Top 10: Jerry Jemmott’s Story Behind the Songs, New Bass Lessons, New Video from Rush’s Clockwork Angels and the Top Bass Gear and Videos
Two videos ran neck and neck for the top slot last week: Dirty Loops and Henrik Linder’s take on the Adele tune, “Rolling In The Deep” and Pino Palladino with the John Mayer Trio, performing “Who Did You Think I Was”/”Power of Soul”. On Saturday, we shared that with readers, who voted with their views and put Henrik and company in the top slot for the week.
Our Isolated Bass Week ended on a high (low) note with James Jamerson’s isolated bass on The Four Tops’ “Standing In The Shadows Of Love”.
In gear, our Bass of the Week is the unusual Lane Poor Minima, discovered thanks to a video of Jack Casady playing one with Hot Tuna. New gear included No Treble reader favorites from Fodera, with their new Janek Gwizdala Signature Imperial Model Bass, and Genz Benz’s new second generation Shuttle Bass Amps.
Dr. D’s new lowdown focuses on bass technique, with his new how-to, “Shifting and the Feeling of Lightness” and Thomas “MarloweDK” Risell’s new lesson is great for beginners and veterans alike, focusing on getting to know the fretboard.
Last but not least, Rush released their first video single for their upcoming album, Clockwork Angels, as well as dates for the upcoming tour in support of the album.
Here is the top 10 most read stories and most watched videos on No Treble for the week of April 22-28, 2012. Thanks for reading!
1. Dirty Loops: “Rolling In The Deep” (Adele Cover)
Dirty Loops is back, with a new cover and more acrobatic bass from Henrik Linder. This is the group’s take on Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep”. The instrumental break is fantastic. Here’s our proposed tagline for Dirty Loops: Making top 40 listenable.
2. John Mayer Trio with Pino Palladino, Live at the Crossroads Festival 2010
We’ve featured the John Mayer Trio performing this tune before, but had to share this version, from the 2010 Crossroads Festival. The band plays “Who Did You Think I Was”, ending with Hendrix’s “Power of Soul”. Pino Palladino can do no wrong! Drummer Steve Jordan is really bringing it too. This one has it all,…
3. Bass of the Week: Lane Poor Minima
While looking up videos of Jack Casady on YouTube, I stumbled upon a real head-turner of a bass: the Lane Poor Minima. Poor, who is renowned for his pickups, designed and manufactured the bass in the early ’90s. Besides the obvious headless and stepped-tuner body design, the Minima had a graphite fingerboard with special epoxy…
4. Fodera Announces Janek Gwizdala Signature Imperial Model Bass
Fodera is now offering a Janek Gwizdala Signature Imperial model, based on Gwizdala’s own bass. Hand-built in Fodera’s New York shop, the 5-string bass sports a 33? scale and comes tuned E to C. The instrument has a walnut body with an alder tone block and a stunning non-solid Buckeye Burl top. The 3-piece ash…
5. Stories Behind the Songs: Jerry Jemmott
Chances are, if you’re listening to a Soul hit from back in the day, you’re listening to Jerry Jemmott. In his prolific career spanning over 40 years, the bassist’s work helped shape the Atlantic Records and Muscle Shoals sounds. He has left his stamp on some generation-defining hits alongside musicians such as Aretha Franklin, Herbie…
6. Bass Lesson: Getting to Know the Fretboard
This is a lesson mostly for beginners, but it should serve as a great refresher for the rest of us. Unfamiliarity with the fretboard has a lot of downsides. It’ll slow your playing, because your mind has to figure out where your fingers should go, rather than just instinctively knowing where you need to be….
We’re wrapping up out “Isolated Bass Week” with the master, James Jamerson. Here’s the isolated bass track for the 1966 Four Tops hit, “Standing In The Shadows Of Love”. ’Nuff said.
8. Genz Benz Second Generation Shuttle Bass Amps Now Shipping
Genz Benz has released their newest generation of the Shuttle Series bass amps, including the Shuttle 6.2 and the Shuttle 9.2. Featuring a tube preamp and a Class D power amplifier, the new line builds upon its predecessors with increased tube gain and the addition of the company’s “3 Dimensional Power Management” circuitry (3DPM), which…
9. Bass Technique: Shifting and the Feeling of Lightness
Accurate shifting is extremely important on an upright bass. It may even be the one technique we use the most often. Most other string instruments can play a few two-octave scales without shifting, while we can play a grand total of zero, even if we “pivot.” Despite how often we must execute flawless shift, for…
10. Rush Announces “Clockwork Angels” Tour; Release of First Video Single
Man, this has been a long time coming. Rush’s highly anticpated 20th studio album, Clockwork Angels will be released on June 12th (available for pre-order on CD and vinyl). The trio has just announced their tour dates in support of the new album, with stops in 33 cities in the U.S. and Canada, beginning in…
