Archive for September 2009 - Page 3
Ida Funkhouser: Poppy fx solo
Everyone loves funk, and bassist Ida Funkhouser aka Ida Kristine Nielsen brings it home with her slap bass style and cool vocals. Check out this killer solo by Funkhouser: Funkhouser currently plays in Zap Mama and is working on her own music which is “a mix of old school funk, hiphop and ear catching soul. With a lot of Bass...
The Xcerts’ Jordan Smith fractures his wrist as tour begins
A fractured wrist is a nightmare scenario for any bassist. But when it happens right as a tour kicks off with your musical heroes, it is even worse. Bassist Jordan Smith
Chas and Dave Split
Well known London legends Chas and Dave are going their separate ways. The decision was made by bassist Dave Peacock, due to the tragic death of his wife Sue after battling lung cancer. She passed away this July. The duo had topped the charts in the eighties with hits like “Rabbit,” “Ain’t No Pleasing You” and “Snooker Loopy” and have...
Ask Damian Erskine: Learning new styles
Q: How did you go about learning the different styles that you get called to play? (salsa, etc.) This fits in to the whole notion of “diversification” you were discussing. A: The short answer is by accepting every gig I could, getting the book (charts) and/or CD and shedding like mad so as not to embarrass myself! I also realized...
Jaco Pastorius: The Complete Shadows & Light Solo
For years, Jaco Pastorius‘s “Slang” solo on Joni Mitchell’s Shadows & Light DVD has been a wildly popular clip. Turns out, we’ve only heard part of it. Obviously, someone in the editing room decided to cut Jaco’s solo down for the DVD. Thankfully, we can now hear the complete solo, including parts of “Chromatic Fantasy”. The solo was recorded live...
Eddie Gómez announces 10-day tour in Mexico
Legendary bassist Eddie Gómez will be going on a brief 10-day tour in Mexico from November 25th through December 5th. Gómez will be touring with his trio including Stefan Karlsson on piano and Rodrigo Villanueva on drums. Eddie’s impressive resumé includes performances with jazz giants such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Benny Goodman, Buck Clayton, Marian...
Joe Martin: Not By Chance
New York City jazz bassist Joe Martin has released his second CD, Not By Chance, on Anzic records. Not By Chance features eight original compositions by Martin, and a Jaco Pastorius tribute, and includes Brad Mehldau on piano, saxophonist Chris Potter (also on bass clarinet) and Marcus Gilmore on drums. “Three of my favorite musicians. They not only possess powerful...
Reader Spotlight: Phil Wain
Meet bassist Phil Wain, our player in the spotlight for September 22nd, 2009. Bio: A fretless specialist who loves his Wal bass, Phil sees music as a spiritual exercise and strives for those moments when the music plays him. He can be seen in a variety of settings on the London gig scene. His heart is in jazz but he...
Esperanza Spalding performing Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed”
Bassist Esperanza Spalding performed at the White House for the Obama family in early 2009, celebrating the music of Stevie Wonder. This video clip includes her performance of “Overjoyed”. Spalding is currently on tour and will continue to be through December of 2009. A complete tour list is available from her web site.
“All You Need To Know About the Music Business” turns 7
Music lawyer Donald S. Passman has updated his “industry Bible” with an upcoming seventh edition of All You Need To Know About the Music Business, to be released November 17th 2009. If you’re a musician and are not familiar with this book it should be on your list. Passman gives extremely relevant and organized advice on how to navigate in...
Rufus Reid joins Roni Ben-Hur on “Fortuna”
Bassist Rufus Reid will be playing on guitarist Roni Ben-Hur’s upcoming release, Fortuna. Reid commented that “It is always a pleasure to make music with Roni Ben-Hur, anytime, anywhere!” Fortuna will be released on October 13th 2009, and is available for pre-order. You can check out some of Reid’s playing with this video of him performing “Come out and Play”:...
Lesson: By the Numbers
There are 2 elements that are helpful to gain fluency in all keys, making transposition much easier. The first is, learn fingerings avoiding open strings as much as possible, so that interval and visual mapping is consistent. The other is to learn to think by the numbers; think of each pitch not as its letter name, but as its numerical...