The summer after the Jive Kings disbanded I found myself without a gig. After three years of touring with the Jive Kings this was a strange feeling. I got a call from Jeff Morris who was looking for a bass sub for his regular bassist Jason Rogerson and I thought "hmm..just been playing jazz and swing for three years...Jeff Morris plays Pop/Rock...this could be interesting" so I said sure.
I got a song list, learned his album, had a couple rehearsals and then played a handful of gigs over that summer and fall.
And yes...after playing jazz for three years this was completely different...with a completely different head-space. I had to think differently as I found playing Rock very awkward even though it had been my first musical influence. There was no playing ahead or behind the beat there was in jazz...there was no thinking in relation to chords and creating linear bass lines that walked about in a sensical patter..it was learning the foundation of the tune, playing only the foundation, and playing it exactly ON the beat. and it felt very very strange.
But it turned out to be a good lesson in simplicity and time. And it turned out to be a lot of fun.