Archive for 2015 - Page 15

ZZ Top guitarist/vocalist Billy Gibbons has released his first solo album, Perfectamundo, as Billy Gibbons and The BFG’s. Gibbons co-produced the record of Afro-Cuban tinged blues rock with Joe Hardy (who also contributes some bass). Houston, Texas vocalist/bassist Alex Garza also appears on the record inspired by an invitation to play the 2014 Havana Jazz Festival that Gibbons was unable...

There’s nothing like setting foot in a new city. You open the door to an unchartered group of restaurants, find yourself meeting tons of new people, and most importantly, get the opportunity to discover a new music scene. Once you check off the touristy spots, it’s time to talk to some locals… it’s the fastest way to find the best...

We’ve all had that moment when an unknowing fan asks what’s wrong with our “guitar.” Alberto Rigoni’s latest single, “Bass Guy”, and its video tackle that situation. The song will be on the bassist’s upcoming album Bassorama, due summer 2016.

As Yes fans continue to mourn the June death of bassist Chris Squire, his music lives on, in pristine condition, in packages like a limited edition CD/Blu-ray version of the progressive rock band’s classic 1971 album, Fragile. The Fragile release is the fourth in a series of remixed and expanded packages from Yes. Here, the album has been mixed for...

This month’s transcription is a piece I’ve been meaning to get to for a long time: Bobby Vega’s “Gosh”. This piece was originally featured on Bass The World’s YouTube channel last year. Grab the transcription, read the notes below and follow along: Although a master of all techniques, Bobby Vega is probably best known for his plectrum work. Combining impeccable...

Bruno Dumant shared this excellent video with us. Here’s his note: “Jacky Grandjean passed away in November last year. He mostly played within a flamenco trio in France. Here is a little video of him. No thrills, no loops, just music.”

Bass legend Victor Bailey has been battling a form of muscular dystrophy called Charcott Marie Tooth disease for the past two decades. After announcing that his condition has worsened, the former Weather Report member checked in on his Facebook page to update his fans. A series of tests revealed that there is no outside factor affecting his health decline, indicating...

Q: I play electric bass. I’ve started taking some lessons here in Italy with a jazz player in order to study jazz and improvisation, and he has suggested I could study classical double bass at the Conservatory in order to have “serious” training. This idea fascinated me for a while, but now I’m starting to think: why should I study...

Prolific progressive rock bassist Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree, Metallic Taste of Blood) has joined up with a new group of players in the group O.R.k., which has released its first album, Inflamed Rides. “It was great to get stuck in to more arranged, song-based material after being recently focussed on purely instrumental material with Twinscapes [with bassist Lorenzo Feliciati] and...

Meet Jonathon McMillan, a bassist who is equally comfortable on double bass, fretted and fretless bass guitars. (Though today, his preference is the double bass). Of course, this accounts for quite a gear list, as you’ll see below. Jonathon is the No Treble reader in the spotlight for the week of November 9th, 2015, and here’s his story… Bio: I...

Time for one of our favorite top 10 lists – the monthly list of No Treble reader favorite videos. Thanks for watching, commenting and sharing! 1. Abraham Laboriel: Case of the Blues Every time I watch Abraham Laboriel, it’s like a masterclass in “how it’s done.” His playing exudes musicality that lets his personality shine through, giving us all something...

My daughter Sara is a constant source of new music for me. This time though, I’ll admit I was initially skeptical when she sent me this video. But as I watched, I grew more impressed with this Brazilian duo, Overdriver. In this video, bassist Fabi Terada and vocalist/guitarist Evandro Tiburski perform a cover of the Mr. Probz tune, “Waves” with...