Bassists: News, Spotlights, Interviews
Bassists - Page 78
Reader Spotlight: Matthew Hughes
Meet bass player Matthew Hughes, a musician we both understand and appreciate. Matthew suffers from G.A.S. more than most folks (see below) and has a great sense of humor (see below). But it was his story that made it for us – a guy having fun, taking things seriously and not so seriously in a way we found very balanced...
Jason Newsted Issues Update on New Band, New Music
Jason Newsted has checked in with a new update since announcing his “return” late last month. According to a new video from his studio, the former Metallica bassist has formed a new heavy metal band called Newsted. “I’m singing lead vocals and playing bass again,” he shared. “We’re busy working on our second batch of new songs that we’ll be...
Esperanza Spalding Wins Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Award
Photo by Carlos Pericas The awards for Esperanza Spalding keep coming. This time around, the bassist/vocalist/composer has won Smithsonian Magazine’s American Ingenuity Award in the category of performing arts. This is the first year of the awards, which honor “nine groundbreaking individuals in technology, performing and visual arts, natural and physical sciences, education, historical scholarship, social progress and youth achievement.”...
Marcus Miller Checks In Following Tour Bus Crash
Marcus Miller has posted an update on Facebook for the first time since his tour bus crash in Switzerland two weeks ago. His manager Bibi Green had been keeping everyone updated, but the post was the bassist’s own reassurance of his safety. “I’m seriously humbled by the outpouring of love, concern, positive energy and prayers we’ve received since the accident...
Brotherly Love: An Interview with John Clayton
Few names are as ubiquitous in the jazz community as John Clayton. As a prominent bassist, arranger, and composer, Clayton’s incredible musicianship has kept him busy since he was a teen with artists like Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Queen Latifah, DeeDee Bridgwater, and Dr. John, just to name a few. Most recently he collaborated with Paul McCartney for Macca’s Kisses...
Reader Spotlight: Ted Gould, aka Blyss
We first featured bassist Ted “Blyss” Gould back in September, with his all bass cover of the Stylistics tune, “People Make the World Go Round”. It was a hit. Now Ted shares his story in this week’s bassist spotlight. We love how he measures his experience in days, not years (though we’re pretty sure it is out-of-date now. Or will...
Jaco Pastorius: Reader Favorite Videos
As we celebrate the birthday of the world’s greatest bass player today, we look back at six reader favorite videos by Jaco Pastorius. From his incredible solos to his performances with Weather Report and his own Word of Mouth band, there’s never a shortage of bass greatness from the legend. Happy birthday, Jaco. We miss you. (Check out all of...
New School: Mike Dimin
Mike Dimin is a bassist that focuses on stretching what he calls “The Chordal Approach.” Inspired in part by jazz guitarist Joe Pass, Dimin took his knowledge of melody, harmony, and rhythm to start making chord-melody arrangements of songs for bass. He also utilizes a looper to create “lush arrangements of everything from Jazz Standards to R&B and pop classics...
Reader Spotlight: Ankadiov Subran
Meet Ankadiov Subran, a bassist from Indonesia who made it easy to select him as reader spotlight with a single line in his profile: “My dad bought me a bass guitar, I threw my guitar away, and I’ve played the bass ever since.” You can’t beat that. Ankadiov is our player in the spotlight for the week of November 27,...
Nikki Sixx Writing New Material, Launches Sixx Sense Magazine
Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx has been keeping busy, according to a teaser on his Facebook page. After premiering the new song “Sex” earlier this year, the band has been working on more new material. Though he said there were no plans for a new album earlier this summer, it seems we can be expecting something soon. “Obviously there is...
Marcus Miller Injured in Tour Bus Crash
Bass icon Marcus Miller was injured in a crash early Sunday morning in Switzerland after his tour bus tipped over on the A2 highway. The bus driver was killed, while Miller and 11 other passengers were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Police say the cause of the accident is still unclear. Miller’s manager Bibi Green issued an update on...
Chuck Rainey Loses Home to Fire
Chuck Rainey has been dealt another tragedy just 12 months after suffering a stroke, as the 72-year old bassist and family have lost their home to a fire on November 15th. Luckily, the Rainey family is unharmed, but the local fired department described the amount of loss as “quite a lot.” The family has set up a Facebook page to...











