2016 Reader Favorites

On November 11th, 2016, the bass world was stunned by the news of the passing of Victor Bailey. Our tribute to him was one of the most read stories of the year, with bassists and fans offering up their own thoughts on the legendary bassist. Throughout the year, we featured some videos which showcase just why we’re all such big...

News of Marcus Miller joining the super group Mega Nova with Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Cindy Blackman Santana was one of the top stories on No Treble this year. Marcus was also in the news with the release of the new Sire Marcus Miller M7 Series of basses. Add to that some sweet videos featuring Marcus, and...

No Reader Favorites list would be complete without Victor Wooten. Vic ignited the bass playing world this year with his appearance on progressive metal band Octavision’s tune “Three Lives.” Fodera announced the Victor Wooten Yin Yang Deluxe Series III Bass in October, followed by Vic’s announcement of a 2017 tour. 1. Victor Wooten Joins Progressive Metal Band Here’s something you...

Tim Lefebvre is prominently featured on David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, which released in early January. Later, Tim became a full-time member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, who also released an album in January. If that’s not enough, 3Leaf Audio also introduced the Octabvre Mini Octave Pedal in March. Tim’s excellent bass playing was on display in a handful of...

What can you say about Leland Sklar that hasn’t already been said? The man just brings it in everything he does. We featured some killer videos this year of Mr. Sklar from throughout his career, and once again, our “Stories Behind the Songs” and Groove episode from the archives continued to be huge hits. 1. James Taylor with Leland Sklar:...

Michael League brought the bass goodness in 2016, as he always does. Snarky Puppy released “Family Dinner, Vol. 2” in February, followed by their 11th album, Culcha Vulcha on April 29th. Later, Michael joined the legendary David Crosby for his new album and tour. 1. Snarky Puppy, Featuring Susana Baca and Charlie Hunter: Molino Molero Snarky Puppy recorded their upcoming...

Tal Wilkenfeld is no stranger to the annual Reader Favorites list. In 2016, Tal shared some of the music she’s working on for her new album, plus opened for The Who on their tour. This brought new attention to some of the Tal features in our archive too, which all added up to placing her at #7 on the 2016...

We’ve said it before – we’re not sure Federico Malaman is from this planet. But despite his incredible musicianship, Federico is one of the nicest (and most humble) people we’ve met. Thanks to some killer videos – and our own interview with him – Federico makes this year’s No Treble reader favorites list. 1. Federico Malaman: I Love You, Giant...

Joe Dart continued to impress us all in 2016. Vulfpeck released The Beautiful Game in October, and the band followed that with some impressive videos – including a big hit in “Dean Town.” No surprise Joe once again landed on the annual top 10 reader favorites list. 1. Vulfpeck: Dean Town It is always a good day at No Treble...

2016 was a big year for Esperanza Spalding, who released her fifth album, Emily’s D+Evolution. “I knew it was loud, and I knew it was electric. I knew when it wasn’t done, and I knew when it was. Beyond that, there wasn’t much of a plan,” Spalding told NPR about the new record. “I sought out those musicians, and talked...