Stanley Clarke Brings Tour Back to U.S., Teases New Album
After spending the year in Europe and Asia, Stanley Clarke has announced he will bringing his band back to the U.S. for a tour in December. The bass legend will be joined by Beka Gochiashvili on piano, Cameron Graves on keys, and Michael Mitchell on drums. Clarke’s seven-date run will focus on Florida and Georgia, starting at the Ponte Vedra...
Overload Guitars Introduces the Taurus Bass
Italian custom instrument company Overload Guitars has unveiled a new bass model called the Taurus. The four-stringer is customizable but comes standard with a swamp ash body, flamed bubinga top, and seven-piece maple/bubinga/wenge neck with a resin fingerboard. Its neck has a flat “D”-shape profile with a compound fingerboard radius from 16-inches to 20-inches. It comes loaded with Nordstrand pickups...
Think Free: An Interview with Ben Allison
Ben Allison has had several names for his various bands, but Think Free may be one of the most apropos to his creative style. The bassist/composer crafts adventurous songs that defy simple categorization or labeling. He’s also a free-thinker in terms of forging his career path. After years of working for a record label, he branched out to create his...
Josquin Des Pres Launches Bass Fitness Mobile App
Want to get in shape? Bassist Josquin Des Pres has released a new app called Bass Fitness. Dubbed “The Ultimate Woodshedding App,” the new release is based on his published by Hal Leonard in 1991. “The exercises in Bass Fitness are designed to help increase your speed, improve your dexterity, develop accuracy and promote finger independence for the 4, 5...
ESO Releases Bass Strap
The ESO Strap line has been expanded to include a bass-specific strap. Available in seven colors, the straps are manufactured in Seattle, Washington. The ESO Bass Strap features a contoured “S” shape to avoid pressure points and digging into your neck. It’s built with a high-density foam core with interior heavyweight backing and reinforced stitching at critical points. The strap...
Ismael Alcina: Solo
Spanish bassist and composer Ismael Alcina recently released an album called Bass Life, featuring some really fantastic playing. Here’s a great video of the aptly entitled track “Solo”. Alcina creates a mysterious atmosphere before launching into a palm muted groove and building on it with a looper pedal.
Mark Dresser Seven Releases “Sedimental You”
Bassist/composer Mark Dresser has released Sedimental You, an exploratory album that teeters between free jazz and chamber music for a refreshing musical ride. The seven-song collection features his septet including flutist Nicole Mitchell, clarinetist Marty Ehrlich, trombonist Michael Dessen, pianist Joshua White, drummer Jim Black, and violinist David Morales Boroff. Each member of the group brings a special element to...
PHOS and Fortheloveofbass: Retrograde
Ivo Schot has released the fifth video in his Fortheloveofbass series, and it may be my favorite. This time the bassist teamed up with Dutch singer-songwriter PHOS (AKA Eveline Vroonland) to cover the James Blake song “Retrograde”. Schot covers the harmonic elements with his bass and a full pedalboard while PHOS pours her syrupy vocals overtop.
Bass of the Week: D’ARCO Shakti 5-String Bass
This week we’re checking out the D’ARCO Shakti 5-string bass by French Luthier Clément D’Arco. The striking bass has a host of beautiful, exotic woods to create a rich visual appeal. Its body is crafted from lacewood, purpleheart, wenge, and flamed maple while the 13-piece neck is made of flamed maple, wenge and a bubinga/wenge veneer. The neck is reinforced...
IK Multimedia Introduces MODO Bass Virtual Instrument
IK Multimedia has released MODO Bass, a physical modeling virtual bass instrument. The program recreates the response, feel, and tone of a real electric bass with accurate replications of 12 standard models. Beyond the models themselves, nearly every aspect of physically playing the bass can be dialed in, from playing technique (finger, slap and pick) to muting, to where you...
Epiphone Unveils Limited Edition Korina Explorer Bass
Epiphone has released a line of limited edition instruments featuring korina wood, including the Limited Edition Korina Explorer Bass. The bass sports the classic explorer body shape and comes loaded with a set of Epiphone’s XR and XT humbuckers. Both its body and neck are made of korina (also known as African Limba), while the fingerboard is rosewood. The glue-in...
Christian Sturgess: Brutai’s “Of Ashes” Bass Playthrough
Earlier this year, we were knocked out by bassist Christian Sturgess as he ripped through his band Brutai’s track “Onyx“. Now he’s back with another gritty play along for the song “Of Ashes” from their upcoming debut album, Born. Sturgess uses a gnarly overdrive, power chords, and tapping to keep the song super heavy.