Archive for 2015 - Page 14

There’s not a whole lot of live footage of the late, great James Jamerson, but the bits that we have are fantastic. Here’s a clip of the master bassist laying it down for Martha Reeves on a 1974 episode of “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.”

Bass superstar Stanley Clarke is exploring his acoustic side on D-STRINGZ, his acoustic collaboration with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and guitarist Biréli Lagrène. What’s notable is that all three are most well known for their work in electric jazz. The trio first played together at a 2012 Paris concert celebrating Ponty’s 50-year career. D-STRINGZ features the trio’s takes on classics like...

For many bassists, the chromatic scale is an underused resource in their practice toolkit. Properly approached, practicing chromatic scales can vastly improve our shifting, intonation and mental map of the fingerboard. Below are a few beginner exercises using the chromatic scale that I find to be useful for those just becoming more familiar with it. Single string 1 8va chromatic...

Made in the USA, the Wilkins Road Tested Roasted Cayenne WRTJ5 Bass is an instrument that the builder says will make you feel right at home. Luthier Pat Wilkins, who has been in the industry since 1976, writes that the WRTJ was developed from years of extensive research on one of the most widely used basses in the world. This...

I discovered this video (and band) thanks to Project RnL’s Eyal Amir. Here’s what he said: “Beautiful music, combined with originality & groove. This is so great!” Bushrock includes Kenwood Dennard on drums, Delmar Brown on keys and vocals, and Yossi Fine on bass. This is such a terrific tune and performance, and wait until you hear Yossi’s solo (around...

Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle) has released, Money Shot, his third full-length album with his heavy band Puscifer. The record features bass from Matt McJunkins (A Perfect Circle, Eagles of Death Metal tour) and multi-instrumentalist Mat Mitchell, according to blabbermouth.net. The album’s first single “Grand Canyon,” is about depth in more ways than one. “It’s a perfect metaphor...

Happy Sunday. Time to run down the best of the best from the world of bass – according to No Treble readers. Thanks as always for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Mike Frost: Donna Lee (A Tribute to Jaco) Mike Frost said that he was reflecting “on that moment when [he] placed [Jaco’s debut] on the turntable and heard...

Keeley Electronics has introduced the Seafoam Plus, a stompbox that packs a chorus, double tracker, and reverb into one pedal. It uses the company’s new DSP platform and can be internally switched to be tailored for bass or guitar. “We have expanded on the success of our Automatic Double Tracking and Chorus by combining the sounds on our new DSP...

Berklee bass professor Anthony Vitti has a cool YouTube series called “Forgotten Grooveyard,” where he sits down with faculty, students and visiting artists at the school to kick out the jams. “The idea behind the ‘Forgotten Groove Yard’ was to record some lesser known classic grooves,” Vitti writes. “As a bass player, I approach everything from a rhythm section perspective....

Some of The Beatles’ most significant number one hits both sound and look better than ever in a remastered edition of the 1 collection on one CD and two DVD/Blu-Ray discs. The limited edition set, called 1+, not only features remastered music, but also painstakingly restored videos for each of the album’s 27 songs, as well as for 23 other...

Stash Stainless has expanded their innovative bass offerings with two new instruments: the Model E and the Model P. Similar to the original design, the new models are made almost entirely of stainless steel with a tubular acoustic neck and custom made split coil Alnico 5 pickups. “The new shapes are slight improvements on the original model’s balance and it...

Drummer Marito Marques runs a series of videos called “Drum & Bass Sessions”, where invites different area bassists to perform with him in his studio. Bassist Rich Brown sat in on Marito’s fourth video of the series. He shared this video with us so we can share it with you.