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Archive for November 2009

New Albums

Steve Vai: Where the Wild Things Are, with Bryan Beller

Steve Vai’s latest release, Where the Wild Things Are, is a live performance recorded and filmed at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. The concert was part of Vai’s Sound Theories world tour and is available on CD, DVD and now Blu-ray. Bassist Bryan Beller joins Vai on this performance, along with violinists Alex DePue and Ann Marie Calhoun, drummer...

Bass Lessons

Dynamics and accents: Walking

Yes, accents are good. Dynamics are good. Good pitch, dynamics, note choice and use of register are the icing on the musical cake; they separate the artist from the journeyman. Today we’re going to look at accents in walking bass. Accents are the bones of propulsion. How do we use them to best effect? What beats should be accented? We...

Zawinul Syndicate with Richard Bona: Carnavalito
Bass Videos

Zawinul Syndicate with Richard Bona: Carnavalito

The Zawinul Syndicate’s performance at the North Sea Jazz festival in 1997 included Richard Bona on bass, and all of the videos I’ve seen from that performance have been stellar. This live performance of “Carnavalito”, originally recorded on the album, features Zawinul’s Weather Report bandmate Manolo Badrena on percussion and vocals, with newcomers Paco Sery on drums and Gary Poulson...

Weekly Top 10

Rewind: Our most popular features of the week

In case you missed them, here are our most popular features from last week. Columns and Features Jon Burr shares his latest lesson, on Accents, Dynamics and Balance Evan Kepner‘s lesson focuses on Pattern Recognition in Jazz Standards Damian Erskine‘s latest column is on Learning How to Fish. Our player spotlight is on Dylan Sundstrom New releases & Gear Them...

New Albums

Phil Brown’s Jazztet releases “Bright Side”

Bassist Phil Brown has recently released his new album with the New Art Jazztet. The new album, Bright Side features ten songs, with six composed by Brown and four by the other members of the group. Pianist and composer Jean-Michel Pilc spoke on Brown’s compositions and playing, saying “Phil’s music is as much fun to listen to as it is...

Bass Videos

Charles Mingus: Flowers For A Lady

I’ve been on a Charles Mingus kick lately, watching a ton of great videos like this one. This performance of “Flowers for a Lady” was filmed on July 28, 1974 at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Todi, Italy. Mingus is joined by Dannie Richmond on drums, Don Pullen on piano, George Adams on tenor sax and Hamiet Bluiett on baritone...

Bass Gear

Gear Watch: Eleph speaker cables

Solid Cables has introduced Eleph speaker cables, a new line that uses ultra pure copper conductors of different diameters to deliver the full frequency spectrum of sound an amp can generate. “We are the world’s first to make the innovation of using not only an ultra pure copper 10 gauge conductor, but one made up of different diameter strands to...

New Albums

Ringo and Paul back together for “Y Not”

Ringo Starr recently recorded his latest album, Y Not, and was joined in the studio by his old friend, bassist Paul McCartney. “I played him this other track and Paul said, ‘Give me the headphones. Give me a pair of cans.’ And he went to the mike and he just invented that part where he follows on my vocal. That...

Bass Videos

Avishai Cohen Trio: Eleven Wives

Here’s bassist Avishai Cohen and his trio, including pianist Shai Maestro and drummer Mark Guiliana, performing an original composition “Eleven Wives”. The tune appears on the trio’s Gently Disturbed album.

Player News

Player Watch: Missy Raines pushes bluegrass forward

Multi-award winning upright bassist Missy Raines recently spoke about her love for bluegrass, and recent work with her group “New Hip”. Raines is originally from West Virginia and that her love for bluegrass grew from her parents passion for live music. “My parents didn’t really play music, but they enjoyed listening to music and made it their entertainment to go...

Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir with Will Lee: Letterman Rehearsal
Bass Videos

Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir with Will Lee: Letterman Rehearsal

Bassist Will Lee and the rest of the “World’s Most Dangerous Band” back the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir in this 1989 rehearsal for their Late Night with David Letterman appearance.

New Albums

Coldplay bassist working on new album

Even through rumors of Coldplay going on hiatus, bassist Guy Berryman hasn’t been slowing down for anyone. He has since founded and started work with the group “Apparatjik” and have been working constantly on new music. They have recently released the first track of their new CD to roughly 30 fans through email, and that track has been spreading throughout...