Bassists - Page 80

This is part one of a new series on underrated bass players. First up is Colin Hodgkinson, best known for the innovative blues, rock and jazz group Back Door. While players like Jaco Pastorius were still in high school, Colin Hodgkinson was playing solos, counter-melody, bass lines and chords with Back Door. In my opinion, Colin ranks up there with...

Quintin Berry is a bassist who sticks out. Instead of holding his bass like most players, Berry created what he calls the “cradle style,” in which his right arm supports the body of the bass while the neck angles down towards the ground. It developed out of applying things he learned from violin lessons, and though it started from messing...

Meet Amy Humphrey, an “accidental” bassist from Missouri who got hooked on the bass 25 years ago and has been playing ever since. We love Amy’s story and her gear list, so it was an easy choice to make Amy our player in the spotlight for the week of October 30, 2012. Bio: Accidental bassist who has been making it...

Meet Matthew Kniffin, an 18 year old bass player who already has 11 years of experience under his belt. Matthew performs as a one-man band he dubbed Soundscape and is mighty confident, in a way we have to appreciate. (It worked for a young Jaco, right?) Matthew is our player in the spotlight for October 23, 2012. Bio: I’m 18...

Stew McKinsey is a bassist with an affinity for extended range instruments. It wasn’t long after getting into the 4-string that he was introduced to a 5-string, then a 6-string, and so on. His current arsenal includes a 10-string Conklin Sidewinder. While that may seem extreme, McKinsey is quick to point out his efforts are to be a musician first....

Meet Gaz Williams, a bass player hailing from Bristol UK who has dubbed himself a “true bass junkie”. Of course, we support that completely. Gaz keeps busy with recording, gigging, producing and working as a tech presenter. He once even did a pantomime gig. Gaz is our player in the spotlight for the week of October 16, 2012. Bio: I...

Bassist B.B. Cunningham has died after a shooting at an apartment complex where he was working as a security guard. He was 70 years old. A versatile musician, Cunningham was the lead singer for ’60s group The Hombres and penned their hit “Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)” before becoming a session player in the Memphis area where...

In a recent interview with the BBC, rock legend Jack Bruce revealed that plans for a Cream reunion in 2013 have been halted due to a rift between guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. The band, which was one of the first rock supergroups, last reunited in 2005 for four sold out shows. “There was supposed to be [a...

Meet Harrison Caruana, a bass player hailing from Hastings in the UK. Like many bassists in our spotlight, Harrison had an awesome parent supporting his love for music – and helping shape it. Harrison is our player in the spotlight for October 9, 2012. Bio: When I was seven my dad taught me the bass line to The Chain, by...

Oteil Burbridge posted an announcement on his Facebook page yesterday that he’s decided to take a break and leaving the Tedeschi Trucks Band tour, currently in progress. It appears that all is well with the band and Oteil, who shared there’s some personal motivation behind the move. “After 25 years of intensive touring, I have come to the very difficult...

Atlanta-based bassist Darren Michaels is helping to expand the role of our instrument. With extended techniques and an open mind, Michaels has been finding new sounds to convey his music in both band and solo contexts, though he dislikes the term “solo bass.” It’s not the technique that drives him, but the connection of music with his listeners that makes...

Victor Wooten has been touring since he was five years old, most notably in his early years as a member of the Wooten Brothers Band. He and his brothers traveled with a variety of opening acts – including Curtis Mayfield in 1969 — and during the seventies and eighties shared the stage with artists like Stephanie Mills, War, Ramsey Lewis,...