Archive for October 2015 - Page 8

Q: As a “hobby” bassist who doesn’t really want to study as much music as a professional might, is it most important to learn arpeggios or scales? I am not a chord player nor do I want to be as far as I know. (I have difficulty chording due to neuro-muscular problems in my hands. If I could do that,...

Legendary saxophonist Phil Woods passed away on September 29th, 2015, prompting Rick Suchow to go through his vast video library and share this gem, which was recorded in 1990. Anthony Jackson “shows his Latin Jazz side on the tune ‘Wamba’ (written by Salif Keita),” Rick shared. What an all-star cast on this video too: Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet and percussion), Woods...

Rockn Stompn has announced an updated version of their RS-4 sequential power strip that features three new modes of operation. The pedal utilizes a footswitch to send power to four sets of outlets in delayed timing in order to power your gear up in the correct order. The updated version now includes an Instant On Mode, Receptacle One Always On...

Jérôme Burnet has a great story, as you’ll see in this week’s Spotlight. Among the things we loved about his story includes his sense of humor, the unique bands he’s been a part of, and that he’s a magician too. Here’s his story… Bio: I’m a French guy living in London since 2001. I have been playing guitar since 1996...

Red Witch Effects has unveiled their second bass-specific pedal called Zeus. The pedal features independent analog fuzz and suboctave effects with separate wet/dry mix controls for each. The silicon fuzz comprises key features of the company’s Fuzz God II and has Fuzz and Sputter controls. Sputter acts as a gate on the circuit’s second transistor to give a “staccato-y” sound....

I discovered this video of Rob Mullarkey thanks to Steve Lawson, who called it “properly beautiful.” Rob took “Just My Imagination” – his all time favorite Temptations track – and improvised over it using only his “Lakland 44-51 and an old Boss RC2 looper pedal.” Properly beautiful indeed.

A trove of David Bowie material from the early years of his long, legendary rock career has been assembled in a 12-CD box set, called Five Years (1969-1973). The set includes all of Bowie’s recordings from the era, including those previously unreleased on CD or otherwise digitally, as well as remastered versions. Bassists who contributed to Bowie’s sound in those...

Roger Sadowsky and his crew have been making some of the world’s best basses for decades, and bass #7210 is another fine example. The instrument is one of the company’s 21-fret standard style five-stringers with some gorgeous styling. “It’s what we classify as Standard Style, which means no pickguard or control plate,” Sadowsky Shop Manager Lisa Hahn tells us. That...

I received the following question this week from a concerned double bassist: “How can I keep from having memory slips on stage?” Even experienced performers may have the occasional memory faux pas on stage. However, there are some things we can do to minimize the risk. Be prepared early. The earlier you can play something from memory in the practice...

It has been a long time since we featured a video with bassist Dave Marks. Time to correct that. Dave just sent me a video with a newer project, Harmless Funk – a jazz/funk quintet he’s been playing with this year. Here they are doing one of the all-time great funk instrumental tunes – the Meters’ “Cissy Strut”.

It’s been five years since the last Widespread Panic album. The jam band has returned with Street Dogs, which was recorded live in the studio — a first for the group. The band’s sound, as always, is eclectic, with founding member Dave Schools playing the “lead bass” he’s known for. Street Dogs, the band’s 12th studio album, combines originals and...

This week’s top 10 covers the spectrum: our latest Groove episode with Victor Wooten, news of the Jaco film release, Damian’s latest column on finding your voice, plus the top videos and gear news, bass of the week and more. On a sad note, we shared the passing of Wilton Felder this week. Here are the most read stories and...