Archive for 2010 - Page 70

When Amptweaker introduced the guitar version of the TightDrive overdrive pedal at January NAMM 2010, a lot of bassists asked if it would work for them too. Bassist Greg Weeks (The Red Chord) gave the guitar version a test drive, and after a few tweaks to the range of the Tone and Tight controls, the Bass TightDrive was born. “The...

Candid Records is celebrating their 50th anniversary and offering some new and updated releases as part of the celebration. One of those albums is Charles Mingus And The Newport Rebels, recorded in studio on November 11, 1960. But the real story is how this recording came to be. From the liner notes: “The (now) famous Newport Jazz Festival was inaugurated...

IK Multimedia has announced the release of their newest and most portable product yet: The Amplitube iRig system for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad. The system, which simulates amps and effects for both guitar and bass, consists of an instrument interface that connects your bass to your mobile device and the Amplitube for iPhone software. Then you simply plug the output of the...

Kevin Johnson sent me this video of bassists Larry Graham and Stanley Clarke sharing the stage at Live Under the Sky in 1985. They’re jamming to Sly & The Family Stone’s “Higher”, playing bass, singing and get the crowd really into it.

Michael Manson, a Grammy nominated R&B bassist who regularly tours with George Duke, has recently opened the Musical Arts Institute in Chicago, Illinois. The Institute, which is a “non-profit, community-minded organization,” is a center dedicated to music instruction and performance. The school has several music programs fit for both children and adults from all walks of life. Besides bass, private...

Primus has announced they will be headlining a tour this summer for the first time in almost four years. The band, anchored by Les Claypool’s unique style, will be starting in Toronto in July and finishing up in Tempe, Arizona, with fall dates to be announced soon. The gypsy punks in Gogol Bordello will be supporting the trio for most...

In a performance from the North Sea Jazz Festival back in 1992, when the festival was in The Hague, Holland, here’s the Yellowjackets with Jimmy Haslip performing the lovely “Claire’s Song”:

Asia, the supergroup formed in 1981 by members of Yes, King Crimson, Emerson Lake and Palmer and Uriah Heep, has released their latest album, Omega. The four original Asia members, vocalist/bassist John Wetton, keyboardist Geoffrey Downes, guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Carl Palmer, reunited for the first time in 23 years in 2006, resulting in successful world tours, the live...

Stanley Clarke has announced that he will release a new album under the title The Stanley Clarke Band on June 15, 2010. This will be the jazz legend’s 28th solo record. Joining Clarke on the album will be Japanese pianist Hiromi Uehara, keyboardist Ruslan Sirota, and drummer Ronald Bruner, Jr. Hiromi also appeared on Clarke’s last release, Jazz in the...

Q: What scales are best to know for improvising and how can I go about trying to memorize them? A: Although it is important to learn your major and minor scales as well as all of the others (melodic minor, harmonic minor, blues scale, etc.), I’ve found that scales don’t really help me at all. I also find that guys...

Here’s an excerpt from Mel Brown’s original tune “Mr. Coltrane” which is based around the chord changes of John Coltrane’s legendary song “Giant Steps”. Watch for the very melodic slap bass solo.

R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills will be among those playing a memorial concert to pay tribute to Alex Chilton, who passed away earlier this year. Mills cites Chilton, who sang for the influential 70’s band The Box Tops and Big Star, as a main influence. Chilton died of a heart attack, just before he was heading to Austin, Texas for the...