Archive for 2016 - Page 69

There’s nothing like being in a symphony hall and experiencing the sound of a double bass. The tone of the instrument is enhanced by the beauty of the room and the reverence for hundreds of years of Western musical culture. The low, resonant notes fill the space like fresh coffee being poured into your favorite mug; they are rich and...

Today we’re celebrating the birthday of one of the greats – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen – who was born on this day in 1946. Here’s the bass great performing “Oleo” with guitarist Joe Pass on October 24, 1992 at the Jazz Baltica festival in Germany. Happy birthday, NHØP. You are missed!

Bassist Dave Bronze, who appeared on Eric Clapton’s 1994 and 1998 albums From the Cradle and Pilgrim, has re-teamed with the guitar great for Clapton’s latest studio record, I Still Do. The new album featuring Bronze (Robin Trower, Art of Noise, Procol Harum, Dr. Feelgood) sees Clapton working with another old collaborator, producer Glyn Johns, who was at the helm...

Here’s a tour you won’t want to miss: Stuart Hamm will be hitting the road in June for his “Solo Bass Songs and Stories Tour”. The trek, which focuses on the Northeast and parts of Canada, will have the bass legend performing songs from his latest album, The Book of Lies, plus new music including his petite suite for solo...

Veteran bassist and educator Todd Coolman has worked with a who’s who of the jazz world. His resumé includes work with Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Tommy Flanagan, Ahmad Jamal, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, and James Moody (with whom he won Grammy), among others. In working with these incredible bandleaders, he’s gathered what it takes...

If you’re addicted to that fretless “mwah”, then you’re going to want to sit down for this one. Alex Bershadsky teamed up with pianist Rostik Lerman and drummer Shay Sasson to record Lerman’s composition “Tango Traumatico” and it’s got tons of creamy bass tone. The trio gets into a great tango groove with solid foundation from the bassist before he...

Mudcrutch, Tom Petty’s band before the Heartbreakers, has released its second album, 2, more than 40 years after the band’s 1975 breakup. Mudcrutch can almost be seen as an incubator for Petty’s later band, including future Heartbreakers Mike Campbell (guitar) and Benmont Tench (keyboards). Both men, and Petty, are part of the current incarnation of Mudcrutch, which reformed and released...

Peterson Tuners has introduced the BodyBeat Pulse Solo, a clip-on device that allows players to feel the beat from a metronome through vibration. The Pulse Solo uses the output of any metronome that has a standard 3.5mm headphone output jack, including metronome apps on mobile devices. It also works with Peterson’s own BodyBeat Metronome App for iOS to deliver three...

Q: Do you have any tips for how to come up with new groove ideas? A: I spent quite a few years doing what I call “fishing”. What I mean by that is, aimlessly using different notes and rhythms hoping to stumble upon something interesting (This is especially true with my soloing back in the day, but that’s another column)....

Mike Frost stepped things up this year with a stellar collaboration with the Florence Symphony Orchestra. The bassist performed his work “Astral Dance” with his band plus the entire orchestra to create a huge and engrossing musical experience. Starting with the strings, the tune starts almost as a lullaby that Frost puts a melody on. It builds in intensity with...

Two-time Grammy Award-winner Boris Kozlov has released his debut album as a bandleader: Conversations At The Well. The New York-based bassist, who originally hails from Russia, performs on the record with guitarist David Gilmore (Steve Coleman and Five Elements) and drummer Rudy Royston. The album was recorded on Feb. 16, 2016, in Brooklyn. Conversations at the Well is available on...

Meet Hector “Hexbass” Rodriguez, a bassist who clearly marches to the beat of his own drum (or bass). A musician who doesn’t want to do “same cookie-cutter stuff”, he’s navigating the world of music and doing his own thing. Hexbass is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: I was born during a storm in...