Just thought I’d give an update on my bass/keys dou. We did the gig last night at a restaurant/bar. I was a bit apprehensive about job because I’ve gotten so used to play in auto-accompaniment mode and wasn’t sure how this would work with an arranger keyboard. I ended up using these 3 options when I played with the bassist:

1. Drum accompaniment – no other auto accompaniment. This gave me the freedom to play any type of chord voicing’s I liked without having to worry about “confusing” the chord recognition. Great for jazzy stuff and bossa nova comping.

2. Auto accompaniment with bass track muted. This worked out much better than I thought. Great for C&B, funky stuff, and rock n’ roll... Having the auto accompaniment (especially guitar strumming parts) really filled out the sound. The live bass helped so much for tunes that have specific bass line – like Kool and Gang’s “Celebration” or Rick James “Super Freak”

3. Full Accompaniment – including auto bass. We used this for tunes that the bassist didn’t know. Usually I could mute the bass after a chorus or two. Luckily the guy is blessed with fantastic ears.

Unfortunately we never had a chance to rehearse before the gig so I had to just go with my instincts as to which method I’d use. A lot of times I’d employ all three methods during the course of a tune with good results. All in all a great experience that I never really even considered before. I’ve played with horn players, guitarist and percussionists but never thought a bass would be effective. Boy was I wrong! A live bass really helps! Like this bassist is very good, great ears and solid timing. An interesting side note that I didn’t know tell I got to the gig is that he is blind. I”m sure that attributes to his highly developed aural skills.