Bass Musician Magazine 4th Anniversary… Some Thoughts

What came to mind for me immediately when I considered writing to this auspicious occasion for the magazine was the thought, “You should all be lucky enough to be in my shoes.”

I’ve literally lost count on the amount of interviews I’ve done over the past four years, but I can tell you that every one was a conscious choice; someone that I felt had a meaningful and relevant contribution to offer to our readers, and any player for that matter. A historical/analytical perspective of someone who has shown to be a force in the Arts is a tremendous tool in the learning process. Any conscious effort to progress in any field potentially loses power when one fails to consider the importance and relevance of learning from an acknowledged figure in (as well as outside) of our idiom.

Look at it this way. If one took some notes, key points from those who have attained a certain amount of success within a tough industry, religiously, and then story-boarded all of that diversified wisdom, creating some kind of path for yourself would take on a whole new dimension. I promise you, each story is a little different, and that’s the beauty of the story-boarding… multiple perspectives on the how to progress.

This is what I was referring to as far as my position goes. Not only have I spent some time talking to all of these iconic figures, (many who have become good friends), I’ve owned the position of being able to ask questions that I’ve personally dealt with myself, and my learning curve has traveled far beyond what I could have imagined thanks to being able to get inside the heads of these great players for a brief period.

I certainly hope the mag has done the same for some of our readers, and as Editor, I’ll make sure the good content continues to flourish. BMM will also be opening up a couple of new sections soon (one involving myself) so stay tuned and watch for new developments which will center on creating the opportunity of bringing “you” more exposure to the bass community at large. Everything, and I mean everything helps in this industry… that’s why we’re here.

Best,

Jake Kot