Skip to main content

Archive for March 2015 - Page 5

Exploring Vertical Harmony in Bass Playing
Ask Damian Erskine

Exploring Vertical Harmony in Bass Playing

Q: I have never studied an instrument aside from bass. In watching countless guitarists pick up my bass and rip out some cool lines (and the left hand of pianists), I’ve realized that I’ve never really found an effective way to internalize “vertical harmony”, and thus my lines lack coherence as a whole. How do you suggest I familiarize myself...

Rami Lakkis & Gene Lake: Insomnia
Bass Videos

Rami Lakkis & Gene Lake: Insomnia

Shapeshifter Lab is a great venue in Brooklyn that hosts innovative artists to explore musical boundaries, and since it’s co-owned by Matt Garrison, you can bet that it’s very bass-friendly. Here’s a great clip of bassist Rami Lakkis with drummer Gene Lake performing “Insomnia” at Shapeshifter last year. The song is an original composition by Lakkis that fuses electronica and...

Marcus Miller Releases “Afrodeezia”
New Albums

Marcus Miller Releases “Afrodeezia”

Marcus Miller’s latest album, Afrodeezia, is influenced by the wide variety musical styles that can trace their roots to Africa. The bassist is a UNESCO Artist For Peace and spokesperson for the organization’s Slave Route Project, and his role with the group affected Afrodeezia. ”The power of music has no limits,” states Miller. “Through spirituals, jazz and soul we were...

In Memoriam: Andy Fraser
In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Andy Fraser

Andy Fraser, bassist and founding member of the ’60s rock band Free, has passed away at 62. Although a cause of death has not been released, Fraser had recently been battling AIDS and cancer. Fraser was born in London in 1952 and began music studies on piano at the tender age of five. He switched to guitar when he was...

Bassist Co-authors Book on Recording with iPads and iPhones
Sheet Music & Instruction

Bassist Co-authors Book on Recording with iPads and iPhones

The co-author of , Ryan C. Williams, is back with another book for musicians. This time out, he has co-authored a book in the “For Dummies” series — iPad and iPhone for Musicians for Dummies. Written by Williams and Mike Levine, U.S. editor for Audiofanzine, the book covers a wide range of topics, including invaluable music apps and making apps...

Nik West, Featuring Orianthi: My Relationship
Bass Videos

Nik West, Featuring Orianthi: My Relationship

Anyone that has jammed with Prince, John Mayer, and Bootsy Collins must have something good to say, and Nik West is one of those people. The bassist’s recently released Say Somethin’ EP blends rock, funk, and R&B for an engaging musical journey pinned together by her solid bass playing. West gives a taste of the EP with her latest music...

Made in Chicago: Larry Gray Featured Jack DeJohnette Live Album
New Albums

Made in Chicago: Larry Gray Featured Jack DeJohnette Live Album

Jazz drumming great Jack DeJohnette called upon Chicago musicians he has known since the early 1960s for his latest album, Made in Chicago, and one latecomer—bassist/cellist Larry Gray. Gray, a sideman extraordinaire in multiple genres and Assistant Professor of Double Bass in Jazz at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has known DeJohnette since 1994 and said that when it...

Bass of the Week: Adamovic Basses SuperNova 5
Bass of the Week

Bass of the Week: Adamovic Basses SuperNova 5

Adamovic Basses recently posted a set of photos on their Facebook page that made me want to look up some more. The bass was SuperNova 5 featuring a one-piece African padouk top, and it’s our bass of the week. The SuperNova one of the company’s first models and features a three-dimensional hand-carved body. While the Netherlands-based company builds the model...

Robert Glasper Experiment, Featuring Derrick Hodge: Say Yes
Bass Videos

Robert Glasper Experiment, Featuring Derrick Hodge: Say Yes

Derrick Hodge is a monster bassist. Adept at both electric and upright bass, his style brings together the best elements of jazz, R&B, and gospel. Here’s a clip of Hodge laying it down with the Robert Glasper Experiment during a performance at The Exchange LA in Los Angeles, California. The bassist pours his soul into an extended bass solo that...

Weekly Top 10: New Bass Gear, The Top Bass Videos, Expert Columns, Bass of the Week and More
Weekly Top 10

Weekly Top 10: New Bass Gear, The Top Bass Videos, Expert Columns, Bass of the Week and More

It is Sunday, which means it is time to bring you the best in bass – at least a week’s worth. Here is the top 10 list for this week of the most read stories and most watched videos on No Treble. Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing! 1. Josh Cohen: Solo Bass Arrangement of “Chameleon” Here is a...

In Memoriam: Mike Porcaro
In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Mike Porcaro

Mike Porcaro, who played bass for the seminal rock band Toto, has passed away after a long battle with ALS. He was 59 years old. Porcaro came from a musical family. His father is jazz drummer Joe Porcaro, and he is the middle brother of drummer Jeff Porcaro and keyboardist Steve Porcaro. Though Mike played on several unofficial sessions since...

Spector Introduces NS-2 CT-B Carved Top Bass
Basses

Spector Introduces NS-2 CT-B Carved Top Bass

Stuart Spector was showing off his latest creation at NAMM this year with the Spector NS-2 CT-B, a carved top take on the company’s flagship NS-2 model. Handbuilt in Spector’s U.S. workshop, the bass features a chambered alder body with a redwood top that’s carved on both the inside and outside surfaces. The top also fits their Helium series and...