Archive for May 2009

Maximo Pera Renauld, Argentinian bassist and multi-instrumentalist, has released five CDs under his own name, and judging from what can be found on his YouTube channel, they are probably worth investing in! He only has 11 videos on his channel so be sure to check them all out. This video features his song “Bajeros” (Bass Players) from his 2000-release Eclectico:...

Our MySpace friend and bassist Jackie Clark is showing his bass and mixing skills once again, in Indaba Music’s latest remix contest for The “Shifty” Soundtrack. As Jackie explains: “What you’re hearing is my attempt to play all the parts with Logic 8 (piano, acoustic guitar and percussion) along with my favorite orchestra sample software (Vienna Symphonic Library) and my...

Jaco Pastorius, the “World’s Greatest Bass Player,” is being honored by another grass-roots effort to continue the preservation of his memory, influence and music, in the form of a Jaco Pastorius commemorative stamp. The online petition can be found here for showing your support and approval. Be sure to check out the grass-roots Oakland Park MySpace page. Other great jazz...

In celebration of their newest album, Uplifter, 311 will tour once again. The tour dates are as follows: 6/3: Majestic Fox Theatre, Bakersfield, CA 6/4: Jimmy Kimmel Live, Hollywood, CA 6/5: Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA 6/6: Live 105 BFD Radio Festival, San Francisco, CA 6/7: Cuthbert Amphitheater, Eugene, OR 6/8: WaMu Theatre, Seattle, WA 6/11: Usana Amphitheatre, Salt...

During the 2007 Yachats Guitar Festival, Michael Manring and Tony Kaltenberg performed together, really creating some magic with “Stargazer Lilly”. You can catch Manring’s use of the e-bow up close in this video, as well as his incredible loop work.

Incubus is releasing Monuments and Memories, a collection of the band’s hits, unreleased recordings and new tunes. This album also includes access to 500+ unreleased videos, MP3s and photos. This collection goes on sale June 16th, and is the most recent activity from the band since their album, Light Grenades. The track lists are as follows: Disc: 1 1. Black...

The Trey Wright Trio has produced a killer jazz album with their new CD Thinking out Loud. The album released on Blue Canoe Records. The trio includes Trey Wright on guitar, Marc Miller on the upright bass (Mace Hibbard Quintet, Jacksonville State faculty member), and Marlon Patton on drums (Heavy Mojo, Grogus). The album features eight original compositions as well...

George Oerlemans (aka Funkstar650), from Holland, used to have a lot of playalongs on YouTube but took them down after the controversy of MarloweDK’s account being suspended. In February, George had a visit from the great Louis Johnson, became a teacher of “Louis Johnson’s Black Dragon Bass Institute” and received Louis’ personal blessing to do playalongs. This is the result:...

Dream Theater will release their latest work of art on June 23rd, 2009. The album will once again feature the expertise of drummer Mike Portnoy, guitarist John Patrucci, keyboard player Jordan Rudess, vocalist James LaBrie, and, let’s not forget, bassist John Myung. This album marks their 10th studio album, and it is available for pre-order. Stay tuned for my review!

Wow. Check out Ray Brown, John Clayton, and Christian McBride with the WDR Big Band!

Jazz bassist Rufus Reid is joining the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music faculty’s Jazztet and the university’s 18-piece student Jazz Ensemble this weekend for a night of standards and original works. The performance takes place this Sunday, May 31 at 7 p.m. in the Corbett Auditorium, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. “Rufus Reid has been a guiding force in jazz...

The Gary Burton Quartet has announced tour dates in support of their just-released album, Quartet Live. The quartet consists of leader/vibraphonist Gary Burton, bassist Steve Swallow, guitarist Pat Metheny, and drummer Antonio Sanchez. Tour Schedule: June 19th at the Calvin Theatre in Northhampton, MA (413-586-8686) June 20th at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, MA (617-747-2261) June 21st at the...