Hey everyone it’s been 2 years since I got my dream bass and I finally have time to post photos of the bass and tell you about how we met!
So basically for the last couple years I’ve either been traveling to train Chinese Internal Martial Arts (Taiji and Bagua) and living between New York, Boston and my hometown Wisconsin. I’m currently in Mexico City doing a teacher certification in order to open my own Taijiquan school on the west coast in Seattle.
So back to bass. I was near France on the way back from a Baguazhang retreat with Bruce Frantzis in Ibiza and stopped by Jean Auray’s shop in Villefranche Sur Saone near Lyon. I had emailed and talked to him and his wife briefly to discuss basses and if they had anything that sounded good in their shop. There was a Jacquet, I think an older french bass, a Auray travel bass available.
Jean and his wife were incredibly generous and kind in spirit and had me over to check out the workshop, play the basses and have lunch. We talked about some of the amazing artists he built basses for including Charlie Haden, Matt Penman, Barre Phillips and many more.
I stayed in Lyon for a week to make a decision about buying one of the basses and Jean called and let me know that another bass was actually available. Unfortunately one of his clients was very ill and needed Jean to sell his bass for him. I took the short train from Lyon back to Jean’s and Jean showed me the incredible bass. One of his Master built 7/8th’s models. I really couldn’t believe my luck because to get on a waiting list for one of his Master built basses is around 2 years and here one just popped up. Stars aligned. I had a dream the night before I bought the bass and it felt like getting married. Super incredible and I can tell you there’s nothing like the feeling of having an instrument that feels like “THIS IS IT!”
