Schalk Joubert

Cape Town based Schalk Joubert, was up in JHB back in 2002 and popped along to our first meeting that was held at The National School of Arts in Braamfontein - the same meet that Johann Kruger brought his beautiful hand made basses to, for Jason Green to demonstrate. We managed to get a nice pic of Schalk putting Jason’s Maple necked 5 string monster through its paces. I didn’t talk much with Schalk that evening as we didn’t know each other, but we’ve kept contact with each other since then via e-mails and sms’s. I sent Schalk an electronic interview sheet in August 2004 and he sent it back almost immediately with these answers.

How long have you been playing Schalk?
I started dabbling on the bass in 1994

How did you get started.?
I owned a bass that my dad bought me but never played so I wore it as a prop (along with only a pair of underpants) to some student party during my first year at university in 1994. Some guy approached me and said they needed a bass player for their band called the Wild Possums (it featured ex Springbok Nude Girl Adriaan Brand on trumpet). I said I couldn’t play but he said: “Don’t worry, you look the part!” The pianist taught me some bass lines for the first gig that happened a few days later. We were terrible but a few months later I did my first sessions for Valiant Swart’s debut album. The rest is hysteria.

What’s your favourite band / solo artist?
The Zawinul Syndicate, Salif Keita, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel and of course Jaco Pastorius

What are the amps and instruments you currently use?
I almost exclusively use my Warwick Streamer 5-string and my Framus Double bass for gigs. For amplification I use the Roland FFP that has been given to me. In the studio I normally split my signal between a TL Audio VP5051 valve preamp and a direct line. For the double bass I use a combination of a line from the Fishman pick-up and two Neumann TLM103 microphones.

What instruments would you like to have if money were no object?
Wow, I would love to have a great selection of fretted and fretless instruments ranging from old vintage models to brand new state of the art gear.

What have you been doing for the last five years or so?
At the moment I am in the final stages of producing Lesley Rae Dowling’s new album, we just started mixing. Producing is something I really enjoy lately, I won the SABC2 Geraas award last year for “Producer of the year” which came as a nice surprise. As far as playing goes I just did the musical prostitute thing over the last few years, anything from Anton Goosen to Gloria Bosman to pantomimes and TV variety acts. Thousands of tours, shows, albums etc. I have been very fortunate over the last 5 years.

What recordings that you’ve played on would you recommend for listening?
Mmm… some of the albums I enjoy listening to but not necessarily due to outstanding bass chops would be:
Mickanic’s - “Swimming with the woman”
Laurinda Hofmeyr - “Ligdag”
Lesley Rae Dowling - “State of Grace”
Anton Goosen & Friends – “Live in State theatre”
White Buzz – “White Buzz” (Artists from London)

What’s been the low point in your career so far?
Losing some of the beautiful people that I have worked with along the way like Gito and Johannes Kerkorrel.

And what has been the high point?
I really love playing music so it all can be seen as one big high point, but I suppose the privilege of travelling during international tours and tremendous friendships I have gained from fellow musicians are the things that makes me a very blessed person.

What are your goals currently?
Apart from still working hard to become a decent bass player I have enough compositions for at least two albums. I would love to record them in the very near future with a selection of some of the beautiful musicians I have worked with over the years and some that I have wanted to work with for a long time. It is a combination of Zappa-ish fusion with all sorts of different world elements – nanigo grooves, some highlife etc.