Archive for December 2009 - Page 8

The bass community will be well represented in the 2010 Grammy category of “Best Jazz Instrumental Album.” Among the nominees are the John Patitucci Trio, for his newest album Remembrance, and the Clayton Brothers (featuring the legendary John Clayton) for their Brother to Brother album. Also in the running is Live by the Five Peace Band, led by Chick Corea...

There comes a time in every player’s life where you have to make the next big step in your practice methods: you must do some transcriptions. Suppress your groans, it is not as bad as you think, and it is an immensely useful practice tool. There’s a reason why every player, teacher and book about serious jazz practice recommends it....

I recently discovered some amazing footage of bassist Scott LaFaro worth sharing. The first video is the Richie Kamuca Quintet recorded in 1958 at KABC studios in Los Angeles. The program was “Stars of Jazz”, which ran from 1956 until 1958. The band includes leader Richie Kamuca on tenor saxophone, Frank Rosolino on trombone, LaFaro on bass, Victor Feldman on...

Normally most musicians hope to be able to play to thousands of people at some point in their lives, but bassist Todd Evans is excited to get back to his roots, even if he’s basically starting his career over. Evans states that he couldn’t be happier with his new group, “Mobile Deathtrap,” even while leaving the success of his former...

Esperanza Spalding will be joining legendary jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, along with Ravi Coltrane and Francisco Mela for a run of six nights, including New Years Eve, at Yoshi’s in Oakland. Tyner rose to fame as a member of John Coltrane’s quartet and has been a staple of the jazz community ever since. Spalding, who is the youngest professor ever...

Q: What advice can you give to a middle-aged dad with a wife and two young kids and a non-music-related day job who plays music as a hobby but always dreamed about being a jazz musician when he grew up and wants to figure out how to transition to a music career while continuing to support his family and continue...

I discovered Juan Nelson thanks to Ben Harper, and have been a fan ever since. I only hope Ben comes back to the Innocent Criminals one day. Here’s Juan doing his thing, playing bass and singing, live with Ben Harper:

Bassist Les Claypool has developed his own personal brand of wine, The Purple Pachyderm, at the at the Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastopol, California. Claypool calls it “…big, bold and well-balanced with a magnificent nose!” Claypool originally made his own wine for his personal stock, but has now grown into a small business venture. “We’ve been living in Sebastopol for 15...

Christian McBride recently sat down with the folks at AllAboutJazz.com and spoke on a huge number of topics, and all in one interview. He speaks everything from his ideas of composition, putting together a CD, and even how he feels about playing with a bow. While an amazing player, McBride says he wishes he had more composing abilities, and that...

Meet Larry Lee, our player in the spotlight for December 1st, 2009. Bio: I grew up in Dayton, Ohio and in sixth grade I started doing two things (1) play football (2) play bass guitar. I am 50 now and those two things have carried me all of my life. After High School I went to UCLA played ball and...

Our Facebook friend Daniele Tomassetti posted this to our page, showcasing his fretless solo work. We’re glad he did.

Funk legend Bootsy Collins celebrated Thanksgiving this year by giving back to his community of Walnut Hills in Cincinnati, Ohio. He spent Wednesday afternoon at a local Kroger supermarket signing autographs and hosting a free raffle for gift baskets of food and turkeys. “We wanted to give back to the community in which I grew up in,” Bootsy explained. “I...