Archive for September 2017 - Page 3

I just discovered the artist known as Binkbeats, and I was glad I did. The producer/multi-instrumentalist handles bass, keyboards, and percussion on this tune, “Little Nerves,” and is joined by keyboardist Niels Broos on the tune. If you did this, you might want to check out his album, P.M.P.U. Part 1, which comes out next month.

Mike Gordon’s fifth solo album, OGOGO, is now available. The Phish bassist tapped longtime partners Scott Murawski (guitar/vocals), Robert Walter (keyboards), John Morgan Kimock (drums) and Craig Myers (percussion) for the record, although it wasn’t the same old recording session for the musicians. Producer Shawn Everett helped to coax new sounds out of them. “All five of us decided not...

Electro-Harmonix has added some features to their Superego pedal to create the Superego+. The new unit takes the synth engine and adds a multi-effects section with 11 built-in effects plus an expression input and an external jack for a three-button controller. The 11 effects are Detune, Delay, Echo, Flange, Phase, Mod, Rotary, Trem 1, Trem 2, Pitch, and Filter. “The...

Today marks 30 years since Jaco Pastorius passed away. Though three decades have come and gone, his approach to the bass and singular voice on the instrument is still strongly felt. We remember him today with a collection of reader favorite videos and transcriptions from our archives

Bassist Franck Hermanny always impresses with his incredible facility and musicianship on the bass. This video once again showcases all of that, with an all-bass arrangement of Toto’s “Georgy Porgy.” “Here’s my little tribute to the Porcaro Brothers, and this great tune… YES, I know, Mike Porcaro didn’t play bass on the original but listening to live recordings with him,...

Australia’s Wayne Jones Audio has unveiled the bass amp builder’s latest creation: the WJBPII Twin Channel Bass Preamp. The comprehensive unit has two independent channels with the second channel having the option of phantom power. “Listening to endorsees Scott Colley & André Berry I designed this new edition for the endorsee family,” designer Jones writes. “Scott needed one channel for...

For this week’s column, I asked a good friend of mine – Seattle-based drummer Tarik Abouzied – to talk about what he looks for in a bassist, from a drummer’s perspective. I thought he may have some insights as he’s also a pretty phenomenal bassist, in addition to being a complete badass on the drums. Whenever I can’t make one...

I remember this incredible AOL Session with Meshell Ndegeocello from 2002. It went missing for some time, but it has now resurfaced. I especially love her performance of “Faithful,” which happens around the 12:34 mark of this video. Thanks to my good friend Ted Gould for sharing this!

At 82 years old and after playing for nearly 65 years, jazz bass master Gary Peacock still has the fire. Any proof you’d need of that is evidenced in his latest album called Tangents, featuring his trio with Marc Copland and Joey Baron. Peacock’s signature bass lines and thoughtful solos grace the album with a creative flow that only a...

Nick Castledine lives an interesting life, working as a mechanical engineer (and on his Ph.D. in robotics) while balancing a healthy gigging schedule. He started on saxophone until an opportunity in a metal band came up, which is when he made the switch to bass. Nick is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight (you could be next!) Here’s...

After introducing a JJ model earlier this year, Cort has once again added to their GB7 series with the GB75JH bass. The new bass takes a “proven body and bridge design” and adds a new pickup configuration – in this case a single coil pickup with a humbucker in the bridge position. “This model is equipped with two-band EQ with...

We’re big fans of bassist Wes Stephenson. Here he is performing with guitarist Mark Lettieri on the tune, “Montreal,” which appears on Lettieri’s 2016 album, . Wes always seems to find the perfect line to serve the song. Plus, he offers up a terrific solo on this one.