Hello, Dan Jett here. I'm new to the forum, and new to barbershop
bass. But even more pointedly, I'm new to singing of any kind - a
Vocal Virgin at age 54! And without fully understanding how it
happened, I suddenly find myself neck deep not just in a chorus, but
in a quartet performing regular gigs. That's why I say that I feel
like I'm in a reality TV show called Barbershop Bootcamp, where they
take a guy off the street, put him through a crash course, and then
try to pass him off as a real barbershop singer. Clearly, I'm
looking for all the help I can get.

I joined the Santa Cruz, CA chapter, The Gold Standard Chorus, about
9 months ago after being invited along for Christmas caroling. Our
group is a small recreational chorus, but longtime barbershoppers may
recognize our most prominent member, Jerry Orloff, and his wonderful
wife, Kim. Jerry, with over 4 decades of Society service, is the
all time Man of Note recruiter, with 174 pelts to his credit – and he
sings bass! Among many accomplishments, Jerry and Kim founded the
Mixed Harmony Barbershop Quartet Association (MHBQA), which helps
explain the unique character of our chorus which welcomes a handful
of women as "associate" members.

The director informed me that I was a bass, which I thought was
extremely cool, having always just assumed I was an untrained
baritone. My hook is that as an active trumpetplayer, I read music
well, have a pretty good ear, and I'm comfortable with performing in
small ensembles. But I never sang anywhere beyond the shower walls,
and my musical experience has been all treble clef on a melody, not
harmony, instrument. But I always loved the barbershop sound, all
the way back to high school when my best friend (a Tenor, who never
did quite grow up) sang "Coney Island Baby" in a quartet for our
talent show. I can still remember those great bass licks.

Barbershop and me seem to have hit it off. I love the chance to get
out from behind the horn & music stand, and ham it up. Drawn
together by fortunate timing and good chemistry, including a mutual
goal to sing express our Christian faith through singing, I suddenly
found myself in a quartet headed by a marvelously talented and
experienced 4-part man covering baritone. Our Lead has very little
barbershop experience, but is a real Natural, an aging American
Idol/karaoke king with seeming unlimited range (has to sing Lead
cause he isn't well acquainted with harmony, or reading music). And
I really love our Tenor – literally, because she is my wife. Gina
has a lovely voice, but not much more singing experience than me, at
least in the 25 years of our married life. Singing together is
proving to be a wonderful experience we can share (neither of us
likes golf). And with no barbershop-widow issues.

Our fellow choristers seem enthusiastic about our quartet, directing
gigs to us and setting up a sing-and-interview spot on local radio to
promote singing valentines. The upshot of all this is that I've got
to figure out how to be a real Bass - in a hurry and on the fly. I
desperately need collective Bass Wisdom!

Yours in (low) Harmony,
Dan

Dan Jett
La Selva Beach, CA