Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 766

Tango master Pablo Aslan has released a new album with his quintet, Piazzolla in Brooklyn. For the project, Aslan took a failed 1959 album by Astor Piazzolla called Take Me Dancing and re-interpreted it to prove its musical worth. The result is influenced by Aslan’s “immersion in the Brooklyn scene.” “I was attracted by the idea of recreating this damned...

Some basses are a piece of history, and then some are made from pieces of history. As part of their Master Builder Collection, Polish company Mayones unveiled the Elegance 5 Paper, a limited edition 5-stringer covered with reprints of newspapers, some dating back 100 years. The clippings are from all over the world: Poland, the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and...

In a complete 180 from his recent big band album, Christian McBride has released an album of duets called Conversations with Christian. The project began as podcasts in 2009, where the bassist got together with his musical companions to interview them, as well as play through some songs. The podcast eventually led to the bassist’s popular Sirius-XM radio show, The...

Blending hip-hop, rock, go-go and even a little country, bassist/singer/multi-instrumentalist Meshell Ndegeocello makes her return with her ninth studio album, Winter. The album, as diverse as the bassist herself, is the first studio effort since the 2009 release, Devil’s Halo. Even with the diversity, Ndegeocello describes Weather as organic and “song-based,” with an emphasis on groove. Among her original tunes...

Essential Sound Products has introduced two new Signature MusicCord-PRO power cords: the Victor Wooten and Gerald Veasley models. The new cords have colors chosen by the artists, with Wooten’s cord being purple with clear crisscross tracer and Veasley’s being red with black crisscross. Brochures with unique photographs, pictorial discographies, and biographic information are included in each package. Designed and assembled...

Today’s play-along is Grant Smith’s cover of Stevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life,” a tune that features a masterfully crafted bass line from the imagination of the late, great James Jamerson. Smith, who plays it on a Kens Smith 6-string, picked the song as his first in a series of videos for its complexity and beauty. “It is a...

Bassist Edgar Meyer, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, fiddler Stuart Duncan and mandolinist Chris Thile have come together to release The Goat Rodeo Sessions, an 11-track collection of songs which the group describes as “genre proof.” With styles ranging from classical to bluegrass, the album is definitely an interesting mix, sure to please fans of acoustic music. Though the title refers to...

Ashdown Engineering has unveiled a limited edition of their Little Bastard amp head called the LB-550. The new amp couples their Little Bastard tube preamp section with the 550-watt digital power section from their new MiBass head, resulting in tube tone in a lightweight head weighing in at 6.2kg (approximately 13.6 puonds). The preamp uses ECC83 and ECC82 tubes and...

After suffering a major stroke on Friday November 4th, bass legend Chuck Rainey is expected to have a full recovery, according to his wife Susan. “Thank U Dear Friends for all the prayers and healing Light,” Mrs. Rainey posted on Facebook. “Chuck had a stroke Friday night but the prognosis is good for a full recovery. Please keep him in...

Gibson has added a new Explorer Bass model for their USA line. The solid mahogany bass takes its body shape from the original Explorer guitar, first introduced in 1958, and comes in a Silverburst finish. The Gibson Explorer Bass has a full 34″ scale and features a glued-in, quarter-sawn maple neck with a Preciosa fingerboard. The Explorer’s electronics are a...

CruzTOOLS has announced their new Groovetech Truss Rod Drivers, designed specifically for vintage-style truss rod nuts on basses and guitars. As the company explains, early Fender instruments and subsequent modern reproductions use a “cross screw” nut, which has two slots in a cross pattern. Though the innovation was popular in years past, they often cause problems as they’re made of...

Providence has introduced the Provolt 9, a compact power supply with six 9 volt outputs, each output giving up to 100mA. The box features an auto voltage controller, which supplies the ideal output for each device you connect to it. Providence says even a brand new battery can vary from 9.4 to 9.8 volts, causing noticeable, albeit small change in...