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Archive for August 2014 - Page 3

Thomas Laffont Group: Pop & Slap Blues
Bass Videos

Thomas Laffont Group: Pop & Slap Blues

Bassist Thomas Laffont sent us this video of his new project. He said he recently finished music school, and that this is his first video project as a band leader, bassist, composer and producer. The tune is “Pop & Slap Blues”, and it sounds like Thomas is off to a fantastic start. The audio for the track is available through...

Eastman Releases VB95 Eastman Pro Bass
Basses

Eastman Releases VB95 Eastman Pro Bass

Eastman Guitars debuted a pair of new instruments at Summer NAMM this year including the VB95 Eastman Pro Bass. Designed with the touring player or weekend warrior in mind, the new double bass features a fully carved spruce top with gamba corners, a solid laminate back and ribs, and a solid ebony fingerboard. The bass’s body is finished in an...

Weekly Top 10: Paul Jackson Groove, Slap Bass, New Gear, Mike Kerr Interviewed and More
Weekly Top 10

Weekly Top 10: Paul Jackson Groove, Slap Bass, New Gear, Mike Kerr Interviewed and More

Another great week in the books, and we kick this top 10 list off with one of the deepest pockets around, by the one and only Paul Jackson. We had a great discussion on the value of slap bass, thanks to Damian Erskine’s latest “Ask” column, plus we got a chance to connect with Mike Kerr, of the exciting duo...

Ampeg Now Shipping Revamped BA-112 and BA-115 Bass Combos
Amps

Ampeg Now Shipping Revamped BA-112 and BA-115 Bass Combos

After revamping the BA series earlier this year, Ampeg is now shipping the new BA-112 and BA-115 bass combo amps. The models carry all the new features including the foot-switchable Bass Scrambler overdrive circuit, a 3-band EQ, and a true sixty degree monitoring angle so they can be set up as a wedge. The Bass Scrambler is one of the...

Soulive: “Butter Biscuit” with Oteil Burbridge
Bass Videos

Soulive: “Butter Biscuit” with Oteil Burbridge

In celebration of Oteil Burbridge’s birthday today, here’s a video that shows off his amazing groove and soloing skills. The video was filmed in March, 2010 in Brooklyn. The group described the event this way: “Eric Krasno, Alan Evans and Neal Evans called on a multitude of their closest friends and musical conspirators to join them over the next fortnight...

Esperanza Spalding Announces “Thank You October” Tour Dates
Concerts & Tours

Esperanza Spalding Announces “Thank You October” Tour Dates

Esperanza Spalding will be celebrating her birth month with a string of tour dates. The “Thank You October” tour will be a two-week outing focusing on the East Coast with a single Canadian show in Toronto. Spalding, who turns 30 this year, will get the party started at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, Connecticut before covering New England and heading...

Tanglewood Introduces Updated TW155-A Acoustic Bass Guitar
Basses

Tanglewood Introduces Updated TW155-A Acoustic Bass Guitar

Tanglewood Guitars has revamped their Premier series of acoustic instruments including the TW155-A bass. The lineup’s third generation is defined by solid AA Sitka spruce tops, mahogany back and sides, and a natural satin finish. The TW155-A acoustic bass guitar has a rosewood fingerboard and matching bridge. Its body is also bound in rosewood and maple. Tanglewood fits the bass...

Jesús Rico Pérez: The Enormous Room
Bass Videos

Jesús Rico Pérez: The Enormous Room

Bassist Jesús Rico Pérez is back with another superb Michael Manring cover. This time he takes on “The Enormous Room”, which appeared on Manring’s Thonk. The last time we featured one of Jesús’ Manring covers, we reached out to Michael to get his take. He was impressed. I bet he would be with this one as well.

Rhythm and Swing: Rodney Whitaker Releases “When We Find Ourselves Alone”
New Albums

Rhythm and Swing: Rodney Whitaker Releases “When We Find Ourselves Alone”

It’s all about the rhythm for Rodney Whitaker, the double bassist and head of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University who has released his eighth album, . The record features five originals and six arrangements of others’ work. But in the latter case, even standards become new when a different kind of rhythm is employed, Whitaker says in a short...

Bass Players to Know: Richard Davis
Bass Players To Know

Bass Players to Know: Richard Davis

As a college student, I spent many an afternoon roaming the streets of New York City, finding new routes to take me from my hole-in-the-wall apartment to the halls of academia, and creating new musical playlists along the way. I developed a healthy obsession to certain songwriters… Van Morrison, Janis Ian, Paul Simon, and even dabbled in some West Village...

Cory Henry and Michael League: “Yesterday” and “Looking Out For Me”
Bass Videos

Cory Henry and Michael League: “Yesterday” and “Looking Out For Me”

Soul is pouring over in this video of Snarky Puppy members Cory Henry and Michael League playing a workshop at the Escola de Música Luciano Alf in Rio De Janeiro. The duo doesn’t need a drummer to get a fat groove going on the classic Beatles song “Yesterday,” which they later morph into Kirk Franklin’s “Looking Out for Me.”

Billy Sheehan Appears on “Guitars for Wounded Warriors”
New Albums

Billy Sheehan Appears on “Guitars for Wounded Warriors”

Emmy-award winning composer and guitarist Brian Tarquin has gathered some “Heavy Friends” to create the album, , featuring instrumental music inspired by America’s soldiers. For the record, Tarquin, owner of Jungle Room Studios, called upon a host of metal guitarists, including bass player Billy Sheehan. Sheehan’s work is featured on the album’s opening track, “Black Hawk.” “I had a blast...