Top 10: The Felix Pastorius Interview, More Bass Gear from NAMM, Plus the Top Bass Videos and More

1. The New Bass Buzz: an Exclusive Interview with Felix Pastorius

Late last month we broke the news that Felix Pastorius would be joining the Yellowjackets, to fill the shoes of cofounder Jimmy Haslip while he takes a hiatus. This came as a shock to many fans as the switch would end the veteran bassist’s 30-year tenure with the group. The last name is no coincidence:…

2. Markbass Introduces Four New Pedals at NAMM 2012

Markbass unveiled four new pedals for 2012 at NAMM this year, including the MB7 Booster, MB7 Distorsore, the MB Mini Boost and the MB Mini Dist. All of the new products are made in Italy and feature true bypass. Markbass MB7 Booster The MB7 Booster offers up to +20 dB in addition to a 7-band…

3. Essential Items for the Gigging Bassist: A Gig Survival Checklist

No matter how prepared someone usually is, most gigging bassists will find themselves at a gig, searching through their bag of “stuff” and saying: “hey, where’d my _____ go?” It happens to everyone at least once. If this has happened to you, you’ve probably experienced one of three outcomes: You get extremely lucky since you…

4. Bass of the Week: DeMars Guitars Long Trail Bass

DeMars Guitars’ Long Trail bass is no doubt an instrument for proud players of the low end. Inspired by Vermont’s hiking trail of the same name, the Long Trail is a a chambered solid-body instrument sporting the company’s patented bass clef soundhole, which the company calls “a stunning visual signature for forward-thinking bassists.” We call…

5. Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (January 2012)

Out of 31 featured videos in January, every single one of the top 10 most viewed videos featured a solo bassist. We were blown away by all of them. Guess that feeling is mutual. 1. Ojay: Street Performance Awesomeness Check this awesome video of Ojay, a bassist from Newcastle in the UK. Armed with a…

6. ESP Announces Three New LTD Signature Models at NAMM

In addition to the new Frank Bello basses announced earlier, ESP has unveiled three more signature models for Whitechapel’s Gabe Crisp, Suicide Silence’s Danny Kenny, and Pancho Tomaseli of War and PHILM. Each of the new models are under the company’s LTD banner. Gabe Crisp’s GC-4 signature bass is a customized Viper with neck-through construction,…

7. Michel Petrucciani, Featuring Anthony Jackson: Take the A Train

It seems like my Facebook friends always post cool videos of the Ellington tune Take The A Train. This time Kozue Kuriyama shared an awesome clip of pianist Michel Petrucciani’s arrangement, which gets its healthy low-end from 6-string bass legend Anthony Jackson. Jackson gives it his all during his solo, which starts at the 3:30…

8. Rocket Juice and the Moon: Flea, Tony Allen and Damon Albarn to Release Debut Album

Flea and Gorillaz/Blur vocalist Damon Albarn first teamed up in 2008, along with Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen, to form the group Rocket Juice and the Moon. The busy musicians had a tough time making recording sessions happen over the years, but have just announced their debut album will be released on March 12th, 2012…

9. Ernie Ball Introduces Cobalt Slinky Bass Strings

Ernie Ball has expanded their Slinky string line with the introduction of the all-new Cobalt Slinkys. As the name indicates, the new sets use cobalt, which has a high magnetism to provide a stronger relationship between an instrument’s strings and pickups. Ernie Ball says the design adds extended dynamic range, better harmonic response, increased low…

10. Weather Report: Elegant People, Live (1976)

Recorded live on July 8, 1976 at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland, and shortly after bassist Jaco Pastorius joined the group, here’s Weather Report performing “Elegant People”. The tune, written by Wayne Shorter, appeared on Black Market and was recorded with bassist Alphonso Johnson. The line up also includes Weather Report co-founder Joe Zawinul on…