Victor Bailey: Countdown

Victor Bailey is about to get you to kick your practicing into high gear with this video. It’s a playalong of his take on John Coltrane’s “Countdown” as heard on Bailey’s Slippin’ N’ Trippin’ album.

“When I went to Berklee 35 years ago, I transcribed a bunch of Coltrane solos including this one,” Bailey shared. “I’m playing Coltrane’s solo. This is just my playalong with the record to give you a visual idea of what’s possible if you want to practice enough.”

As if that’s not cool enough, Ron Carter is also laying down the bass on the track.

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  1. Amazing musician! We need more Victor Bailey vids, shows, recordings, everything!

  2. This is insane in a highly positive way… :)

  3. I don’t mean to be rude, but does anyone know why is Victor on a scooter? Is he okay?

  4. Seen this video doing the rounds recently and just watched it myself. But, something doesn’t seem quite right. I know Victor has a muscle wasting disease and can’t walk anymore, but watching his hands vs what we’re actually hearing doesn’t seem to add up…. Having seen him play I know the he digs in pretty hard when he’s playing, and if you watch closely, the area of the neck where his left hand is doesn’t seem to equate to the pitch we are hearing. Also, he never once looks down at his left hand, something I find pretty unbelievable considering the material he is playing… I’m gonna call it and say he is miming to a track he has previously recorded in a sad effort to gain some social media praise…By comparing some more recent videos of his playing to this one, you can see how his playing still is generally a lot more aggressive and inefficient than demonstrated here. Please have a close watch and tell me if you think he is playing for real. I truly hope I am wrong as I have been a Bailey fan for a long time, I even did one of his solo tunes for my honours recital at Uni, but there are too many inconsistencies in this video for me not to question it.

  5. wow. he’s so laid back. but when the solo starts the coffee kicks in! triple expresso!!!

  6. this guy transcribed John Coltrane to bass… Remarkable and Fantastic! I’m buying the cd now,

  7. Craig S, I SAY in the beginning “This is just a play-along with the record to give you a visual idea of what’s possible if you want to practice enough.” That means I’m playing along to my pre-recorded track. Everybody knows that. Did you miss that part? My amp actually is on and if you listen closely enough you can hear little discrepancies between the record and my actual playing coming from the amp in the background.But it’s very subtle.Cause I’m that accurate when I want to be! YOU should watch this again.The left hand is playing EXACTLY the pitches you are hearing on EVERY note. Not one is out of place .It’s a play along so obviously there will be minor discrepancies visually speaking.Also obviously I PLAYED this on the record you’re hearing. Can’t fake that. Also if you find it unbelievable that I don’t look down,you should try practicing without looking at the bass for the next forty years straight. You’ll be surprised what you can do. Regarding my hands, I don’t know what you think you see in some of my other videos, but I never “dig in hard” with my right hand. I play with a very light touch at all times with both hands. You don’t have to play the bass hard,you have to play it RIGHT. You think it’s a “sad effort to gain some social media praise”? You think I need praise on YouTube? Do you know what my resume is? Let’s simplify it down to Grammys,walls full of platinum records,tons of records sold,sold out concerts worldwide, money in the bank.You think I need “social media praise” from YouTube?Duh!. I suggest you watch the video again,then instead of writing here or anywhere else, go practice.And don’t look at the bass!
    Response meant with love, from THEE Victor Bailey

  8. If you can’t play without looking at your hand practice in the dark.

    Works wonders for your skill and ear.

  9. Hey Victor, Just watched the video and was once again completely amazed by your ability and the time you’ve dedicated to master the craft. You are the real deal, and have helped both myself and many of the bass players I grew up with understand exactly what the instrument in capable of. Hopefully you’ll read this, even though you don’t need youtube praise ;-)

  10. crazy… i don’t recall ever hearing anybody play at that speed.