Articles by Corey Brown - Page 516

The Des Moines Register is reporting that Slipknot bassist Paul Gray was found dead this morning at an Urbandale, Iowa hotel. He was 38. Police said there was no evidence of foul play, though the investigation continues. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow. Our thoughts go out to Gray’s family, friends and bandmates.

Check out this jam session between Victor Wooten and Stu Hamm at the Hartke booth during Winter NAMM 2009. They’re performing an all bass version of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon”!

1. Player News: Black Sabbath Bassist Remembers Dio Black Sabbath bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler released a statement last week, remembering his friend and band mate Ronnie James Dio. 2. Video: Ran Levi (aka Bassran): Bass Solo Here’s Israeli bassist Ran Levi doing a cool bass solo on his 6-string Ken Smith bass. 3. Gear Watch: Warwick Just-a-Nut III Brass Warwick...

This clip of fretless bass master Percy Jones comes from his instructional video, “Bass Exploration of Percy Jones”. Jones is joined by Van Manakas on guitar, Marc Wagnon on MIDI vibes and Jonathan Mover on drums.

Here’s a great live performance of Avishai Cohen and his trio performing “Gently Disturbed” at the Leverkusen Jazztage in 2007. Shai Maestro is on piano and Mark Guiliana is on drums.

Bassist, vocalist and composer Esperanza Spalding is releasing her second album on the Heads Up label, Chamber Music Society, on August 17th. Chamber Music Society is Spalding’s follow up to the 2008 release, Esperanza, which sat atop Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart for over 70 weeks. Backed by drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and pianist Leo Genovese, Spalding draws from her classical...

Here’s a great way to take a 10 minute break on a Friday: Watch this live performance of Alain Caron and his band at Cabaret de Montreal, performing “Sam The Clown”. Wait for the bass solo!

Trey Gunn has teamed up with drummer Marco Minnemann for a new album, Modulator. The recording of Modulator has a twist: the entire album was composed and produced over top of a live, 51 minute drum solo by Minnemann. “This was the hardest recording I have ever taken on,” says Gunn. “The challenges of this process prove the old adage...

Magna Carta Records has released New World Man: A Tribute To Rush, an album that combines the labels previous two Rush tribute releases, Working Man (1996) and Subdivisions (2005), plus three previously unreleased tracks. Bassists Billy Sheehan, Robert Berry, Nathan Peck, Juan Alderete, Stu Hamm and Ron Tole all perform on the album. New World Man Track Listing (and performers):...

Meet bassist Todd Erickson, our player in the spotlight for May 18, 2010. Bio: Denver-born, Maine-raised, Boston-honed, lead-singing, songwriting bottom dweller for “hippie-shredder” rock trio “FREERIDER”. Began recording original material in 1983 with “Still Missing” as lead-singing bass player. Received a Boston Music Award in 1987 for “Best Rock Song” with his former pop/punk/metal trio, “SHAKE THE FAITH”. Currently writing...

Buddy Hankerson (of Steve Arrington’s Hall Of Fame) was a man ahead of his time. Check out this performance, filmed 26 years ago.

1. Player News: Billy Corgan Selects New Smashing Pumpkins Bassist After holding an open audition for a bassist, Billy Corgan has announced the band’s new keeper of the low end for the Smashing Pumpkins. 2. Video: James Jamerson Isolated Bass Track: I Can’t Get Next to You James Jamerson’s isolated bass track from the Temptations’ “I Can’t Get Next to...