Archive for January 2011 - Page 8
Reader Spotlight: Leighton Allen
Meet Leighton Allen, a bassist from the UK and our player in the spotlight for January 5, 2011. Bio: I’m a bass player from the south of England, currently writing/playing with Steve Byrd 80’s session musician and ex-guitarist with Kim Wilde and Ian Gillian, amongst many many others. I have played many of the UK top venues and festivals with...
Plucking Patterns: Right Hand Exercises for Bass
Q: You covered playing chords on the bass and going beyond the roots. I use chords a lot when I compose/write and when I practice different things. I often find myself short when it comes to rhythms and different strumming patterns over the chords. Do you have some good ideas for strumming patterns? A: The rhythm you use is one...
What Blues Bass is All About: Russell Jackson with B.B. King
Russell Jackson joined B.B. King’s band in the late ’70s, staying with the legendary guitarist for seven years. In this early ’80s clip from French TV, the band plays an instrumental, then kicks into “Let the Good Times Roll,” with another segue into “Everyday I Have the Blues.” The whole band swings hard to Russell’s bouncy lines, as he lays...
Unearth Announces Benefit For Fallen Bassist
Unearth have announced that their first show of 2011 will be a benefit for their former bassist, Chris “Rover” Rybicki, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2010. The show will also feature Rybicki’s former bands. “We will be playing alongside another one of Rovers former bands No Choice as well as our friends in Screams of Erida and...
In Memoriam: Mick Karn
After a brave battle with cancer, former Japan bassist Mick Karn has passed away at the age of 52. The fretless bassist left an indelible mark on the ‘70s and ‘80s low-end scene with his unique style and phrasing. After glam rockers Japan split up, he collaborated with Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy in the group Dalis Car, as well as...
Dave Sitek To Sit In On Next Jane’s Addiction Album
The saga of the bass position in Jane’s Addiction continues as the group revealed that TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek will be contributing on the four-string for their next release, due out this summer. According to Spinner, the producer/multi-instrumentalist will also be writing material with the alternative rockers, but will likely only be a band member as far as...
King Curtis Live at The Shea Stadium, with Chuck Rainey
Last night, we featured a King Curtis video from the archives, with Jerry Jemmott. Today, we have another treat… a live clip of King Curtis and his band, opening for The Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965. This time, Chuck Rainey is holding down the low end.
King’s X Releases “Live In London”
American rock band King’s X has released their first-ever live concert DVD, Live in London. The release, offered in a deluxe 2 CD/1 DVD box set or as a 2 CD release, was filmed in January 2009 at the Electric Ballroom in London. The band, featuring bassist/vocalist Dug Pinnick, guitarist/vocalist Ty Tabor and drummer/vocalist Jerry Gaskill, say the UK audiences...
RIP Charles Fambrough
After a long battle with liver disease, jazz bassist Charles Fambrough has passed away. The Philadelphia-based player had a storied career, playing with Grover Washington, Jr., Airto Moreira, McCoy Tyner, Wynton Marsalis, and more. He also spent two years in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. “McCoy showed me how to play with endurance. Art gave me refinement,” the bassist once said....
The Lowdown with Dr. D: Mastering a Difficult Passage with Repetition
In the course of mastering a difficult passage, we will end up playing the passage many, many times. However, if we do so blindly, we just waste our time. In fact, such mindless repetition can be detrimental. Additionally, if our mind wanders, then it is unlikely that we are actually improving the passage, so again we waste our time. One...
Victor Wooten & Anthony Wellington: Dynamics Duet
Victor Wooten and Anthony Wellington have a long working history, or as Anthony says, he’s the “long-time holder of the coveted ‘2nd bass’ position in the Victor Wooten Band”. Here’s the bass duo performing a nice piece from Vic’s Groove Workshop DVD.
Rewind: Best of 2010, Rare Jaco Pastorius Video, Bass Chords and New Gear
Here are the most read, most popular stories and features on No Treble for the last week of 2010: December 26, 2010 to January 1, 2011. 1. Best of 2010: Top 10 Bass Player Spotlights We’re counting down the 2010 Top 10 lists on No Treble this week. Today, we’re featuring the Top 10 Player Spotlight features, based on reader...