Archive for November 2015

This week we’re checking out a sleek black custom bass called the Gotham by Spain’s Ramos Guitars. The seven-string brute is built with a mongoy body and fretless ebony fingerboard for a dark theme and an air of mystery. Featuring neck-through construction, its three-piece maple neck is reinforced with graphite for added strength. Ramos fitted the bass with a Delano...

Most people realize that there are special considerations when flying with your upright bass. These considerations are significantly expanded if your musical journey requires a series of planes, trains, and automobiles, before you arrive back at your home door. With this in mind, I’d like to address three subjects in this series about Multi-Stop Travel: Physical Preparation, Personal Packing (luggage)...

Jesús Rico Pérez is one of our favorite solo bassists around here. So it is always thrilling to see a new video from him. In this video, Jesus performs his composition, “Peace Prayer,” for piccolo fretless bass. Enjoy.

2015 marks Fourplay’s 25th anniversary, so it’s only fitting that its latest album is called Silver, in recognition of the milestone. Superstar bassist Nathan East is one of the jazz group’s four members, and he enthused about the album in an interview posted on The Huffington Post: “I love this album! We tapped into the real spirit of the quartet...

Another week in the books, which means it is time to celebrate the top 10 on No Treble this week. Here are the reader favorites for the week of November 21-27, 2015. Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing! 1. Bass Lesson: The Tritone Substitution Matrix When learning to play your bass, an overkill of theory can often paralyze your...

Blackstar Amps has unveiled the Tone:Link, a Bluetooth audio receiver that allows any amp or device with a line-in jack to use Bluetooth for streaming. It works with bass amps, guitar amps, PAs, home stereos, headphones and car speakers. “By plugging into the line-in jack of any guitar amp, Tone:Link offers music playback with up to a 65 foot wireless...

The Winery Dogs are enjoying great success with their second album, Hot Streak. Here’s the supergroup of Billy Sheehan, Richie Kotzen and Mike Portnoy performing two from their songs from their debut album – “Elevate” and “The Other Side” – live at Sonisphere 2014 at Knebworth Park in England on July 5th, 2014. This has to be the definition of...

Two dates on Rush’s R40 concert tour have been captured as the concert film and live record R40 Live. The set, compiled from sold-out June 17 and 19 shows at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, shows the Canadian trio, featuring bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee, working backwards through its extensive catalog, from its most recent recordings to its earliest ones. The band’s dedication...

It’s the year 2015. Hours are spent each day scrolling though videos on Facebook, clicking links to YouTube, or listening to preset Pandora, Spotify, and Amazon stations. We experience music on television commercials or reality TV shows, with hashtags and at symbols telling us where to go if we happen to like the song that is fed to us. It...

Adam Ben Ezra released his debut album yesterday, and marked the occasion with a live show as part of the Tel Aviv Jazz Festival. The bassist performed music from the new album with his trio, and had a special guest join him as well. “I am excited to announce a very special and remarkable guest… the International amazing singer/songwriter Yasmin...

Intronaut’s latest album, The Direction of Last Things, is the band at its “most technical, brutal, catchy, and straight up fearless,” says frontman Sacha Dunable. The progressive metal band’s bassist, Joe Lester, is equally at home with metal and jazz. The band’s influences are as wide-ranging as its sound. Check out “Digital Gerrymandering” (below). The Direction of Last Things is...

Our friend Jayme Lewis shared this video on Facebook, with just two words: “So sick.” The bassist is Craig Akin. The tune is “The Streetbeater” by Quincy Jones – but you may know it better as the theme to Sanford and Son. So sick is right. The only thing better would be if it could be a little longer.