Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 521

American jazz bassist Charlie Haden, who made waves with artists like free jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman and pianist Keith Jarrett, has passed away after a prolonged illness, according to a statement from ECM Records. He was 76. Born in Shenandoah, Iowa in 1937, Haden was raised on a farm and started on bass at an early age. His family had...

After keeping them to limited to artists and exclusive dealers, Dean Markley has launched a nickel-plated version of their Blue Steel bass strings. Similar to the stainless steel set, the Blue Steel Nickel-Plated strings are cryogenically frozen with liquid nitrogen to improve their lifespan. The company describes the strings as gentler to the touch. Nickel also creates less distortion for...

Rufus Reid has a vibe on bass that will fill an entire room. Check out this video of his Out Front trio performing the jazz standard “Come Rain or Come Shine” live at Dizzy’s and you’ll see what I mean. Reid’s distinct tone and cooler-than-cool phrasing sets the tone as he plays the melody and supports pianist Steve Allee before...

This week we check out the Custom AG by Belgian luthier Paul Belgrado. Finished in a root beer color nitrocellulose finish, the bass gives an air of classic ideas with a modern approach. The AG is built with an alder body, maple neck, and madagascar rosewood fingerboard. It gets its meaty sound from a pair of Lindy Fralin double coil,...

Here’s something I never thought I’d see. Studio legend Carol Kaye gave KISS bassist Gene Simmons an impromptu bass lesson at Sunset Sound studios in Hollywood, and luckily cameras were rolling to catch it.

Hip hop supergroup Deltron 3030 is continuing to tour in support of their latest release, , which dropped in September. The group, featuring the core of Dan the Automator, Del the Funky Homosapien and Kid Koala, features bass extraordinaire Juan Alderete laying down the low end. The North American leg of their tour wraps up this month with dates in...

Dirty Loops has just released a new cover video, this time tackling Avicii’s “Wake Me Up.” Taking a more laid back feel than their previous covers, the clip has bassist Henrik Linder taking a more chordal approach. And no, your eyes do not deceive you. The bassist is using his Mattissonbass that features true temperament frets, making the frets uneven...

In a move that has shocked the music industry, members of Pink Floyd have announced they will be releasing a new album later this year entitled The Endless River. The album will be their first in 20 years, following The Division Bell, which . “Pink Floyd can confirm that they are releasing a new album, The Endless River, in October...

Back in January, we reported that longtime Testament bassist Greg Christian was leaving the band. Christian, who was an original member of the group, opened up about his departure on his Facebook account, detailing discrepancies in payment and treatment. “The last straw [was as follows]. [I was] sitting at the bar in the Seoul/Incheon airport [in South Korea], with a...

We last featured the trio of Bryan Ladd, Justin Stanton and Jason Patterson back in January with their version of “Havona”. Here’s the trio laying into the groove on Michael Jackson’s “Stranger in Moscow.” Check out Ladd’s tasty solo starting at the 1:09 mark.

Cannibal Corpse bassist Alex Webster hinted that the band was working on their 13th studio album when we interviewed him for Profiles in Tone in March. The iconic death metal outfit has now revealed the name of the album – A Skeletal Domain – along with the list of tracks and a preview. Following up on 2012’s Torture, the album...

Check out this video of Cheikh Ndoye’s electrifying performance on his tune “Alchemy.” Taken from a performance at the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the song brings together world music and classic jazz fusion with an unstoppable groove. Ndoye takes the first solo, utilizing a pitch shifter to get add a cool texture to his blistering lines. The rest...