Player News - Page 26

We featured Brian Derek as our player spotlight a few weeks ago and held on to this video to feature at a later date. Well, that day has come. Brian says this video is a “6/8 impressionistic chamber jazz for fretless bass, flute, piano and drums. Recorded live 10-2009.” Enjoy:

Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman’s supergroup side project, “Apparatjik,” featuring Magne Furuholmen from A-Ha, producer Martin Terefe and Jonas Bjerre from Mew, will be releasing a new as-yet-untitled album and making their first public appearance on February 1st. The name Apparatjik comes from the Swedish language and is used to describe people who “create bottlenecks in otherwise efficient organizations.” The group...

Jeff Beck has put together a new rhythm section for his upcoming tour dates in Europe and the U.S. Bassist Rhonda Smith and drummer Narada Michael Walden take the spot filled by Tal Wilkenfeld and Vinnie Colaiuta for the last few years for this part of the tour. Smith is best known for her work with Prince, and her funky...

Missouri State University’s Bachelor of Music performance degree now includes a jazz studies program. To help kick off the program in a big way, bass legend Charlie Haden has agreed to join the faculty as the 2010-11 artist-in-residence. “This comprehensive Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance degree will prepare young musicians for careers as professional performers, composers, and arrangers in...

Velvet Revolver and ex-Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan is reportedly writing and recording with the group Jane’s Addiction, according to fan web site Xiola.org. The news following a twitter post from original J.A. bassist Eric Avery, saying “fyi, to answer the question directly, i am not writing with janes addiction.” Jane’s Addiction reunited with the original lineup in late...

According to the Detroit Free Press, the widow of Motown’s master bassist James Jamerson is suing La Bella Strings for using his name and image in its marketing. The suit is seeking at least $25,000. Annie Jamerson, 68, is filing the suit against La Bella, which “touts James Jamerson in the packaging and ads for a set of bass strings.”...

According to an article in British newspaper The Daily Mail, former Fab Four member Paul McCartney was interested in being in the successful supergroup Them Crooked Vultures. The band of course now features bassist John Paul Jones. After the Grammy awards last year, Paul had dinner with drummer Dave Grohl and the conversation turned to Grohl’s new project. “We went...

Rob Wasserman will rejoin former Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir and his band RatDog for an event called the RatDog Daze, which will be taking place in Negril, Jamaica. The event begins January 23. Current RatDog bassist Robin Sylvester cannot make the gig for unspecified medical reasons. The band gave a statement, saying “The entire Bob Weir & RatDog family...

Jack Bruce recounts tales of life on the road, drug addiction, management problems, and family tragedies in the upcoming book, Jack Bruce: Composing Himself. Penned by Henry Shapiro, the book takes a detailed look at the life of one of rock’s most influential bassists, beginning with his study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama as a child...

Bassist Peter Hook of New Order (formerly Joy Division) is opening a new music venue in his hometown of Manchester. The venue, called FAC251: The Factory, features 3 floors and a 350-person capacity, is set to launch on January 29. Interestingly enough, the actual building is where Joy Division’s old label, Factory Records, had its offices. Hook says of the...

Markbass has announced that Reggie Washington has joined their growing list of endorsing bassists. Reggie’s choice of gear is the MoMark amplifier (800W amp frame, S2 preamp, EQ4S EQ module, and M0 master module), a Little Mark Tube 800 amplifier, and two Standard 104HR cabinets. For upright, he has a Markacoustic AC 121 combo. “My first time really checking out...

Walter Payton, bassist for the famous New Orleans based Preservation Hall Jazz Band, suffered a stroke on January 8, just before a gig in Washington D.C. The jazz band was set to perform with the Blind Boys of Alabama that night, when one of the band’s road crew members found Payton in his room. He has since been recovering in...