Bass blog contributor Jean-Yves Bénichou sent me this great photo and accompanying story:

Some claim that commuting around London is getting to be really difficult and expensive. Not so for my colossal friend John Bakewell!

As former Principle Bass of the London’s Royal Opera House, John likes to while away his retirement hours playing his Stradinini bass fiddle outside on the top deck of his luxury liner whenever possible.

Last weekend, after having taken a spin on the new London Eye in the English capital, I immediately rushed over to meet him in front of the Tower Bridge at 2:00 pm. Being a mere-sized mortal unlike John, I travelled to the other side of town via the underground and arrived just in the nick of time to hear him cry out “OPEN SESAME” to the bridge guards. As soon as those huge bridge gates rose, I snapped this shot thereby giving you a precise idea of the dimensions of your “not-your-average” English bass player.

As his boat approached the docks to pick me up, he quickly went below deck to fetch a second instrument and we floated quietly down the Thames playing duets until the golden evening sunset. By the way, that other bass belonged to one of my old teachers; it’s a small world—even for John!

(If any of you are interested in taking a stroll with John, please contact him at his website address located on the side of his boat).

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