Kamasi Washington: Malcolm’s Theme, Live at Paste Studios
I’m a huge Kamasi Washington fan, and that’s thanks in part to the amazing bass work of Miles Mosley. Here’s an awesome stripped down version of “Malcolm’s Theme” from Washington’s 2015 album The Epic, live at Paste Studios. The song is driven by Mosley’s active bass line, which he accents with a slew of pedals to build different sections. Check...
Cliff Burton Day Announced For February 10th
Mark your calendars: Cliff Burton Day is set for February 10th. After fans started a petition on Change.org, the late Metallica bassist’s home town of Castro Valley will recognize the bassist on his birthday this year. Metallica announced the news on Twitter. “IT’S OFFICIAL! The Board of Supervisors from Alameda County has just proclaimed February 10, 2018, which would have...
Genzler Amplification Reveals BA410-3 Bass Cabinet
After unveiling a slant cab version of their BA12-3, Genzler Amplification announced another model to their Bass Array series at the NAMM Show with the BA410-3. The cab is loaded with ten cone drivers: four 10-inch cast frame woofers and six 3-inch neodymium paper cone speakers, which are in a line array. It handles up to 1,000 watts at four...
Paul Simon: Wristband
Paul Simon shocked the world on February 5th when he released a statement that he’s retiring from touring. That led me to watch a ton of his videos, including this clip for his recent song “Wristband.” Simon is joined by longtime collaborator Bakithi Kumalo, who many know for his incredible bass lines on the Graceland album. “Wristband” comes from 2016’s...
Mark Egan and Arjun Bruggeman Release “Dreaming Spirits”
Bass wizard Mark Egan has teamed up with tabla player and percussionist Arjun Bruggeman to release an instrumental album called Dreaming Spirits. Featuring guest guitarist Shane Theriot, the project has been in the making for a decade. “This audiophile recording features 14 original instrumental compositions for a total of 70 plus minutes exploring multi-dimensional ambient grooves and masterful improvisations from...
Ernie Ball Music Man Updates StingRay Bass for 2018
Ernie Ball Music Man’s StingRay has been a time-tested model for decades, but both the four and five-string versions will be getting an update for 2018. The company made the announcement at the Winter NAMM Show. “For 2018, the StingRay4 and StingRay5 have been reimagined with new features and appointments that provide a new level of playing comfort while retaining...
Olivier Babaz: Boplicity
Many know Olivier Babaz for playing kalimba at the same time as bass, but he’s also incredible at jazz bowing. Here’s a great clip of him performing “Boplicity.” “It’s a follow up of [my] Swing feel & Baroque bow grip series with a classic Miles Davis & Gil Evans composition,” he writes.
MonoNeon Releases New Album, “I Don’t Care Today”
Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas, Jr. has just dropped a new album called I Don’t Care Today (Angels & Demons in Lo-Fi). The former Prince collaborator utilizes his genre-bending style to create what he calls his most intimate work yet. “‘I Don’t Care Today’ is a push and pull between the flesh and the spirit. MonoNeon creates a soundtrack about his existential...
Darkglass Electronics Introduces Alpha Omega Ultra Pedal
Last year, Darkglass Electronics wowed NAMM-goers with the Alpha Omega. Now they’ve built upon the model with Alpha Omega Ultra, which they describe as “the most versatile bass preamplifier we’ve designed.” Just like its predecessor, the Ultra has two distinct distortion circuits that can be selected or mixed as well as a dry blend knob to retain your original signal....
Bass of the Week: R. Low. Vaughn 34? Scale Four-String
This week we’re checking out a slick four-stringer by R. Low. Vaughn. Built by luthier Rob Vaughn, the bass is one of his newer models. “This particular bass is the 3rd one of that style I’ve made,” Vaughn says. “It started out as a concept for a bassist over in Britain named Alysha Moore who got the first one last...
Clutch Announces Spring Headlining Tour
Clutch is hitting the road again for a headlining tour with some stellar support. The band, anchored by bassist Dan Maines, will be kicking off their spring outing on April 27th in Chattanooga, Tennessee with following dates sticking to the South. Joining them will be Red Fang (bassist Aaron Beam), The Bronx (bassist Brad Majers), and Fireball Ministry (bassist Scott...
Rickenbacker Unveils the 2018 4003S/5 5-String Bass
Rickenbacker announced the return of the 4003S/5 bass at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show. The five-string bass, which has not been offered for over a decade, has been updated with a slightly wider string spacing, a Schaller 3D-5 bridge, and a new single coil pickup design. The pickup was re-engineered with two blade magnets that angle further out towards the...