In Memoriam: Lenny Stallworth
David “Lenny” Stallworth, who anchored Roy Hargrove’s RH Factor and toured with Maceo Parker, has passed away. Raised in Moss Point, Mississippi, Stallworth started playing bass at 11 years old and one year later joined his first band: The Super Soul Movement. At eighteen he joined the show band Poo Nanny and toured the Chitlin’ Circuit where he got the...
Royal Blood Announce U.S. Headlining Tour
Bass and drum duo Royal Blood have announced they’ll be coming to the U.S. for a headlining tour in 2018. Fronted by bassist/vocalist Mike Kerr, the band will be hitting the road in support of their latest album, How Did We Get This Dark? The tour kicks off in Brooklyn, New York before heading to Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, Florida,...
Wolfgang Muthspiel Quintet: Father and Sun
Larry Grenadier takes the melody and an awesome solo on this live version of “Father and Sun” by the Wolfgang Muthspiel Quintet. He also creates a spacey groove with drummer Brian Blade to propel the ethereal song.
Death By Audio Introduces Absolute Destruction Pedal
If you’re looking to blow up your bass sound, Death By Audio has you covered with their new Absolute Destruction pedal. Utilizing a power amplifier IC, the unit offers a distortion as well as what its name implies. “Showing little to no respect for what instruments normally sound like, or even what many people want them to sound like, we...
Berklee Bass Department: Deck The Hanukkah
It’s time for one of our favorite holiday traditions again. Steve Bailey and the Berklee Bass Department have once again sent us a video for the season, and it’s another great one. This year’s track is a mashup entitled “Deck the Hanukkah” that features Bailey, Victor Wooten, John Patitucci, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, and Aaron Hanson on some blazing rap...
The Levin Brothers Announce Live Album, Tour Dates
Tony Levin and his brother Pete have followed up their debut album with a new live release, entitled Special Delivery. Produced three years after the Levin Brothers’ self-titled debut, the new album captures the duo along with saxophonist Erik Lawrence and drummer Jeff Siegel during their 2017 tour. The quartet tackles mostly original tunes penned by the Levins and Erik...
Björn Meyer: Trails Crossing
Here’s a gorgeous solo bass song written and performed by Björn Meyer. Born in Sweden and based in Switzerland, the bassist’s “Trails Crossing” comes from his latest album, Provenance, which is the first ECM record devoted to solo electric bass.
Fodera Unveils 35th Anniversary Monarch 4 Deluxe Bass
Fodera is gearing up for 2018 by announcing the 35th Anniversary Monarch 4 Deluxe. Celebrating the company’s flagship design, the new bass is described as combining classic Fodera tone and looks with modern electronics and playability. “For this bass, we’ve adopted an early Fodera wood combination of a Mahogany body, Quilted Maple top, and a Pau Ferro fingerboard. In the...
In Memoriam: Richard Ruse
Sad news to report today: Trickfish Amplification founder Richard Ruse has passed away. The company announced his death on social media. “It is with great sadness and loss that we announce the passing of our founder and visionary, Richard Ruse,” they wrote on Facebook. “Richard passed away from complications due to an infection he was battling for several weeks. Richard...
Electro-Harmonix Reissues the Op-Amp Big Muff Pi Pedal
Electro-Harmonix reached into their past to reissue the Op-Amp Big Muff Pi from the late ’70s. The new pedal is faithful to the original 1978 design with a few new features including a compact, die-cast chassis, and true bypass switching. “The pedal relies on op-amps rather than transistors and three gain stages rather than four, to create its signature sound,”...
Bass of the Week: Neal Heppleston Panormo Double Bass
British double bass luthier Neal Heppleston sent us photos of his Panormo model to check out, and I’ve been obsessing over it. Each piece of wood is jaw-dropping, but moreover, it seems every little detail is a work of art in itself. Hand-built in his Sheffield shop, the bass is designed after the work of a famous 18th-century luthier with...
Cheikh Ndoye, Featuring Woz Kaly: Jolie
Cheikh Ndoye is back with another incredible performance on the bass ngoni, a traditional West African instrument that has similarities to a three-string fretless bass. This time he plays through the song “Jolie” from his recent album . Ndoye’s rhythmic and melodic bass lines support a melody sung by Woz Kaly to create an incredible groove.