Inside//Outside: Effervescent (Featured Reader Video Week)
Bassist Adam Neely sent this awesome video of his band Inside//Outside playing his composition “Effervescent”. The Brooklyn-based 4-stringer describes the tune as odd-metered nu-jazz with a distorted trumpet solo, 8-bit drums, and (our favorite part) a bitcrushed bass solo that starts at the 2:05 mark. We describe it as awesome. Today’s video wraps up our Featured Reader Video Week, but...
Charlie Haden Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at Grammys
The 55th Annual Grammy Awards was a very special moment for Charlie Haden as the 75-year-old bassist was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award. Over the course of his career, Haden has worked with artists like Ornette Coleman, Pat Metheny, Keith Jarrett, Alice Coltrane, Joe Henderson, and Michael Brecker, just to name a few. During his acceptance speech, the bassist explained...
Bass of the Week: Dingwall Z3
Known best for their use of the Novax fanned-fret system, Dingwall decided to capture classic tones with their Z-series. The Z1 set out to “capture the best qualities of the classic swamp ash tone” by placing their Super-Fatty pickups in the same relative positions as traditional designs. The Z2 then put the pickups closer together towards the bridge to get...
Pino Saracini: “Bridge Over Troubled Water” Solo Bass Arrangement (Featured Reader Video Week)
You may remember Pino Sarcini from when we featured his Keyboard Bass as Bass of the Week. He recently sent us this very chill solo bass arrangement of the classic Simon and Garfunkel tune “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Saracini utilizes harmonics to create a nice flowing texture to the song. “Relaxing with [my] bass at home……one of my favorite songs...
In Memoriam: Dave Clark Five’s Rick Huxley
Rick Huxley, bassist of the Dave Clark Five, has passed away at the age of 72 after battling emphysema. Huxley was a founding member of the ’60s Brit rock band and was a member for the band’s duration, from 1958 to 1970. Born in England in 1940, Huxley was just 18 when he joined the band. The group was part...
Dean Announces New Edge Basses with EMG Pickups
Dean has introduced a new variant of their flagship Edge series of basses. The new Edge 4 and Edge 5 basses distinguish themselves from the pack with upgraded electronics including a pair of active EMG pickups. Both of the new models feature bolt-on construction and sport 35? scales. They’re built with basswood bodies, maple “C”-shaped necks, rosewood fingerboards, and 24...
Nilson Matta Reimagines “Black Orpheus” With New Album
Like many Brazilians, bassist Nilson Matta became entranced by the music from the play Orfeu da Conceição when he was just a boy. Matta’s interest grew even deeper when the film adaptation, entitled Black Orpheus, was released. The music of Antonio Carlos Jobim and lyrics by de Moraes stuck with him all his life, and he’s now paying homage to...
Pinnick Gales Pridgen Release Debut Album
Here’s a great lineup: King’s X frontman/bassist Dug Pinnick, guitarist Eric Gales, and ex-Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen have teamed up for a project aptly named Pinnick Gales Pridgen. The trio has just released their self-titled debut, which features thirteen tracks that blend each member’s unique styles into a mix of “psychedelic blues, hard rock, and progressive soul/R&B.” “[The album]...
Tech 21 Introduces VT Bass DI Pedal and Rackmount Preamps
Tech 21 has expanded their Character VT Series with the VT Bass DI, available in pedal and rackmount versions. Both versions are based on the original VT Bass and VT Bass Deluxe, which are designed to give familiar sounds from the early ’60s up through modern day crunch via the “Character” knob. The VT Bass DI pedal incorporates a Blend...
Miles Davis “Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2” Released
Miles Davis went through several musical styles through his career, and the late 60’s proved to be an era of drastic change. That’s documented in part in a new box set, Live In Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Volume 2, which compiles performances by his band at the Antibes Jazz Festival in France, “The Newport Jazz Festival in Europe” in...
G&L Introduces ASAT Bass Tom Hamilton Signature Model
Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton has a new signature bass from G&L. Based on their ASAT bass, the Tom Hamilton Signature Model tweaks the design in a few ways including newly designed pickups, woods, and finishes. Core to the new model’s design is a specially wound pair of the company’s MFD pickups that were specced out by G&L’s VP Engineering Paul Gagon...
Aguilar Introduces HOT Series Precision and Jazz Bass Pickups
Aguilar has introduced a new set of pickups called the HOT series. The Hot P and Hot J pickups act as direct replacements for 4-string Fender P-Bass and Jazz pickups but feature larger, 16mm magnets and an over-wound design. The result is a hotter output that Aguilar says adds a big and loud tone while retaining the grit and nuance....