Archive for 2015 - Page 69

Joe Kruse has spent the past eight years working with Carl Thompson and two more years in Roger Sadowsky’s shop. Now he’s striking out on his own with MBJ Guitars, which focuses on unique short-scale designs and killer wood combinations. The luthier gave us the rundown on his Nutsy bass, which is our bass of the week. “I used mahogany...

Jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington pulled in not one, but two top-notch bassists for his latest, The Epic. Miles Mosley (Jeff Beck, Joni Mitchell, Common) handles acoustic bass on the record and Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner (Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, ex-Suicidal Tendencies) is on electric in the 10-piece-jazz band assembled by Washington. The album lives up to its name, too: the music...

Another great week comes to a close, but not before we share the best from the world of bass. Here is your top 10 for the week of May 2-8, 2015. Thanks as always for reading, watching, listening, commenting and sharing. 1. Miki Santamaria & Casey Cooper: Bass vs Drums Miki Santamaria just sent me his latest video, which he...

Just about everything you need to know about playing bass with a pick is covered in Stuart Clayton’s Plectrum Techniques for Bass Guitar. The book, with 201 exercises, can be used by every player — from beginner to advanced. The book also includes four study pieces. All are supported by downloadable audio. Chapters cover triplets, as well as rock, metal,...

Anthony Wellington is one of the all time great bassists and bass educators. He’s been a member of Victor Wooten’s band for years, and his Bassology teaching studio continually turns out fantastic bass players. Today we’re celebrating his birthday with a clip from Gerald Veasley’s 2015 Bass Boot Camp, where he took the stage with Oteil Burbridge, Richard Waller, and...

D’Angelo’s Voodoo was a delight for bass/soul fans, offering up grooves from star session player Pino Palladino. Inspired by old-school soul and R&B, the 2000 record is now considered a classic, and it’s getting the kind of treatment a classic deserves — a reissue on heavyweight white vinyl. The reissue has appeared as D’Angelo prepares to hit the road to...

Our friend Mark Barletta sent us a note to check out some videos by Remco Hendriks, a bassist from the Netherlands. Remco calls this “Fingerstyle Funk Bass & Drum Grooves”. The part with the octaver really rocks.

Bassist Rutger Gunnarsson, who made waves with Swedish pop sensation ABBA, has passed away. He was 69 years old. Gunnarsson was born in Linköping, Sweden in 1946. Originally a guitarist, he was studying at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm when a friend convinced him to audition for the Hootenanny Singers, a folk band that included future ABBA frontman...

Paul McCartney has plotted more U.S. Tour Dates as part of his continuing “Out There” trek, including two festival appearances. The former Beatles bassist, who is currently making his way through Japan and South Korea, will be heading back to the States starting June 19th at the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware. He then heads to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before...

New for 2015, Schecter has built upon their Diamond Series of basses with the Diamond Plus Series. The new lineup includes the Diamond-J Plus and Diamond-P Plus in a variety of finishes. Both models are built with a choice of swamp ash or alder for the body, a 6-bolt maple with carbon fiber reinforcements, and either a maple or rosewood...

The Winery Dogs released their debut album back in 2013 and followed it with a tour. During that tour, they recorded a show for a live DVD, Unleashed in Japan. Here’s the band performing “You Saved Me”, with one very cool intro – and outro – by Billy Sheehan.

Jeffrey Hammond’s last album as a bassist, Jethro Tull’s Minstrel in the Gallery, has been reissued in a 40th anniversary edition. The two-CD/two-DVD 40th Anniversary La Grande Edition includes the original 1975 album, expanded to feature the b-side “Summerday Sands,” outtakes and alternate session material on one disc. The second disc is a live recording of a show at the...