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News: The Latest News from the World of Bass

Rufus Reid Honors Elizabeth Catlett with “Quiet Pride”
New Albums

Rufus Reid Honors Elizabeth Catlett with “Quiet Pride”

Music and sculpture combine in renowned jazz bassist Rufus Reid’s five-movement composition, , based on five sculptures by artist Elizabeth Catlett. Each movement of the piece, written for a large jazz ensemble (including Reid on bass), corresponds to a sculpture by Catlett, the late African-American artist (she died in April 2012 at age 96) whose grandparents on both sides were...

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Norm Stockton Releases The Worship Bass Book: Bass, Espresso, and the Art of Groove
Sheet Music & Instruction

Norm Stockton Releases The Worship Bass Book: Bass, Espresso, and the Art of Groove

Norm Stockton has released , a 234-page instructional book aimed at helping bassists working in a worship setting. Stockton, who spent six years playing bass for Lincoln Brewster, takes a different approach to the book than you might think. “As opposed to a comprehensive methodology for all things bass, this will be more of a collection of the nuggets –...

Dave Klein Leaves Black Flag
News

Dave Klein Leaves Black Flag

Black Flag’s personnel is in flux once again as bassist Dave Klein announced he’s quit the band to rejoin punk band They Stay Dead. “I guess I should OFFICIALLY (puns!) say that I’m no longer playing with [Black Flag],” Klein wrote on his Facebook page. The news came the same day that Rolling Stone published a story stating the band...

OoN Releases “Polaris”
New Albums

OoN Releases “Polaris”

Electric bass and bassoon may seem like a strange duo setting, but OoN is proof that the instruments blend quite nicely. The group, which consists of the fabulous Ariane Cap on 6-string bass and bassoonist Paul Hanson, has released their debut album, . Named for the North Star, the album showcases a range of styles, from jazz to rock to...

Flea Makes Statement on Red Hot Chili Peppers Super Bowl Halftime Show
News

Flea Makes Statement on Red Hot Chili Peppers Super Bowl Halftime Show

The Red Hot Chili Peppers received a lot of heat for their performance during the Super Bowl halftime show, and not in a good way. Social media was buzzing after a picture of Flea’s unplugged bass from the show proved the band was only miming to a pre-recorded version of “Give It Away.” After a few days of outrage, Flea...

Sunn o))) and Ulver Team Up for “Terrestrials”
New Albums

Sunn o))) and Ulver Team Up for “Terrestrials”

Metal drone band Sunn O)))’s collaboration with Norwegian metal/heavy chamber group Ulver, , is summed up in this passage from Drowned in Sound: “This might be the closest you can get to ‘new age’ while remaining a heavily tattooed riff-worshipper.” Bassist Greg Anderson of Sunn O)))’s augmented bass feedback is featured on the “Western Horn” movement of the three-movement record....

The Funky Knuckles Return With “Meta-Musica”
New Albums

The Funky Knuckles Return With “Meta-Musica”

Jazz fusion band The Funky Knuckles has a true Dallas sound, according to bassist and band leader Wes Stephenson. “It’s the feel for funk, hip-hop and gospel, to which we add the elements of jazz and improvisation,” Stephenson tells The Dallas Morning News. The second album from the group composed of seasoned music industry sidemen (Stephenson has performed with Erykah...

Les Claypool’s Duo De Twang Releases “Four Foot Shack”
New Albums

Les Claypool’s Duo De Twang Releases “Four Foot Shack”

So what do you call a group with one bass, one guitar, and a beat provided by a tambourine-type thing? You’d call it Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang, composed of Primus leader/bass monster Claypool and guitarist Bryan Kehoe. It’s a departure from Primus’ freewheeling, iconoclastic funk — kind of. Duo de Twang’s first album , is, as you would imagine...

Care Fund Set Up for New Orleans Bassist Left in Coma
News

Care Fund Set Up for New Orleans Bassist Left in Coma

The music community is coming to the aid of jazz bassist Doug Potter, who was left in a coma after a brutal attack in New Orleans. Potter had just finished playing a gig at Cafe Beignet on Bourbon Street when two men assaulted him as he carried his bass back to his car. The incident was caught on video and...

Etienne Mbappe Returns with “Pater Noster”
New Albums

Etienne Mbappe Returns with “Pater Noster”

Silk-gloved bassist Etienne Mbappe’s album combines the Duala language of his native Cameroon, a huge groove and blazing bass. Mbappe, known for his work with legendary guitarist John McLaughlin, as well as his own solo music, is also the vocalist on the collection of joyous, danceable tunes. The groove on “Wondja” from Pater Noster is worth checking out, even if...

Arild Andersen Releases “Mira”
New Albums

Arild Andersen Releases “Mira”

Norwegian jazz bass great Arild Andersen has produced a studio album of ballads with drummer Paolo Vinaccia and tenor sax player Tommy Smith – the same trio responsible for the Live at Belleville album. features mostly work written by Andersen, but it does include a cover of Burt Bacharach’s classic, “Alfie.” In an interview with Jazz Times reproduced on his...

Angelique Kidjo Releases “Eve”, Featuring Christian McBride
New Albums

Angelique Kidjo Releases “Eve”, Featuring Christian McBride

The queen of African music and one of music’s most extraordinary bassists have joined forces. The record is Angelique Kidjo’s album, . She’s the queen, of course, and the bassist is Christian McBride, who has worked with everyone from Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock to pop/rock stars Sting and Don Henley. McBride is a longtime fan of Kidjo and he...