Archive for March 2012 - Page 9

About a week ago, we shared an awesome video of Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters (anchored by the awesome rhythm section duo of bassist Paul Jackson and drummer Mike Clark), performing “Spank-A-Lee” in 1974. This time around, we’re going back two years earlier, to feature Herbie’s “Mwandishi Sextet”, anchored by bassist Buster Williams. In between his time with Miles Davis...

Revolver Magazine has announced the nominees for their 4th Annual Golden Gods awards show, which honors members of the hard-rock and heavy-metal community. The Golden God award, which is given to one special honoree each year, will be presented to KISS bassist Gene Simmons for “embodying the spirit of hard rock and metal.” “It’s an honor and privilege to accept...

Meet Austin Underhill, a twelve-year vet of the low end who has one of the best lines we’ve heard when describing what he does for a living: “a freelance bassist both day and night”. Austin is our player in the spotlight for the week of March 6, 2012. Bio: Home grown in Napa, California, Austin has been playing bass since...

In our last edition of Old School, we shared Mark Anderson’s 1963 Fender Shoreline Gold Precision bass. This time, we’re showcasing Fender’s Jazz bass from the same year, and specifically Jay Fortier‘s ’63 Jazz. Fender introduced the first Jazz in March, 1960, becoming the company’s second bass model after the Precision. In 1963, Fender replaced the below-string mutes with a...

I never cared for the 80’s music scene (then or now). But when I listen to Paul Young’s recordings, I’m amazed how Pino Palladino‘s bass lines have aged so well, even if the rest of the music of that era hasn’t. Here’s Paul Young and company performing the laid back, fretless-focused “Wherever I Lay My Hat”, live in 1985 at...

The legendary Jamaican rhythm section duo of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare have released Blackwood Dub. The 10-track collection of instrumental songs was written by the Sly and Robbie and has a sense of groove that just won’t quit. The duo, who have helped to shape the face of Reggae and rock/pop music, recorded the album at the...

New for 2012 is the Traveler Ultra-Light Bass, an extremely lightweight and compact bass guitar. The whole instrument measures 33 3/4? in length and weighs in at a mere three pounds and 6.5 ounces. Built from a solid piece of Eastern American Hard Maple, the Ultra-Light Bass features a removable metal lap-rest and a built in thumb rest for comfort....

I first heard about ThumbJam from Richard Bona in the Blue Note Tokyo green room while we were both working with the Jaco Pastorius Big Band. (I’m setting this up not to brag, but rather to let you know that when a master like Bona raves about a music app, we all listen!) The app has a very simple premise:...

We first featured bassist Choi Dong-Ju (aka “jacogrow”) about two years ago and his video “Fretless Bass Improv”. Here he is once again, with a video he titles “Improv (Fast) Fretless”. His three-finger technique is obviously inspired by the great Gary Willis, and the closest we’ve heard to the original himself. Jacogrow even plays this on his Gary Willis signature...

Last week, No Treble readers enjoyed the latest gear coverage, especially Epifani’s AL Series aluminum combos and cabinets and Ashdown’s new ABM-1000 and ABM-2000 amps. Our bass of the week, the Rob Allen MB-2 bass, was another hit feature. In the video category, Victor Wooten and the Roots rip it up in the (too short) video from the Jimmy Fallon...

Genz Benz has introduced the Contour 500 series of combo amplifiers, including a 1×15″ model and a 2×10″ model. Built with power and weight in mind, the CTR500-115T and CTR500-210T push out 300 watts at 8 ohms while weighing 48 pounds and 52 pounds, respectively. The line also includes a pair of matching extension cabinets that raise the power output...

Among the new basses announced by Dean at the 2012 NAMM show is the new signature model for Morbid Angel’s bass player David “Evil D” Vincent. The Demonator 4 “Chaos” Bass was custom designed by Vincent and Dean to match the bassist’s playing style. The bass features a mahogany top and a 34″ scale, set mahogany C neck with a...