doors open at 2:15.
Showtime
1. “Fly Me to the Moon”
This student takes lessons via video call, so the showcase was actually the first time we met in person. We started working together when walking bass was completely new to them, and here they were delivering “Fly Me to the Moon” cleanly from start to finish.
2. “My Romance”
The youngest performer in the lineup, and their second time at the showcase. They performed “My Romance” including a Ray Brown-influenced bass solo. Sounded great.
3. “Moon River” + “Bye Bye Blackbird” + “Don’t Know Why”
A vocalist joined for this set. Three tunes: “Bye Bye Blackbird,” “Don’t Know Why,” and “Moon River.” This student has started performing at live venues regularly — it’s all coming together.
4. “The Girl from Ipanema”
The classic Antônio Carlos Jobim tune performed in an upright bass + electric bass + drums configuration.
The harmonics in the electric bass part were beautiful — clean and crystalline.
5. “Autumn Leaves” + “Bye Bye Blackbird”
“Autumn Leaves” in a piano trio, then “Bye Bye Blackbird” in a guitar trio.
6. “But Not for Me” + “All the Things You Are”
A jazz club regular with a solid foundation in theory and ensemble playing. Both tunes were delivered with confidence — “But Not for Me” and “All the Things You Are.”
7. “Here’s That Rainy Day” + “Summertime” (Host Performance)
Closed the evening with two tunes. Guitar: Shintaro Masuda. Drums: Yu Yamamoto.
Wrap-Up and After-Party
Everything wrapped up by 5 PM. Everyone who performed did their best — first-timers came in confident, and those performing for the second time were noticeably sharper than before.
When a room full of bassists gets together for drinks after a show, you’d expect the conversation to be all about bass. Instead, somehow we ended up debating regional ramen styles from different parts of Japan.
A great day. Looking forward to the next one.
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